Lake is OK, no more study needed

Why does Olympia need another “study” of Capitol Lake? (Olympian, March 2) My own 3-year study verified what everybody else has known for 15 years. 1) The Lake’s former coliform bacteria problem has been eliminated; 2) It performs massive water quality cleanup of the Deschutes River water before that water enters Puget Sound; 3) It supports organisms of conservation significance (bats, freshwater mussels, native fishes); 4) It suppresses the stench that an estuary would create; 5) It buffers Budd Inlet against oxygen depletion during summers; 6) It protects Olympia from flooding. It is better than a replacement estuary would be in every way; cost, invasive species, sediment control, recreation, biodiversity, and aesthetics. There is no problem caused by the lake that its removal would fix.

In 2009, the heads of three state agencies (Manning, WDOE; Goldmark, WDNR; Anderson, WDFW) signed a letter calling for removal of Capitol Lake. Replacement of the Lake by an estuary was based on cursory staff (“CLAMP”) Reports written to support the chiefs. Those agencies have been unwilling to reverse that earlier judgment ever since.

If another study were to finally bring in scientists who are not affiliated with those agencies (say, from EPA, the Corps of Engineers or the US Fish & Wildlife Service), that would jolt this endless process with undisputed new lake-favorable information. But that won’t happen.

Olympians who remember the kake back when it was beautiful, swimmable, fish-able boat-able, and accessible — defend it! Don’t let bureaucrats study it to death.

This story was originally published March 24, 2017 at 6:21 PM with the headline "Lake is OK, no more study needed."