Moses Lake issues letter protesting water route

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake City Council is issuing a letter to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation protesting a proposed water route to the Potholes Reservoir.

The council listened to a presentation on the effects of the bureau's proposed route during their Tuesday night council meeting.

The alternative route begins in the Billy Clapp Reservoir, travels to Brooke Lake, extends down Crab Creek and spills into the Potholes Reservoir.

Reclamation proposes releasing the water at a flood state for three months out of the year, citizen Dan Bator said. The route will cause multiple problems for residents along the route, he said.

Bator owns property along the proposed route.

It can increase sediment, contaminate well water, increase phosphorus levels resulting in more milfoil and create multiple mosquito breeding sites, he said.

"Reclamation is only concerned with fulfilling their project objectives," he added.

The study does not consider the impact on wildlife or public health, he claimed.

"Some of these issues could damage Moses Lake," Mayor Ron Covey said. "I am appalled at the fact we weren't notified."

Council chose to issue a letter of protest due to lack of information and lack of notification of the study.

"We need to know what's going on," Councilmember Richard Pearce said.

About four feet of sediment have accrued at the bottom of Parker Horn. Council is struggling with the new information because Destination Development Inc. advised that the sediment must be removed as part of a program to create a water sport brand for Moses Lake.

Destination was contracted by the city to revamp Moses Lake into a tourist attraction.

"We definitely have a sedimentation problem," Moses Lake Irrigation and Rehabilitation District Manager Curt Carpenter said. "I'm not trying to be chicken little here but it's significant."

It costs about $200 per cubic yard to remove the sediment from the lake, translating to $2.6 million per year to clean it, he said.

The total does not include a fee charged by the Department of Ecology to remove the sediment.

Council found the distribution list for the notification of the study interesting.

Community Development Director Gilbert Alvarado read a short list of those notified to the council. The list included approximately 15 people and entities.

The deadline for public comment is Sunday.