Cascade Water Alliance on Thursday tried to assuage resident fears regarding licenses for work on lakefront property and answer any other questions during a two-hour open house at North Tapps Middle School.

Approximately 100 Lake Tapps residents packed the school’s multi-purpose room, asking questions of CEO Chuck Clarke and Board President Llyod Warren, before having an opportunity to get specific questions answered from a variety of Cascade officials as well as a member of the Bonny Lake Planning Department.

“We’re about as honest as we can be on what we’re trying to get done and we want feedback on that,” Clarke said after the meeting, citing a “commitment to transparency.”

The main issue on the minds of residents appeared to be plans by Cascade to require permits for any work done on docks, bulkheads or any other structures that jut onto the lake floor, which is owned by Cascade.

The licenses, Warren and Clarke said, were more like approval letters to let the company know what work was being done on the lake, though Warren said for minor work like replacing a few boards on a dock, they would probably not be necessary.

He also said there would be no cost for a license, though all local permitting laws and fees must be followed with Pierce County or Bonney Lake.

“We’re not using it as a revenue source,” Warren said.

Warren said he expected the large turnout because of some confusion over language in a mailer explaining the company’s licensing policy.

“Anytime you’re dealing with somebody’s property you’re going to get interest,” he said.

Lake Tapps resident Frank Blakely said he has no plans to build at his home, but was concerned about thelicensing and what it would mean, though he said the meeting quelled his worries.

“I feel a lot better leaving,” he said.

But one resident, who declined to give his name, said he was concerned about the language in the company’s license agreement that allows Cascade to terminate a license “with or without cause” upon 60 days written notice, a clause he called “extremely restrictive.”

Director of Planning Mike Gagliardo said licenses would not be revoked for “no reason,” but if there is a problem, such as the homeowner not complying with local laws, building something that is not covered in the permit or doing something that would damage water quality or lake capacity.

“As long as the use is consistent with rights under the deed, that’s all we’re concerned about,” he said.

Gagliardo said Cascade owns all land at 545 feet above sea level and below, though homeowners own their docks and bulkheads. The maximum height the recorded for water level in Lake Tapps was 543 feet in 1990 and the normal full lake sits at 541 feet.

Gagliardo said the company will also help direct the homeowner to the right municipal agencies to address their building projects.

“We want everybody to know what the rules are going forward,” Gagliardo said.

Clarke told the crowd that Cascade must get similar permits for any work it wants to do on the lake or the dikes that created it.

“We’re going through the same process a homeowner goes through,” he said.

Clarke also addressed questions regarding water quality, which he said tests show is “pretty good.”

“Water quality hasn’t changed a lot since Puget (Sound Energy) stopped generating power,” Gagliardo told the crowd. “Indicators of water quality in the lake are very good.”

In all, officials were pleased with the attendance and the direction of the meeting and said they were pleased to see many new faces in the crowd.

“Hopefully people came out of this not only getting their questions answered, but able to communicate them with their neighbors,” Warren said.

For more information visit www.cascadewater.org.