Lake Chelan Lake Level – Will It Refill For Summer

Scott Buehn, Power Resources Division of the Chelan PUD, says that Lake Chelan’s ‘lake level’ may actually see a drop of as much as 6 inches in the next week or two, before heading up towards 1098 on or before July 1st.

Buehn’s comments are part of an interview with
GoLakeChelan’s Steve Byquist ~

CLICK HERE FOR STORY  (With Audio) – Return Here & Post Comments

Buehn’s comments come on the heels of a letter issued last Friday to the 6000 Chelan PUD customers of the Lake Chelan Valley advising them that the district has it’s eyes on Lake Level and the variations that the community is seeing this year – the first year that the PUDs management of the Lake Chelan Reservoir comes under the terms of the newly granted FERC License. ( See Story Below – Click Here)

 

 

 

 

Lake Chelan water quality to be discussed at May meeting

On May 14, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. the Lake Chelan Watershed Planning Unit in conjunction with the Lake Chelan Water Quality Committee will hold a kick-off meeting for the Lake Chelan Comprehensive Water Quality Monitoring Program.  

The monitoring program is being developed to collect long-term trends data for Lake Chelan similar to a program begun in Lake Tahoe years ago. Water clarity, nutrients, DDT and other data collection parameters will be included in the upcoming research.  

Consultants working for the Watershed Planning Unit will develop a draft approach to this research which will be available at the meeting to initiate a discussion. 

The public is cordially invited to attend this meeting which will be held at Campbell’s Resort in Ballroom I. 

A recent study at Lake Tahoe is predicting that water circulation is being dramatically altered by global warming, threatening the lake’s delicate ecosystem and famed clear waters. 

One likely consequence is warmer lake temperatures which will mean fewer cold-water native fish and more invasive species. “What we expect is that deep mixing of Lake Tahoe’s water layers will become less frequent, even nonexistent, depleting the bottom waters of oxygen,” said Geoffrey Schladow, director of the Tahoe Environmental Research Center at U.C. – Davis. These findings were presented recently at a conference focusing on global warming and deepwater lakes. The conclusions were that these changes could turn Lake Tahoe’s famed cobalt-blue waters to a murky green in about a decade. 

Is global warming having a similar affect on Lake Chelan? If it is, will the monitoring program help to determine this?  

What other issues does the public have regarding Lake Chelan and its pristine nature?  

Back in 1999 when I still worked at the Lake Chelan Mirror, the Lake Chelan Water Quality Committee hosted Dr. Charles Goldman, professor of Limnology, Department of Environmental Science & Policy at U.C.- Davis.  

Dr. Goldman, who was one of Lake Tahoe’s first pioneers in water quality issues. He was able to raise over $7 million dollars for Lake Tahoe studies. When he visited Chelan, he gave a talk to a crowded and interested group of citizens at the Chelan High School Performing Arts Center. 

He said, “We have serious global (pollution) problem. What chance do we have on a global basis if we can’t take care of our local problems? We found the enemy, and it is us! You have a remarkable lake in Lake Chelan. Preserve it now!”  

Mark your calendars and join in on this important topic

If You Owned The 3 Fingers …. and there were no restrictions …. What Would You Do?

The Three Fingers at the foot of Lake Chelan have been there since the 1960’s. They sit silently, with no use. Anyone who has ever been here eventually asks ‘WHY?’.

Surely there’s a reason – and yes, there is. (Click Here ) to read that story.

But for today – we’re suggesting that there are no issues with the property and anything goes! WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU COULD.

Legal and Financial issues are not a problem.  – So What WOULD you do?

Dream on and share. Who knows ….. maybe someone is watching.  

Click Here For Super-Sized Enlargement

 

A Walk On The Beach with Katherine Benusa

Spring Time Treasures
Seen Walking The Beach!

These interesting little clams were found exactly as shown in this photo by Lake Chelan resident Katherine Benusa back on March 8th, as she walked the north shore uplake from Spader Bay.

Clams? – Fresh Water Clams! – What are they doing all grouped together? (Practicing to march in the upcoming Manson Apple Blossom Parade in May? … or maybe they’re just hovered together to stay warm?)

Are they edible? – Are they tasty?

It’s not that we haven’t seen a clam or two in Lake Chelan before, but we’ve always seen a longer, more narrow ‘black object’ that we called mussles; and they were tough, and not very tastey, as we recall.

Katherine’s photo of the clams comes with her own questions – which we pass along to our readers to respond.

She asks:
Does lowering the lake have an impact on the ecosystem when all of the fresh water clams are left high and dry? The eight clams in the photo were in shallow water and in line as they appear in the photo. I was taken with them.”

Katherine has more photots and more questions to go with these:

She asks…
These photos are from a walk along the lake, Saturday March 8, 2008. It was a gloriously warm day and a privilege to be surrounded by the ever-changing beauty of the lake and hills.A couple of questions…where can I find out the history of the home I photographed?

Second, does lowering the lake have an impact on the ecosystem when all of the fresh water clams (I think that’s what they are) are left high and dry?

The eight clams in the photo were in shallow water and in line as they appear in the photo. I was taken with them.

In the second photo,the reflection of the hills in the lake made me feel as though I was let in on the secret of the majesty of Mother Nature.

The home, of course, made me think about how lovely it had been when it was loved and cared for and I wondered about the history.

The views from every angle were carefully thought out. I could tell it was someone’s “chosen” spot.

To view these photos up close and enlarge – CLICK HERE

Don Morse Beach Restoration A Major Concern

A letter from Chelan City Council Mike Conney arrived in time for us to post here on GoLakeChelan and our ‘WaterBlog’ in order to encourage citizen participation in a walking tour of the beach this coming Monday, March 23rd. Interested parties will be meeting at Lakeview Drive In at 11:00 AM Monday.

Councilman Cooney writes: I thought I would give you a heads up about an upcoming “beach tour” scheduled for this coming Monday, March 24th.

The purpose is to have those that are not familiar with the beach/sand erosion and hopefully the cure (Don Morse beach restoration) to walk the beach and learn firsthand the ongoing problem and solutions that are being discussed.

As you know the Don Morse Park Enhancement Initiative will begin to take place and in many circles the beach restoration is priority #1.
Our tour will start at 11 AM next Monday at the Lakeview Drive-In site. The public is invited and encouraged to join us.

A big kudo should be given to Art Campbell Sr. for pursuing this for over 20 years and finally it looks as if something will get done to make Don Morse beach a long beautiful sandy beach with no cement bulkhead. What makes this even more admiable in my estimation is that once this is completed…Campbell’s will no longer benefit from the natural drift.

Regards,
Mike Cooney

Here at GoLakeChelan we encourage citizen participation in the tour and in a discussion of the issues including the use of our blog. We make the best decisions when we are fully informed.  Jump in a share your views ~

From Water Level to Water Quality – The Focus Changes

GoLakeChelan recently received Emails from 2 local Lake Chelan Valley residents, each of which included very similar photos of beaches 10 miles apart, but of which both displayed the same characteristics.

The contributor of the first (TOP 2 Photos) ~ resident Phil Long.

The bottom photos were taken near Mill Bay by local citizen Kasmira Elliot.

Both were writing to ask if anyone knew about the cause of the condition; and we think it would be safe to say that BOTH were concerned that it was some source of pollution or a residual condition from activity on the lands in the past.

Phil Long noted that the area in front of the USFS was once occupied by a lumber mill (before the lake was raised). His Emails included a significant amount of scientific explanations that we would prefer to leave to him to post here so as to be sure that it gets said correctly.

The question remains: What is causing this seepage into the lake when the water is down and is it dangerous to water quality. Is it happening when the lake is up too, but we just don’t see it? Should we be concerned ? And if so – who would be responsible?

Both Phil and Kasmira sent added and enlarged photos which we make available for our readers to view:

USFS      – Phil Long          - CLICK HERE
Mill Bay – Kasmira Elliot  – CLICK HERE

Resident Phil Long tested samples taken at the foot of the lake and reports:
The ones I tested appear to be “biological” per the simple test suggested by the Washington Department of Ecology. Now, the question still is what has driven the sediment anaerobic in the first place, something I think probably is related to mill operations, possibly just an abundance of organic carbon from woody debris, but also possibly from creosote or other contaminants.

In an earlier email to the Lake Chelan Water Quality Committee, Phil told that group:
On March 8th I was walking along the beach near the PUD swimming area adjacent to the Forest Service in Chelan and noticed hydrocarbon sheen on water and wet sediments at a few locations. I went back and photographed and located these area with a GPS on March 9th. I have attached the location map and photos of one of the areas for your information.

It is entirely possible that the sheens are naturally produced by biogeochemical cycling of carbon. It is also possible that they are residual from hydrocarbon contamination associated with an old saw mill that reportedly existed in the area prior to construction of the Chelan Dam. My questions to the LCWQC are 1) have these materials been sampled previously and 2) If not, are they enough of a concern that they should be sampled or can we decide if they are naturally occurring or not without sampling? If they turn out to be a contaminant, would it make sense to remove a limited amount of sediment at low water or are we better off leaving the material in place and allowing the contaminant hydrocarbons to naturally attenuate?

When GoLakeChelan reader Kasmira Elliot submitted her first photos she included the following comments:
I was wondering if you or someone at GoLakeChelan has time to find out what is all over the exposed lake bed at Mill Bay. I attached a few pictures that I took today.
My family and I were down there taking pictures and walking around and noticed a really foul odor, what appeared to be oil and just alot of foamy ick. (for lack of a better word).
 
GoLakeChelan invites our readers to join in this discussion.

A Statement from the PUD

Steve Lachowicz of the Chelan Coundy PUD requested that GoLakeChelan put the following statement on our Blog.
We do so with great pleasure:

We at Chelan County PUD appreciate the forum provided by GoLakeChelan for ongoing sharing of information and opinions about the management of Lake Chelan elevation. Balancing all the variables that can affect lake levels is certainly an inexact science, and we recognize the frustrations that can develop when we are unable to tell property owners and business people exactly how low the lake will drop or how fast it will refill each year.

We pledge to look for ways to share information about lake level issues as timely as we can, primarily by making use of our Web site which is viewable by lake users wherever they may live. The Internet and blogs like this are an excellent way to share information widely and rapidly as conditions change regarding operation of the project.

As a follow-up to Thursday’s noon meeting in Chelan, we would like to take this opportunity to restate the main points PUD presenters made, so those who were unable to attend can understand what guides our decision-making.

1. The PUD is working with a new set of lake level management guidelines that are part of the new 50-year license for the Lake Chelan Hydro Project approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in November 2006. While the lowest drawdown level (1,079 feet) and the maximum elevation (1,100 feet) have not changed from previous licenses (dating back to 1926), the priorities that the PUD must consider in managing the lake level have expanded significantly. Somewhat simply stated, the new guidelines for the next 50 years require the PUD to take into account:

* maintaining year-round flows (minimum of 80 cfs) in the Chelan River (license requires that this take precedence over lake levels) ,
* minimizing spill in the Chelan River because new enhanced fish habitat is being created there that should not be washed out (license requires that this take precedence over lake levels) ,
* recreation,
* power generation and
* weather conditions.

2. With the lake level at 1,082.67 as of Friday (a slim increase over Thursday), we are several feet above the allowable 1,079 minimum. Barring unusual weather circumstances, we expect the lake will refill by July 1. Between now and then we will do our best to balance uncertainties such as the low-elevation snowmelt, precipitation and temperature.

3. Power generation was reduced significantly at the lake on Wednesday (March 12) based on the latest forecasts of less precipitation and continued cooler weather. The lake is expected to stabilize near 1,082.5 feet unless there’s a significant change in weather forecasts.

4. Residents must expect that there will be occasional years when the lake level does drop near the minimum of 1,079 as weather conditions or other factors come into play.

5. The PUD wants to keep people informed about lake levels throughout the year, through the Web, local media, community meetings and answering your phone calls. We remain available to answer questions at any time.

Lake Chelan Lake Level

News stories on GoLakeChelan and other media, a press release by the Chelan County PUD, and a series of Emails from local residents prompts us to open this section:

A DISCUSSION OF LAKE CHELAN LAKE LEVEL
The annual draw down of the lake.

These photos were part of a story on GoLakeChelan on
Wed – March 5th.
(Click Here)

At about the same time the Chelan County PUD issued information (Click Here) detailing their plans to draw the lake down to levels not seen in many years.
The announcement and draw-down has caught at least two boat owners by surprise: Shelly Ward,  owner of the Innmorata Dinner Boat, and Bub Watson of Watson’s Resort are both reporting that they find their larger boats which, as we understand it,  have been moored all winter in Manson Bay, being grounded by the draw-down. In the case of Ms Ward – she has taken her case to Chelan County PUD Commissioner Ann Congdon and to the community via an Email sent to most everyone who might listen; including the media people in Western Washington. We are contacting both Shelly & Bub and inviting them to share their concerns in this Blog.And we invite our many readers to join in too.
The rules of our blog are simple:
They must be ON TOPIC… they must be civil.. respectful …and use
appropriate language.

Comments that are posting will be ‘Moderator Approved’ before appearing on the Blog – so post and wait – Your comments will normally appear after a short time.