CAPITOL LAKE ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT PLAN (CLAMP)OVERVIEW OF ISSUES FOR OLYMPIA

This report is intended to bring City Council up-to-date on the current status of researchinto alternative plans for management of Capitol Lake and Olympia’s role in thedecision making process. It includes:

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Brief history of Capitol Lake and the CLAMP process.

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Alternatives being analyzed (primary alternatives are a more actively managedLake and removing the 5th Avenue dam and re-creating an estuary subject to tidalflow with or without a smaller but permanent reflecting pool).

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Issues of concern to Olympia (sedimentation affecting the Olympia Yacht Club,Percival Landing and private marinas, potential for downtown flooding,ecosystem health, City roads and utilities, parks and recreation, fish and wildlifehabitat, water quality, regional economy, visual appearance and cultural values).

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Recommended next steps for Council and public involvement process.Over the next two months, detailed issue papers will be prepared summarizing theresults of the past several years of research.

Background

History of Capitol Lake

Capitol Lake covers 260 acres on the State Capitol Campus in Olympia and Tumwater.It was created in 1951 when a dam was constructed at the mouth of the Deschutes River,blocking the tidal action of Puget Sound. The lake forms a reflecting pool for theLegislative (Capitol) Building, as envisioned in the 1911 Capitol Campus Master Plan.The state Department of General Administration (GA) manages Capitol Lake, Heritageand Marathon parks, the Capitol Lake Interpretive Center and Deschutes Parkway aspart of the Capitol Campus.

Management Challenges

Capitol Lake is a beautiful setting, but poses a number of management challenges.Each year the Deschutes River dumps about 35,000 cubic yards* of sediment into thelake, About 60 to 80 percent of the suspended sediment transported by the river hasbeen trapped by the lake since dam construction, and the lake is generally regardedto be in the process of conversion to a freshwater marsh. The lake is about 28percent smaller and holds approximately 60 percent less water than it did in 1951.As sediment continues to accumulate, it could increase the risk of flooding indowntown Olympia. Portions of the lake were dredged twice, in 1979 and 1986.However, because of environmental concerns, ongoing dredging of the lake isincreasingly difficult and expensive.

ATTACHMENT 1

[*Note: FS 2 says 35,000 cu yds/yr. See DEFS Sediment Table 2.2 and text p. 2-5: results of many studies range from 22-42,000 m

/yr, averaging an average annual load of 27,000 m

/yr =35,314 cu yds); accounting for trapping of fines, they estimated 32-38,000 m

/yr = 42-50,000 cuyds

Water quality is also a major challenge. As the lake becomes shallower, summertimewater temperatures increase, stressing salmon and other fish. Higher watertemperatures have stimulated the growth of algae and noxious weeds such as Eurasianmilfoil. When algae decomposes, it uses up dissolved oxygen in the water. Low levelsof oxygen can harm fish and wildlife. Noxious weeds crowd out native vegetation,reducing habitat for fish and wildlife. The lake is on the state list of impaired waterbodies for fecal coliform bacteria and total phosphorus.

History of CLAMP

The need for a new lake management plan surfaced in 1996, when the state wasattempting to gain permits for the construction of Heritage Park and maintenancedredging of the Middle Basin and Percival Cove.

To address these problems, GA organized an interagency task force in 1997 thatbecame the Capitol Lake Adaptive Management Plan (CLAMP) Steering Committee.The nine-member committee represents state, local and tribal governments.Councilman Joe Hyer currently represents Olympia on the committee, which meetsmonthly and is open to the public.

The committee considered various long-term options for Capitol Lake includingdredging sediment to keep an open-water lake and removing the dam so a saltwaterestuary could be restored. After reviewing the costs and environmental permitsrequired, the committee agreed to maintain a freshwater lake for the next 10 years. Toguide day-to-day activities during this time, the committee adopted a 10-year CapitolLake management plan (www.ga.wa.gov/CLAMP/index.html, which identifies 14objectives for improving water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and public recreationalopportunities, while managing flood control, sediment deposits and adjacentinfrastructure.

Process to Date: Feasibility Study and Alternatives Analysis

From 2003-2008, the committee completed a series of scientific feasibility studies whichconcluded that removing the 5th Avenue dam would be sufficient to reinstate tidalcirculation within the estuary. Based on these studies, a managed lake and two estuaryalternatives were identified and further studies have identified the relative impacts ofeach alternative on sediment, dredging costs, flooding, fish and wildlife, parks andrecreation, the regional economy and cultural values. A final study, on water quality, isexpected by mid-March 2009.

ATTACHMENT 1

Decision-Making Timeline

Along with other stakeholders, Olympia City Council is being asked to express theCity’s concerns and provide recommendations to the CLAMP committee by April, 2009.The committee will then present a recommendation to the Director of GA, who will inturn recommend an option to the Capitol Campus Committee. The State Legislaturewill make the final decision regarding the lake’s future.

December, 2008 – March, 2009

. CLAMP committee publishes summaries of theAlternatives Analysis.

January, 2009

. Council study session – overview of CLAMP process and issues ofconcern.

February – March, 2009.

Water Resources prepares detailed issue papers for Counciland public; staff meets with local stakeholders (see recommendation at the end of thisreport).

April, 2009

. City Council reports its concerns/recommendations to the CLAMPcommittee.

May – June 2009

. CLAMP committee reviews Alternatives Analysis and input fromOlympia and other regional stakeholders and makes its recommendations to theDirector of GA.

Alternatives

Status Quo (No Action)

Unless the lake is dredged regularly, sediment will continue to accumulate in the middleand north basins. Over several decades, these parts of the lake will change to emergentwetlands and then to riparian woodlands, similar to the area south of Interstate 5.Eventually, the Deschutes River will discharge directly into Budd Inlet at the 5thAvenue dam. This natural progression is not being considered as a management option,but has been used as a baseline for comparison with other alternatives.

Managed Lake Alternative

With this alternative, the north and middle basins would be dredged to a depth of 13feet; this depth would be maintained through regular dredging every eight or nine years

(see Figure 1, i.e. AA Dredging, Fig 18, existing lake with dredge footprint).

No dredgingwould occur in the south basin except near the public boat launch. The 5th Avenue damwould remain; the tide gates would continue allowing fresh water to flow into BuddInlet and preventing saltwater from entering the lake. New construction would includea new pedestrian bypass around the dam and completion of the final phase of HeritagePark; there would be no changes to the adjacent roadway system.