By Dennis Box
The Courier-Herald
The answer to the puzzle of making boating on Lake Tapps both safer and more enjoyable for everyone is becoming clearer.
The Lake Tapps Boat Management Plan Committee has been meeting since July hammering out the details of an agreement between Puget Sound Energy, the owner of the lake, community members and law enforcement agencies.
A public workshop is scheduled for Dec. 1 to inform and gather information from the community about boating on the lake. The workshop is scheduled 7 to 9 p.m. at the Sumner High School Performance Center, 1707 Main St.
"The committee has focused on boating activity and safety," said Katherine Brooks, senior planner for Pierce County Planning and Land Services. "They've had 13 meetings and spent over 34 hours reviewing all the background information. Before formalizing a recommendation to present to the County Council, they wanted to present the information and solicit feedback from the community."
The Pierce County Council established the ad-hoc committee in July through a resolution.
David Holmes, a resident of the Lake Tapps area and a member of the committee, noted it is important for the community to grapple with these problems now.
"On some lakes across the country these problems have gotten out of hand," Holmes said. "We intend to present the issues and let the community respond. Hopefully we can make this lake a safe, nice place for the community."
Some of the problems the committee will be presenting are the size and speed of boats, wake management, noise, carbon monoxide poisoning and rafting parties.
The boat management agreement is another step in the process to save the reservoir from being drained. PSE shut down the nearly 100-year-old White River hydroelectric operation in January after deciding the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission environmental protection requirement to obtain a license would be too expensive to make the project feasible.
The FERC requirement was based on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report stating the hydroelectric facility threatened Chinook salmon because it drew too much water from White River.
PSE diverts water from White River through a series of flumes and canals into Lake Tapps. The lake is a diked reservoir designed to store water for the power plant. It was built between 1908 and 1911.
The current plan to preserve the lake is to convert it to a drinkable water rights which PSE intends to sell to Cascade Water Alliance.
The 2700-acre lake has two public boat launches. Pierce County Parks and Recreation operates the North Lake Tapps County Park. The county reports the park is visited by more than 250,000 visitors each year. The other public access area is the Allan Yorke Park boat launch, which is managed by the city of Bonney Lake.
Dennis Box can be reached at dbox@courierherald.
