Dangerous weeds and toxic algae blooms plague Pattison Lake, residents say
Dozens of Pattison Lake residents called on Thurston County officials to approve the formation of a lake management district on Tuesday, citing water quality concerns.
The residents voiced their support for the district during a public hearing, one of many steps toward the creation of the district. If formed, affected residents would tax themselves to fund measures aimed at protecting water quality, wildlife and recreation for a 10-year period.
On Wednesday, the board directed staff to continue preparing a resolution, determining that the proposed district is in the public interest and financially feasible.
If approved, the resolution would authorize a vote among affected property owners to decide whether to form the lake management district (LMD). This resolution will likely be ready by the end of August, said Water Resource Manager Tim Wilson.
In June, the board approved a resolution declaring their intention to create the new district, which was proposed to start by Jan. 1, 2023. However, Wilson told the board on Wednesday that timeline was probably unrealistic.
Wilson told The Olympian the process was delayed because the county conducted outreach to better educate the wider community about how lake management districts are created and operated.
Under the current timeline, Wilson said the process for the Pattison LMD may be completed by late January 2023. However, he cautioned other factors may affect the schedule between now and then.
The county-administered district would feature an advisory committee of five elected LMD ratepayers. This would require an additional 0.5 full-time equivalent county employee, Wilson said.
County officials estimate annual rates and charges for the new LMD will result in $134,912 in revenue for the first year, but this may increase by up to 5% each subsequent year. The county does not pay for the cost of the LMD, according to county documents.
In all, Wilson said the county received 33 comments in support of the LMD, but two of those came from residents who live outside the proposed district boundaries.
He said seven others appeared non-supportive and six were unclear, meaning they may have supported it while still holding some concerns.
Public comments
Most residents who spoke on Tuesday supported the quick formation of the proposed LMD. Many who commented described a lake in decline, marred by hazardous weeds and more frequent toxic algae blooms.
Mark Mininger, who sits on the Pattison Lake Association board of directors, said nutrient pollution has helped cultivate nuisance and noxious plants. When these plants die, he said they contribute to the muck at the bottom of the lake.
“If we don’t do anything, the cycle will continue over time until our lake favors plant life more than aquatic life,” Mininger said. “Pattison would then become a pond instead of a lake.”
From his waterfront home on Mullen Road, Mininger said he has seen neighbors try to hand pull and rake proliferating lily pads to no avail. The presence of toxic algae blooms also has limited fishing and swimming, he said.
“Nobody wants to add to their property bill, so petitioning the county to become a lake management district was not a decision we made lightly,” Mininger said.
Robert Peters, who lives on 58th Avenue Southeast, said the weeds in the lake can be dangerous to swimmers as his wife unfortunately witnessed one day in 2020. He said he called 911 that day to report a drowning.
“My wife saw him go down for his last breath,” Peters said. “We have to have safe environments. We have to have a lake that’s not going to get people’s feet tangled up, because we know that when they get tangled up, they panic, and they don’t know what to do.”
Brian Muirhead, who lives on Alternate Lane, said he supports the LMD and described an instance when he helped a neighboring family free their boat from ensnaring weeds.
“I really wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t been there and seen what they were going through because they were really, really, quite stuck,” Muirhead said.
Doug Adamson, who lives on Fair Oaks Road, said he’s an expert swimmer who is still scared by the weeds in the lake. As a foster parent, he said he wishes he could take his kids out onto the water more often.
“It’s pretty amazing to be a foster parent to see kids flourish when they get these opportunities, but it’s completely lost when we can’t take kids out to the lake,” Adamson said. “Really, the entire region’s quality of life has been diminished by this.”
Pamela Holsinger-Fuchs, who also serves on the lake board, said the toxic algae blooms stop her from taking her granddaughter to the lake or eating fish her partner catches. Last week, the county announced the latest bloom at the lake.
“We have seen a decrease in water quality, and we know that’s only going to get worse,” Holsinger-Fuchs said. “Usually, we haven’t seen this happening, the degradation of the water this early. It generally happens later in August so it’s happening earlier and earlier.”
Adeena Gardner, who lives on Fair Oaks Road, said she hopes the proposed LMD can help improve communication about toxic algae blooms to residents and visitors. She said she recently found out about the recent bloom via word of mouth before it became visible near her home.
“So, we were all very surprised that this was going on,” Gardner said. “I think the assumption is that whoever is in charge of notifying us will stick fat signs around on our ends of the roads so the whole community can see.”
Margaret Tudor, also a member of the lake board, said she wants to work with the county to improve the lake with scientifically backed natural, physical and chemical treatments.
“We’re not looking for a swimming pool,” Tudor said. “That’s not our goal. We cannot achieve lake health on our own. We, that is the county and lakefront owners, need to work together to get professional scientific help.”
This story was originally published July 29, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
