Water Quality Meeting and Data
Good morning-
Mike Kaputa, Director of the Chelan County Natural Resources Department, has scheduled a meeting at the Lake Wenatchee Recreation Club at the airstrip for Saturday, March 29th at 9:30 AM to address the issue of the continued Grant County PUD use of the Lake Wenatchee fish pens and the larger issue of the water quality of the lake in general With this being a weekend please do plan to be attendance if you can. This is a very important issue and public turnout and comment count for much!! I’m hoping that Mike can arrange to have representatives there from the County, the Chelan PUD, the Grant County PUD and the Department of Ecology so that a comprehensive, coordinated approach to examining and protecting the health of this lake can begin.
Please put March 29th on your calendar!!
Chelan PUD Commissioner Dennis Bolz has provided the information below
concerning the fish pens issue at Lake Wenatchee.
a.. Grant County PUD has an obligation under their Priest Rapids agreement
to raise White River Spring Chinook
b.. Until a long term rearing program can be established, PRCC has asked
Grant County PUD to provide short term acclimation at the mouth of the White
River in Lake Wenatchee
c.. Chelan County PUD has an interlocal agreement to allow Grant County
PUD to use our Lake Wenatchee net pens for 2007 and 2008
d.. Grant County PUD gets all permits required
e.. Grant County PUD provides the labor to install Chelan County PUD net
pens (savings for both PUD rate payers).
f.. Should Chelan County opt out of this agreement…the net pens would
simply be built (a second set) by Grant County PUD as they have no options
at this point
g.. Chelan County PUD has followed all DNR lease and permit requirement
and is following water quality standards as prescribed
h.. Chelan County PUD has been monitoring water quality at Lake Wenatchee
since 1990 when the net pen program started
i.. There have been no trend changes in water quality over the last 18
years of monitoring looking at the standards established for phosphorous,
nitrogen, dissolved oxygen and temperature (we do not monitor water
clarity).
j.. Last year (2007) DOE requested more testing and more analysis…Chelan
PUD now test in 5 locations, multiple test at different depths and the
analysis is being done by a different lab that can take the data out to a
finer point
k.. Chelan PUD has changed to a lower phosphorous fish food and it is my
understanding Grant County PUD is using the same food
l.. The lack of communication regarding the meeting appears to have come
from one of the other agencies…it was not a Chelan PUD meeting
m.. Water quality at Lake Wenatchee will remain a valued concern of CCPUD
n.. At this time CCPUD with other agencies are looking comprehensively at
water quality from the White River to the Confluence at Wenatchee
o.. Source point water issues at Lake Wenatchee are not clear…nature,
old mining, sewer, etc… could all be factors….
This is the situation as I understand it…as of today
a.. Mark Kaputa, Chelan County Natural Resource Department has announced a
public information session on March 29, 9:30AM Lake Wenatchee Rec Club
related to the above discussion …inclusive of net pens….etc.
Hope this helps!
Dennis