OYC POSITION ON CAPITOL LAKE STUDIES
The Olympia Yacht Club Board of Trustees takes a stand on the future of Capitol Lake It is to:
DREDGE THE LAKE and RETAIN IT AS A REFLECTIVE POND AND SEDIMENT COLLECTION BASIN
THE HISTORY
Capitol Lake was created in 1951 on the State of Washington’s Capitol Campus in Olympia Washington. It was created by putting a dam at the mouth of the Deschutes River at the location of 5th Street and Simmons. It was created as a reflecting pond which was part of the original Capitol Building designers White and Wilder in a 1911 vision plan.
Later Capitol Lake was modified to create several holding basins for sediment of the Deschutes River. These areas of the lake are called the Middle and South Basins. And more recently the lake’s shoreline was modified by extending Heritage Park, creating a Promenade of Counties and nature trails around the Lake. The City of Olympia has also added the very popular Heritage Fountain.
The last time Capitol Lake was partially dredged was in 1984-86. At that time the area now know as the Interpretive Center was created from the dredged sediment.
In the 90’s when it was time to dredge again, The Department of Administration hesitated. Instead they created the Capitol Lake Adaptive Management Plan (CLAMP) Steering Committee. The idea was to bring all the governmental enities directly involved, The City of Olympia, Port of Olympia, the Squaxin Tribe, Thurston County and numerous state agencies together to create a plan to manage the lake. They produced a ten-year plan in 2002. The objectives of that plan were:
1. Adaptively manage the Capitol Lake basin.
2. Complete an estuary feasibility study to determine a Long-range management decision.
3. Restore earthquake damaged state infrastructure within the basin.
4. Complete the development of Heritage Park.
5. Expand and enhance public use of state owned lands and adjacent public spaces within the Capitol Lake region.
6. Develop and implement a flood hazard management strategy for lands adjacent to Capitol Lake.
7. Rehabilitate the fish ladder in the Capitol Lake dam to provide year-round fish passage into and out of Capitol
Lake.
8. Relocate the Percival Cove fish rearing operation and rehabilitate Percival Cove for other users.
9. Improve lake edges to be fish, wildlife and people friendly.
10. Maintain less than 100 resident Canada Geese on CapitolLake.
11. Improve water quality in Capitol Lake to meet State standards.
12. Eliminate the Purple Loosestrife and Eurasian Milfoil noxious weed infestations throughout Capitol Lake.
13. Develop and implement a comprehensive sediment management strategy for the Capitol Lake basin.
14. Communicate with the community, legislators, and the State Capitol Committee
Six years later some of the objectives have been accomplished. However,
flood control, aquatic weed and sediment management remain as major concerns
Objective 2 of the Ten Year Plan was to do an estuary feasibility study. This resulted in four major studies being done. They are:
1. Hydraulic and Sediment Transport Analysis
2. Estuary and Biological Conditions
3. Engineering Designs and Cost Estimates
4. Net Social and Economic Benefit Analysis
In addition a report that describes the cost, methods and schedules associated with dredging elements of different possible management alternatives was completed. Currently, The Department of General Administration is attempting to bring all that information (some 25 plus study sources) together in an Alternatives Analysis Report. This is expected to be fully complete in March 2009
Where we are today
· The Dredging and Sediment study estimates that 35,000 cubic feet will be dumped into the Olympia Yacht Club (OYC) boat basin every three years.
· The actual schedule of sediment dump on OYC cannot be predicted but will likely occur during and immediately after storms.
· The volume of sediment being dump into the OYC boat basin will likely increase over time
· OYC has estimated that it will cost the Olympia Yacht Club in excess of $1.2 million (2008 dollars) every three years. That is about $7,000.00 per member!
· A single storm surge would render much of OYC into a mud flat and the Boat Basin unusable.
· The OYC requested that CLAMP Committee investigate and report the impacts on Lower Budd Inlet. The last study clearly points out the sediment impact but does not address the fiscal and economic impact to the Olympia shoreline businesses. To us it is incomprehensible the CLAMP. Based on analysis in other similar cities indicated that turning the inter Budd Inlet into mud flats would result in at least 10.4 million dollars annual negative impact to the Olympia not mind what would happen to Tumwater’s Tumwater Falls Park area.
OYC supports the Lake dredging option for these reasons:
· Sediments contained within the lake is the most manageable option
· Minimizes environmental impact to the Puget Sound
· Limits the possible exposure of noxious weeds and other elements
· Centers responsibility for dredging with one agency
· Retains Capitol Lake as a reflecting pond
· Flood control plan
· Allows for future development of Percival Landing
What is next?
The CLAMP Steering Committee meets every first Thursday in the General Administration Building. Over the next several months extra meetings are to be scheduled. You can go to theses meetings.
A Recommendation from CLAMP Steering Committee to the State of Washington’s Dept of General Administration is expect in Spring of 2009. Theses recommendations then go to the Capitol Facilities Committee in late 2009.
If you are interested in the details of CLAMP or the OYC’s related activity and/or would like to help please contact John DeMeyer (456-4708) or Jim Lengenfelder (943-6199)