Tag: public

Lake Chelan Collaborative holds public meeting to watershed plan

LAKE CHELAN
by Richard Uhlhorn

Lake Chelan is 55 miles long reaching into the North Cascades. A new restoration plan is being developed by a group of stakeholders. The public is encouraged to join in at their quarterly meetings held at the Chelan Fire House.
Public involvement is important to keeping Lake Chelan pristine.

On Wednesday, April 3, after a long day of meetings with stakeholders, the Lake Chelan Collaborative and Chelan County Natural Resources held a public meeting at the Lake Chelan Community Center to introduce the ongoing work that is being done to produce a new Lake Chelan Watershed Restoration Plan.

The last plan was developed in 2012 and the new plan is being developed to upgrade the old plan to improve the health of a watershed that is clearly under pressure from a variety of sources.

History:
Lake Chelan, known for its pristine condition, is 55 (some say 50) miles long and the third deepest lake in the United States behind Crater Lake and Lake Tahoe.

As a reservoir controlled by Chelan County Public Utilities District (PUD), the lake provides power generation, recreational opportunities, agriculture irrigation, potable water, fisheries, wildlife and wildlife habitat, and historic and cultural preservation.

The planning unit for the new restoration plan are Chelan County, City of Chelan, Lake Chelan Reclamation District, WA. State Department of Ecology, Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington State Department of Health, Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Forest Service and a group of dedicated and interested individuals.

Over the course of meetings, the Lake Chelan Cooperative developed 59 watershed issues that’s been distilled down to 19 categories. They are: Aquatic Invasive Species, Nutrient Loading, Water Supply issues, Fish Habitat Restoration & Fishery Management, Forestry Management, Wildfire Prevention, Recreational Impacts, Recreational Access, Micro Plastics and Emerging Toxic issues, Lake Dynamics, Roses Lake Algae Bloom, Water Foul and Pathogens, Cultural issues, and Irrigation Considerations.

Chelan PUD dedicated 65,000 acre feet for use in 1992, which is now down to 5,000 acre feet. It is anticipated that the entire remaining reserve will be allocated during the current water right allocations which will leave some applications dead in the water (no pun intended).

AIS primary issue:
The collaborative has determined that the threat of aquatic invasive species introduction is at the forefront of other issues.

The introduction of golden mussels to the equation of quagga or zebra mussels being introduced to Washington State waters is the highest priority of the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife.

So far these mussels have been stopped at our borders, but that doesn’t mean that a vessel carrying them couldn’t make it to Lake Chelan. Last week, Lake Tahoe stopped a boat loaded with golden mussels. Oregon has also found them on a boat.

Lake Chelan will be conducting volunteer boat inspections this year with the county’s inspection team roving between all five boat launches with special attention at Old Mill Bay where most boat launches take place.

The collaborative continues to seek funding to have mandatory boat inspections take place on Lake Chelan.

If any of these invasive mussels were able to enter the lake, removal could cost millions as they attach to any hard surface and clog up intakes. Chelan County PUD should be taking extreme care to stop any invasion of these mussels into the Columbia River system. The of an infestation of mussels in their dams.

Next Steps:
The collaborative next steps is to initiate public outreach, share information and identify data papers and identify funding opportunities for priority projects. The Lake Chelan Collaborative meetings are public and take place at Chelan Fire & Rescues Fire Station.

The September meeting’s agenda will cover Fish Habitat Restoration and the State of Fisheries Management on Lake Chelan. This is a topic of interest to many in the community.

A fishing guide on Lake Chelan and his client show off a Chinook (King – Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) salmon caught in the lower basin. This fish weighed in at approximately 7 pounds.

The lake is/or was the home for the following native species… Bull Trout (now considered extinct), West Slope Cutthroat Trout, and Burbot (Freshwater ling cod).

Over the years, the following species have been introduced, either legally or not. Chinook salmon (there is a robust fishery now), Kokanee salmon (another robust fishery), Rainbow trout, Lake trout and Eastern Brook trout.

A portrait of a land locked sockeye (Kokanee) salmon caught in Lake Chelan. The Silver fishery is extremely strong in the lake during the early spring months.

Each spring, runoff from the tributaries to the lake block off access to spawning fish and need to be cleared.

There is a proposal to reintroduce Bull trout to the Lake Chelan tributaries which has caused a lot of consternation amongst recreational fishermen and professional fishing guides. Their message is that a Bull trout reintroduction could result in collapsing a healthy recreational fishery if the species was able to migrate to the lake. Bull trout are considered the “Wolf of the Trout family.”

Also on the agenda is a discussion of the dwindling water supply for those seeking water rights. This will include a discussion on the county’s reimbursement program.

A discussion will be held on an Algae Monitoring Program also.

Future meetings will include topics like AIS management, Forestry management, Wildfire Prevention, Recreation and its impact, Water Quality and Agriculture issues.