Cascade Begins Lake Tapps Fill from Stored Water
Cascade Water Alliance today announced that water stored behind Mud Mountain Dam during Phase 1 of the barrier structure apron repair project is being released and fill of the Lake Tapps reservoir has resumed.
The Corps and Cascade are collaborating on the project to repair the apron of the Barrier Structure to protect fish, as required by the National Marine Fisheries Service biological opinion.
To ensure worker safety in the river, instream flows were brought down to 350 cubic feet per second (cfs) since June 1. All water in excess of that was stored behind the dam. The dam is solely authorized for flood control, but the Corps can use the dam to store water during construction projects to protect workers in the river.
“About four billion gallons has been captured and stored behind Mud Mountain in this unprecedented cooperative effort,” said Chuck Clarke, Cascade CEO. “The Corps is scheduling water release in a way that allows us to take advantage of this project and store and capture excess water we would not have been able to use otherwise while also protecting instream flows. We also want to thank the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and state and federal fishing agencies for their cooperation in a strategy that both protects instream flows and allows us to resume filling the reservoir.
“In addition, the State Department of Ecology, after meeting with Sen. Pam Roach and Lake Tapps community leaders Leon Stucki, Ralph Mason, Jan Shabro and Don Fisher, authorized Cascade to increase diversions into Lake Tapps above the maximum limit set in the water rights. Homeowners, who have been anxious about refill, should see water coming into Lake Tapps at a rate of about one half a foot to a foot per day for about a week.”
A second phase of this project will last about one week and begin June 19. The Corps will again store water and the river will again be down to flows of 350 cfs for worker safety. Water stored will again be released for diversion to the reservoir the last week in June and first week in July following completion of this second phase.
For more information on the project visit www.casadewater.org
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