The natural bottleneck at Albeni Falls (visible in the above photo) had long been a problem for lakeside residents. It held back the high waters of spring runoff, causing annual flooding along the shores of the lake and river.
Flood control was one of the secondary purposes, after water storage, of the Albeni Falls dam. Contractors deepened the north channel (to the right, in the photo) and entirely removed one of the two islands.
