For the Reporter

Sen. Pam Roach, R-rural Auburn, is working to save the Lake Tapps fishery from being lost to this year’s drought.

Low water flow in the White River, which supplies Lake Tapps, has kept the lake from filling this year.

“Lake Tapps does not need to be filled to recreational levels for the fish to survive, but at the same time we cannot simply turn off the tap – because as the water now in the lake is lost to evaporation it increases the threat to the fishery,” Roach said. “I do believe it’s possible to get enough additional water into the lake to save the fish, but it will take some creative thinking and a lot of cooperation.”

Roach has been working for years with the Lake Tapps Community Council and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to improve the lake fishery. In 2013 she arranged for WDFW to conduct the first formal study of the fishery in 16 years, and involved local students in the effort as well as taking part herself.

Last week Roach brought Ecology and WDFW officials together with members of the Lake Tapps council to request a waiver that would allow a recreational level of water in the lake. Ecology officials confirmed today that would not be legally possible, she said.

Protecting the fishery involves more than the volume of water, said Roach, who represents the 31st Legislative District, which includes Lake Tapps.

“It is not just about the water level – it’s about the oxygen level in the water, and feeding the predator species such as the tiger muskie that are such an important part of the fishery and, by extension, the local economy,” Roach said.

“If we can succeed with an application for a drought-relief grant it would be a big help to sustaining the fish population until the conditions improve later in the year,” she said, adding that if a grant can’t be obtained, and the Lake Tapps fish are facing certain death, it would be better to let anglers harvest them first.

Search for funding

Dan Roach, Pierce County Council chair, represents Lake Tapps at the local-government level and said he will have the county pursue grant funding as soon as possible.

“For Lake Tapps this drought could not have come at a worse time. The fishery is a critical part of the area economy, and we must make every effort to keep it alive,” he said.

“The important thing is to act now to avoid losing a developed fishery and having to start all over again,” said Senator Roach, who has arranged for WDFW to conduct another formal study next week of the lake’s fish population.

Dave Christensen, with Ecology’s water resources program, said his agency is open to using all available tools to get more water into Lake Tapps provided the conditions of the permit that allows the Cascade Water Alliance to divert White River water into the lake are met.

“Between the need to protect senior water rights and the fish in the river and the desire to help the Lake Tapps fishery, it’s a balancing act that may require creative solutions,” said Christensen.

Fisheries are difficult to rebuild, which is why Carl Burke, with the Puget Sound Anglers, said the organization always puts priority on conservation and is in support of Senator Roach’s efforts to save the Lake Tapps fishery.

“Beyond the scientific importance of conserving the fishery there is an economic benefit that is often overlooked,” he added.

Leon Stucki of the Lake Tapps Community Council said the drought declaration poses an array of concerns for residents of the area, including the operation of residential wells that are affected by the lake level and the ability of emergency responders to reach victims of lake-related accidents, but “we’re obviously interested in saving the fish in the river and in the lake.”