• Capitol Lake is in trouble

• Objective of Capitol Lake Committee 10-year Management Plan: “Complete an estuary feasibility study to determine a long-range management decision”

• Study to provide objective, scientific information for impartial decision on the long-term management of Capitol Lake

Why is the study needed?

Why the study is needed?

• We need this information to make a decision about the basin’s future.

• We have more than 50 years of data on a lake environment, but virtually no information on how an estuary might

function within the Capitol Lake basin.

• The Estuary Feasibility Study is designed to fill this data gap.

• NOTE: Undertaking the study does not mean a decision has been made about the future of the basin.

What are the options for Capitol Lake?

• Fresh Water Lake – This option will require extensive dredging of the middle basin now and the middle and north basins every year into the future. Last dredging was in 1986.

• Fresh Water Marsh – This option is the “Do Nothing” alternative. Capitol Lake will continue to fill with sediment creating shallow wetland habitat.

• Tidal Estuary – This option is what will be evaluated under this study. Is it feasible to restore an estuary within a highly developed urban community?

• Combined Lake/Estuary – This option may result from alternative estuary designs with an area for fresh water created within the basin.

• Sediment is filling in Capitol Lake

• Poor habitat and water quality

• Noxious weeds infest the lake and shoreline

What are the problems with the lake?

• Deschutes River dumps 20,000 to 57,000 cubic yards of sediment into the lake each year

• Lake volume has decreased 26% since 1951

• Capitol Lake is turning into a freshwater marsh

How much sediment is there?

Courtesy The Olympian

What is wrong with the lake’s water quality?

• High levels of phosphorus, which can increase algae blooms

• Contamination from more than 80 stormwater outfalls

• High water temperatures in summer that harm fish and wildlife

• A warm, shallow lake is a perfect place for noxious weeds to grow, such as Eurasian watermilfoil

What are the goals of the feasibility study?• Increase our understanding of the estuary alternative - to a

level equal to that for the management of Capitol Lake.

• Determine if it is possible to create a viable, self-sustaining estuary - given all the existing physical constraints and the urban setting.

• Create an objective analysis of the costs and benefits of the estuary alternative - in terms of social and environmental issues.

• Provide the completed study to the CLAMP Steering Committee.

What will be studied?

• Hydraulic and Sediment Transport Analysis: Determine where sediment would go if an estuary was restored. What would be impacts of sediment moving from the lake into Budd Inlet?

• Capitol Lake Bathymetry Study: Survey the bottom of the lake.

• Reference Estuary Study: Examine other Puget sound estuaries to determine how they function.

• Biological Considerations: What type of habitat will form, and how long will it take?

What will be studied? (continue)

• Design Alternatives: Use studied data to develop feasible design alternatives. A large portion of the original estuary has been filled. It is not as simple as removing the dam.

• Net Benefit Analysis: Compare the benefits and costs of restoring the estuary, dredging the lake, or doing nothing. Consider the community values and infrastructure replacement costs and impacts.

• Independent Technical Review: The final data, reports, and recommendations will receive scientific peer review.

How much will the study cost?• Working estimate: $900,000

How much money is available now?

General Administration$232,500

Ecology $32,000State Fish & Wildlife

$22,000City of Olympia

$20,000Port of Olympia

$10,000Puget Sound Action Team

$30,000Salmon Recovery Funding Board

$222,000

TOTAL: $568,500Cash & in-kind support

$900,000

$0

$568,500

What are other possible funding sources?

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• LEGISLATURE

How much is the Legislative budget request?

• $222,000 Multi-Agency Budget request submitted by the Department of Fish and Wildlife

• This money ($222,000) will fund the design alternatives and the net benefit analysis.

Courtesy The Olympian

What is being done now?• Implement initial study tasks as funding becomes

available

• Seek additional opportunities to fully fund the study through grants, appropriations, and local resources

• Support Ecology’s water cleanup study of Capitol Lake and Budd Inlet

USGS staff conducting the bathymetric survey

CLAMP Review & Adoption Process

CLAMP - Steering Committee

- The Squaxin Island Tribe State Departments of:- City of Olympia - General Administration- City of Tumwater - Fish and Wildlife- Thurston County - Natural Resources- Port of Olympia - Ecology

Director of General Administration

Robert Fukai

State Capitol Committee

- Governor - Lieutenant Governor- Secretary of State - Lands Commissioner

Questions/Comments?

“We don't know if the estuary is a viable option. Without the research, we will never know.”

General Administration Director, Rob Fukai

Contact: Perry J Lund

Project ManagerCapitol Lake/Deschutes RiverEstuary Restoration Feasibility StudyPhone: 360-407-7260Fax: 360-407-0284 Email: plun461@ecy.wa.gov