Moses Lake water quality subject of ‘State of Our Lake’ meeting

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake and Grant County residents are being invited to learn about efforts to improve Moses Lake water quality at the annual “State of Our Lake” meeting at 6 p.m. Monday in the council chambers at the Moses Lake Civic Center, 401 S. Balsam St.  

Ron Sawyer, president of the Moses Lake Watershed Council, said the lake is the focus of a lot of work, some completed, some ongoing.  

“We try to focus on reducing nutrient inputs into the lake,” he said. 

The first priority in improving lake health is reducing the likelihood of blue-green algae blooms, Sawyer said. During the last year the MLWC worked to reduce phosphorous coming into the lake from Rocky Ford Creek; phosphorous is a primary contributor to blue-green algae growth. The project will be the subject of a video describing it and its effects on the lake.  

Rocky Ford Creek is not the biggest contributor of phosphorous, but it’s a major one, he said.  

Other speakers include Brad Mitchell, street and stormwater manager for the city of Moses Lake; Amanda Laramore, president of the Grant County Tourism Commission; Kristina Ribellia, executive director of the Moses Lake Irrigation and Rehabilitation District; and Ty Swartout, the MLWC citizen representative and speakers from the Grant County Health District.  

Sawyer said the work has made some progress. Warnings are issued in the case of a toxic blue-green algae bloom and there were multiple warnings in 2018-19. 

“Our lake usage declined by 74%,” he said.  

Red warnings are issued in the case of a toxic blue-green algae bloom, and so far, none have been issued in 2024, Sawyer said.  

Speakers also will be talking about projects scheduled for next year. Sawyer said one of the major ones will be converting some lakeside homes from septic systems to the Moses Lake municipal systems. The material released from septic systems is the main contributor of phosphorous in the lake, he said.