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Study jeopardizes future of Lake Tapps
Rob Tucker; The News Tribune
A key federal agency has weighed in against a plan to save Lake Tapps.
A National Marine Fisheries Service report says water diversions to the White
River Hydroelectric Project, which includes Lake Tapps as a reservoir,
jeopardize protected chinook salmon in the river.
If the draft opinion calling for limiting the diversions isn't modified, the
91-year-old hydro project could be forced to shut down, meaning Lake Tapps would
evaporate within two years.
One homeowner expressed renewed concern about the lake's uncertain future.
"It doesn't sound good at all," said Brian Schwary, an avid boater.
"I thought they were going to work something out. I bought my house because
the lake is there. It was my dream."
The agency on Oct. 8 issued the preliminary biological report as part of the
process for issuing the hydro project's pending federal operating license. The
draft report can be modified for scientific reasons, perhaps enough to save the
lake, as long as the fish are protected, fisheries officials said.
The salmon are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act,
and the fisheries service is charged with protecting them.
Some local officials, who have worked for more than three years to save the
lake, were jolted by the biological report.
"If it stays the way it is," efforts to save the lake will fail,
said Pierce County Councilwoman Jan Shabro, co-chairwoman of a task force formed
to try to preserve the lake.
Puget Sound Energy, which owns Lake Tapps and the hydro project, remained
optimistic but warned that if the draft isn't modified, saving the lake will
become much more expensive.
"If it sticks" in its current form, "it wouldn't be good
news," said Ed Schild, Puget's director of energy production and storage.
The fisheries service is committed to work with those trying to save the
lake, biologist Steve Fransen said.
"But we cannot compromise fish conservation," he said.
The fisheries service produced the biological opinion as part of a
power-licensing process for the hydro project, which was built in 1911, before
licenses were required.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which oversees the license
process, issued a license for the project four years ago, but Puget didn't
accept it because of the additional costs of the federally required fish and
environmental protections.
To preserve Lake Tapps, local and state officials in 1999 formed a
FERC-approved task force with Puget after the utility said it might shut down
the project. The task force came up with a way to raise money to save the
project and the lake - sell lake water for drinking to eastside King County
utilities. Puget has applied for permits.
While the fisheries service didn't address the water-selling idea in its Oct.
8 opinion, it said White River salmon habitat must be upgraded.
The fisheries service said Puget facilities, such as the diversion dam, hurt
or kill too many protected salmon. The agency wants the dam removed or replaced.
Puget's Schild said the utility agrees with most of the fisheries service's
proposed remedies, including replacing the dam, and is working on some of them
now.
For example, Puget has installed a $14 million fish screen and pipeline to
get salmon out of the hydro project's diversion canal.
But there remains at least one serious sticking point between the agency and
Puget - the river below Puget's diversion dam at Buckley remains polluted and
sometimes becomes too warm and unhealthy for fish.
The fisheries service wants Puget to leave more water in the river to cool it
and increase its quality. That could take water away from producing power and
drinking water.
Doing so could put Puget out of business at Lake Tapps, task force officials
said.
Some of the pollution comes from treated wastewater Buckley and Enumclaw
discharge into the river. Puget has no control over that, and shouldn't be the
only one held accountable for cleaning up the river, said Pierce County
Executive John Ladenburg, a task force co-chairman.
Various agencies, the task force and biologists are reviewing the draft
opinion. The fisheries service will review the comments and fashion a final
version, which the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is likely to adopt as
part of the power license requirements for Puget.
While compromises can occur, "There are major social and economic
questions that the law doesn't let us answer," said Brian Gorman, spokesman
for the fisheries service.
If the hydro project is shut down, Lake Tapps would disappear, leaving nearly
2,000 lakeside homeowners with devalued property, Pierce County and local
service districts with less property tax revenue and thousands of seasonal
boaters with no Lake Tapps.
Rob Tucker: 253-597-8374
rob.tucker@mail.tribnet.com
(Published 12:30AM, October 23rd, 2002)
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