Lowtide
Public marinas of Percival Landing
Battle Over the Olympia Waterfront
looking over to the Capital and Olympia
Yacht Club on the right. Capitol Lake
starts just behind the Ferris wheel and
extends to the far right of the photo behind
the building and up to the ridges in the
background.
flushing the lake with salt water in 1984.
The technique removed sediment and
killed certain non native species of fish
and weeds, but also hurt some native
species. It also carried polluted sediment
and noxious weeds into Budd Bay.
If the dam is removed government
estimates from the Capitol Lake Adaptive
Management Plan (CLAMP) say 37,000
cubic yards of sediment will have to be
dredged from Percival Landing every
three years costing about $3 million
The Olympia waterfront is becoming restaurants, shops, and businesses. It each cycle.
a battleground over the future of the hosts an annual wooden boat festival, The Olympia Yacht Club estimates
Capitol Lake dam and its impact on tug boat races, and Sand in the City. it would cost their members about $7,500
boating. Government action is expected Proponents of removing the dam each assuming the public marinas chip in
this spring that many say could want to turn Capitol Lake into a tidal their fair share. They fear the cost could
cripple boating at Olympia’s Percival estuary as it was 60 years ago. They cite put them all out of business. OYC is
Landing. Budd Bay water quality and healthier leading the charge to save the dam.
Capitol Lake dam holds huge environment for native wildlife as major The CLAMP report also notes that
amounts of silt runoff from the benefits. sediment flow would not be predictable.
Deschutes River that, if unleashed, many Opponents estimate a $20 million One bad upstream storm could suddenly
boaters say would make recreational loss to the economy if the marinas fold dump enough sediment to effectively
boating physically impossible without and the waterfront businesses, with close the area for boating. Arranging for
economically unfeasible dredging. The their jobs and tourist attracting views, dredging could take months while boats
dam forms Capitol Lake, a reflecting cut back. They say Olympia’s 25 year lie trapped at their slips.
pool for the state capital and venue for effort to improve the waterfront will be The ecological issues are complex.
Heritage Park’s recreation and fairs. Just thrown away. Some studies focus on oxygen content
downstream Percival Landing is home The state General Administration which an estuary could help. Others
to more than 450 pleasure craft in five department manages Capitol Lake as point out that pollutants would still flow
marinas and the Olympia Yacht Club. part of the Capitol campus. The lake through an estuary into the bay where,
It has 1.5 miles of boardwalk, plus two filled with sediment when, on conflicting combined with sewer pipes already
guest docks nuzzling into downtown advice from various ecological and terminating there, the change would do
Olympia’s numerous waterfront technical departments, GA stopped back little for aquatic life. Since most of the
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