The facts are these:
First, the mudflat will look almost exactly like Mud Bay. Background reports and old photographs validate this. It will not resemble our picturesque Nisqually estuary with the latter’s abundance of green marsh grasses.
Second, removing the Fifth Avenue dam will allow substantial sediment dispersal throughout lower Budd Inlet in a sporadic and uncontrolled manner which will likely make effective and economical dredging unsustainable.
Navigational maps of Budd Inlet before the creation of Capitol Lake repeatedly bear this out. Our working waterfront businesses cannot exist with such interruptions and uncertainty.
A 2006 study conducted for the Port of Bellingham pointedly demonstrates the serious economic threat which such a loss poses to a community like ours, especially our downtown businesses, most of which are locally owned.
Third, economic consultants on this issue state in bold type (the equivalent of yelling) that removing the dam “ may have negative effects on economic activity.”
Thankfully, all legislative leaders from our community support retaining Capitol Lake and improving its water quality with a holistic watershed management approach.
Among a multitude of other advantages, they understand the lake’s critical importance to a healthy downtown. We should expect candidates for local offices to see this connection.
