Ron Covey, David Skaug vie for MLIRD seat

MOSES LAKE - Incumbent Ron Covey is being challenged by Moses Lake businessman David Skaug for a seat on the Moses Lake Irrigation and Reclamation board in the annual election Tuesday. The winner will serve a three-year term.

Covey, a former Moses Lake mayor, is running for a second term. Among the biggest issues facing the board, he said, is the fate of the MLIRD-owned dam Moses Lake Dam.

The dam "definitely needs to be replaced," Covey said. The Moses Lake Dam works in conjunction with a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation facility to control water levels on the lake.

Covey said in his opinion the Bureau of Reclamation facility couldn't handle the water in certain conditions, especially in the case of a severe flood. The water level is dropping with the arrival of winter, and Covey said it's not dropping as fast with just one dam to handle the outflow.

There could be federal funding available to build a new dam, he said, and there may be enough money to build a dam with enough capacity to handle the water, including high water situations, by itself. "Again, this is totally dependent on federal funds," he said.

Skaug has not been involved in the MLIRD previously, he said, and this would be his first term on the board. He said he's not sure what to do with the dam yet. "I would like to know and understand its function, and make a decision based on that," he said.

"If we need a dam, we need a dam," Skaug said. But if one isn't necessary, it should be removed, he said. If it is necessary it should be repaired or rebuilt, whether or not the district receives outside funding to fix it, he said.

Skaug said he's neutral on the MLIRD's current method of getting rid of some of the silt in the lake. "I'm neither in favor of or opposed to the dredge," he said. "I'm totally in favor of the silt abatement." If the dredge is the best way to get the job done, that's how it should be done, he said, but whatever method is used it has to work. The board must have a way to measure silt removal to make sure it's working, he said.

Covey said he "absolutely" believes the dredging program is working and is the right way to address the problem. The board hired an engineering firm to look at the options for silt removal, and "it stated hydraulic dredging is the way to go" he said. "It's been very effective this year."

Skaug said he wants the district to address algae growth on the lake. "I do not believe that the algae problem has been eliminated," he said. Conditions in parts of the lake are favorable for algae, so the district must fight it aggressively and persistently, he said.

Covey said he thinks current assessment rates are adequate. "We're able to function and do what we need to do," he said. He doesn't think they can be lowered, but they should stay where they are now, he said.

Skaug said he has "big issues with rates. There are some serious questions about how our rates have been estimated." He said he would support a rate review.

Pick up Monday's Columbia Basin Herald to read an election preview on the remaining MLIRD candidates.