Dredging the lake doesn't hold water

It is all well and good to call for dredging Capitol Lake. If it truly was a lake. But it really is a river, dammed at its mouth.

Bad decisions made decades ago created what is today a growing swamp. There is a reason it hasn’t been dredged. To dredge requires permits, both state and federal.

Permits ask sticky questions like what is the purpose? And “maintenance of a fake lake where a river once flowed” doesn’t cut it.

There is a fence around it because it has a species of mud snail that is highly invasive. This problem too is related to the choking off of the river and estuary. An estuary, where the salt water and fresh water mix with the tides, has a constantly changing salt content. This mud snail prefers the swamp-like lake.

To enjoy our lake once more we should support the only good reason for dredging: in preparation for removing the dam. Free the Deschutes River.

This story was originally published December 29, 2015 at 8:25 AM with the headline "Dredging the lake doesn't hold water."