A handful of community members gave their input at a public hearing held Wednesday evening in downtown Olympia on new design elements of the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project.
The ambitious, multi-year project to remove the 5th Avenue dam and restore the 260-acre Capitol Lake and related shoreline to the Deschutes River estuary continues to progress through an environmental review process. The process is expected to end next year.
The hearing was conducted at The Olympia Center by the Washington State Department of Ecology. Lead agencies for the project are Ecology, the state Department of Enterprise Services, the Squaxin Island Tribe, the City of Olympia, and the City of Tumwater.
Another hearing, held virtually, will be held Tuesday, November 3, at 5:30 p.m. The deadline to comment on the project’s Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) is Monday, November 9, 11:59 p.m..
To read the SEIS document, comment, or get more information, go to the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project at https://ecology.commentinput.com/?d=buGTA658B
or by mail: SEPA Draft SEIS for the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project,
Washington State Department of Ecology c/o Bobbak Talebi, Southwest Regional
Office, P.O. Box 47775, Olympia, Washington 98504-7775.
Staff explained that there are no new alternatives to dam
removal. The supplement reflects the progression of the design process, and the
evolution in project mitigation measures to reduce impacts. The last environmental
review was conducted in 2022.
The draft supplemental document includes new wildlife habitat areas and flood control berms. Berms would be included at Heritage Park, and near
the historic Tumwater brewery. The Marathon Park bridge would be replaced, the length of the 5th Avenue bridge would be reduced, and dredging
between 4th and 5th Avenue would be increased. The updated 5th Avenue bridge design keeps the minimum 500-foot opening for
tidal flow.
Other design changes include a new fish passage plan with additional
tribal resources, environmental justice issues, and increased traffic impacts
to the area. Increased material imports to protect the BNSF railroad bridge
will involve more truck trips, requiring a closure of Deschutes Parkway for about three years.
The design process is expected to be completed by mid-2027. Construction
is expected to begin in 2028, with a drawdown of the lake during that time. It is anticipated that the entire project will take six to seven years to complete. Funding for the project's construction elements has not been secured and is expected to exceed $400 million.
Staff also mentioned there would be an increase in sediment removal. Removal will occur every six years and be hauled away by truck. To avoid impacts at the marinas and the Port of Olympia, this latter chore will be financially shared through an interlocal agreement. Maintenance dredging in navigational areas of West Bay will occur after the dam removal. Staff said this commitment is tied to the benefits of estuary restoration.
Photo: Several speakers, including Gordon White, above, voiced their praise, concerns, questions about the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project at a public hearing on Wednesday night in downtown Olympia.
Five speakers voiced their concerns, questions, and praise about the draft supplemental environmental impact statement.
Gordon White, a resident of the South Capitol neighborhood,
praised the additions to the draft document and the overall project. He
recalled how he used to fish and swim in Capitol Lake, but those days were long
gone as the lake in its current condition is a water quality nightmare.
“Summer lake conditions are toxic. Removing the dam and
restoring the estuary will greatly improve water quality.” White praised the
interlocal agreement to share the sediment removal costs. “[The agreement] shows confidence our communities have in estuary restoration…. This type of
shared financial commitment has never been seen before in other waterways in
the United States.”
Photo: Laurie Weidner, a board member of the nonprofit Deschutes Estuary Restoration Team (DERT). The citizen group has advocated for removal of the dam since 2009.
Laurie Weidner, a board member of the Deschutes Estuary
Restoration Team (DERT), a nonprofit organization, echoed White’s praise,
saying the group “enthusiastically supports” the supplemental EIS. Concerned
citizens began organizing around the removal of the dam in 2009. DERT was
formally founded as a nonprofit organization in 2011.
Bob Holman and Jack Havens each expressed concerns with
the document and removal of the dam. They co-authored a book with two others offering
reasons why retaining the lake is a good idea. Holman said he is concerned about water
quality issues after the dam is removed and Havens directed the hearing officer
to a couple of studies about the ecological value of lakes.
Photo: Dell Berg, One Tree Island marina owner, spoke at a public hearing Wednesday night.
One Tree Island marina owner Dell Berg expressed concern
about sea level rise and the storm surges that have occurred in recent years. The marina is located across from Budd Bay Café, and is one of
four private marinas near downtown Olympia’s Percival Landing. He thinks future
storm surges will be worse than projected and praised the additional berms. “The
lake has protected downtown due to the dam. The berm construction is a good
idea,” he said.
Owned by the State of Washington, the dam created
Capitol Lake in 1951 and serves as a reflecting pool for the state Capitol
Building. The lack of dredging has made the lake a vibrant habitat for wildlife
and migratory birds. The lake sits on the southernmost portion of the Deschutes
River before it reaches Budd Inlet and South Puget Sound, and has sparked controversy for
decades. The shoreline underwent further changes with the creation of Heritage
Park in the late 1990s.
Past port and city council election campaigns for public office lived or died based on a candidate’s position on the Capitol Lake versus estuary issue, a topic which peaked in the early 2000s. Extensive tribal, federal, state, and local agency cooperation and collaboration have occurred ever since. For more information about Capitol Lake, the Deschutes estuary, sea level rise, and related issues, go to Little Hollywood, at https://www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and type key words into the search bar.
