Officals exchange ‘positive’ dialogue about future use of Lake Tapps

February 18, 2009 7:11 pm

Bringing water from Lake Tapps to Cascade Water Alliance could be a few small steps closer.

The drinking water rights for the lake has yet to be released by the Department of Ecology, but representatives of Cascade and the four cities surrounding the lake met Jan. 28.

Officials from Bonney Lake, Auburn, Sumner, Buckley and homeowners around the lake gathered around a table with Cascade representatives to discuss ways to solve the issues of lake levels, access to drinking water and recreation.

“I see the first possible light of day that something might take place,” Auburn Mayor Peter Lewis said. “It is a break in the ice.”

Bonney Lake Mayor Neil Johnson said the meeting was “the most positive we have ever had. We are definitely moving forward.”

Johnson said all parties agreed to work on a “governance document,” which will include language about how to deal with lake levels, management of wells around the lake and future water supplies for the cities.

Currently, Covington uses a combination of groundwater or wells and Tacoma Water’s second supply project.

Gwenn Maxfield, the general manager of the Covington Water District, said the water for Lake Tapps will be for future needs.

“It’s more of an insurance,” Maxfield said in a phone message. “We’ve had some good interaction with the Lake Tapps community and things are moving ahead in a friendlier manner.”

Maxfield said Tacoma Water’s second supply project should “meet our needs for a number of years.”

The relationship of Cascade with the homeowners and cites has been quite strained in the past.

The cities of Bonney Lake, Sumner and Auburn made an offer to buy the lake from Puget Sound Energy, the lake’s owner, in September 2007.

PSE cited a prior exclusive bargaining arrangement with Cascade and turned the offer down.

What spurred the offer was the cities need for water in the future and issues over the lake levels during drought years.

The document being worked on by the four cities and Cascade is meant to address some of the friction and concerns if the lake is finally converted into a drinking water reservoir.