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Horseshoe Lake Flood Reduction Project

As previously posted Surprise - Horseshoe Lake Once Looked Like a Horseshoe , Horseshoe Lake is fed only by groundwater with no lake outlet.  Thus, when groundwater levels are low due to a lack of rainwater, the lake dries up.  When groundwater levels rise due to heavy rains, the lake then often floods - threatening the 14 homes around the lake and area infrastructure.  As a result, dating back to the early 1990's, King County periodically found itself installing portable hydraulic pumps and pumping flood water out of the lake first to Rock Creek/Lake Sawyer and more recently to infiltration basins south toward the Green River.  King County has previously pumped down lake water levels in 1991, 1996, 1997, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014 and in 2016.  As one can see, flooding is not an anomaly, but a frequent problem.

After numerous studies and the evaluation of alternative dispersal fields, it appears that a long term solution is now in sight.  Ironically, while many people have immediately pointed a finger at Master Plan Developer Oakpointe as the source of the problem (and they are obviously not), they do have an area on their property that appears to offer a viable solution and one that keeps water pumped from Horseshoe Lake totally outside the Lake Sawyer watershed - a real win-win.  The following map shows Horseshoe Lake, where permanent pumps will be installed, and the planned water line leading to planned infiltration ponds for Oakpointe's Reserve at Woodlands development.

According to King County, the project SEPA process was to be completed in 2019 with completion of Environmental Review and Permitting in May 2020 and construction beginning in 2021.  Under current conditions, there is no telling when this project may move forward, but I'm sure it would be a relief to residents at Horseshoe Lake to have these problems finally behind them, and for King County too.  For more information, follow this King County link to Horseshoe Lake Flood Reduction project.

More Lake Sawyer Mysteries - The End

One last post regarding the mysteries of Lake Sawyer water levels - I promise.  We all know that Lake Sawyer water levels fluctuate significantly throughout the year, rising in wet winter months and falling during dry summer months.  But why does it fall so much?  Granted, both Ravensdale Creek and Rock Creek no longer provide significant inflow during summer and early fall.  However, we do have a weir to help keep from draining the lake during this time of year.  We do get some rainfall in the lake even though the creeks may stop flowing, but it's not sufficient to maintain lake levels.  Where then does the water go?

Following is a closer look at how much rain we get during the months May through September compared to the rest of the year..  

Between 5 and 10 inches of rain over 5 months isn't much and often we find no flow coming into the lake from Rock Creek and smaller flows coming from Ravensdale Creek before they too stop all together for a period.  Thus, we are bound to see lake levels decrease.

During this period of the year, there are several ways in which we lose water in the lake:

Evaporation

Previous studies from DOE in the early 1990's quantified the amount of evaporation we lose throughout the year.  It's a lot more than I would have thought and more of a factor during the dry season.

The above data is based on climate conditions in 1990.  And since water evaporates faster when temperatures are higher and when it's drier and windier, we might expect evaporation rates today to be even higher than when this data was calculated.

Groundwater Loss

Past studies have identified areas, called meltwater channels or recessional outwash soils, through which water flows from the lake into groundwater.  They are thought to be located in the northeast corner and southwest corners of the lake and are not thought to interact with Covington Water District wells located to the northwest of the lake.  As you will see, these flows play a very significant role in declining lake levels during summer months.

Heavy rainfall in November and December are  typically large enough in the watershed to refill the lake and export even more flow to groundwater.  Here's another chart from the consultant study.

Yard Irrigation

What about water that's pumped from the lake by residents for irrigating yards?  There's no precise way to measure this that I am aware of, but I made some assumptions just to get a sense of the potential.

I would think these assumptions to be on the high end but it's not a small amount of water.  In the consultant studies, any irrigation volumes at that time would have been included in the groundwater numbers shown above.

Summary

Unfortunately, to prepare a complete water balance, we would also need to have available measures of how much water from Ravensdale Creek and Rock Creek are still flow into the lake during this period.  Certainly, not enough to prevent lake levels from receding during late summer as groundwater outflows increase.

To read earlier posts regarding this subject, follow these links to The Mysteries of Lake Sawyer Hydrology and More Lake Sawyer Mysteries.

Juvenile Bald Eagles

It's going to be a great week with lots of sunshine.  A perfect time to go birding in the Samish Flats along Bayview Edison Road near the town of Edison in Skagit County.  Salmon runs up the Nooksack and Skagit rivers have ended and a large number of eagles head west to feed on migrating birds that congregate here.  I saw over 30 eagles perched in one tree.  What caught my attention was the large number of immature juveniles under 4 years of age.  At least two thirds were juveniles.  How can you tell a juvenile from mature bald eagles?  Pretty easy.  Following is a picture of a youngster learning to fly here at Lake Sawyer.  

Despite being just 3 or 4 months old, Junior (my nickname for him/her) had grown to be pretty large by then - nearly the size of an adult.  Junior was learning to fly by hopping between branches where they were nesting.  Note the black beak.  That's a sure sign of a first year bald eagle.

Here's another 1st year juvenile feeding on fish in our front yard.  They grow to full size quickly.  Note their feathers - more white feathers on their back and definitely not very graceful.

In the second year, juveniles acquire more white mottling on their back and underwings and their bill begins to turn yellow-brown.

As you can see, they aren't afraid to take on the adults.

In year three, almost there.

And finally, in year 4, ready for a post card.

 

 

More Lake Sawyer Mysteries

Why do lake levels seem to be getting lower each summer and higher in the winter?  The following graphic, updated daily at Lake Sawyer Weather, shows how big the fluctuations have been in recent years.

As discussed in my recent post The Mysteries of Lake Sawyer Hydrology, there appear to be no easy answers to our many questions.  We know that water enters the lake from three main sources, direct precipitation and stream flow from both Ravensdale Creek and Rock Creek, and exits the lake over the weir into Covington Creek, through lake evaporation and groundwater outflows.  But where do we start to better understand these flows?  The most obvious starting point is with precipitation and thanks to the weather station at Lake Sawyer Weather, we have great local data.

Seasonal data can be even more revealing.

What begins to complicate matters, however, is to remember that the Lake Sawyer watershed, which feeds Ravensdale Creek and Rock Creek, is a very large area - totaling over 8,120 acres.  Thus, we also need to understand what is happening throughout the entire watershed.

That's why being concerned about the John Henry Mine and its impact on the Rock Creek sub-watershed is important.  And that's also why we are concerned about stormwater from development within these watersheds.

Given all of this information at our disposal, we should then be able to understand, for example, why water levels in Lake Sawyer reached such a low point of nearly - 40" below the weir in 2015.  Right?  Well, not so easy.

First, we need to recognize that 2015 is not the lowest point we have on record.  That dates back to 1994 when water levels below the weir fell to -40.41".

So what caused 2015 water levels to fall so far and then to rise so dramatically above the weir in such a short time?  As it turns out, it was simple in this case - beaver dams.  Water levels in Ravensdale Creek had backed up and risen so high that WSDOT became concerned about the safety of the SR 169 bridge where it crosses the creek that crews were brought in to remove some of the dams, causing a gush of water to run into the lake raising water levels in a very short period to over 15" above the weir. 

Rock Creek faced similar problems, though not as dramatic.  A local group of volunteers called the Rock Creek Restoration Team obtained a hydraulic permit from State DOE and removed the Rock Creek beaver dams during the summer of 2016.  Thank you all!

Beaver dams are likely to be a recurring problem that we should monitor.  All you have to do is take a walk along the trails of Ravensdale Creek and you will still see lots of them.  

In addition to beavers, the timing of rainfall appears to be a very large factor in how low water levels become.  For example, 2017 rainfall totaled 51.64", the highest annual level we saw in the last 10 years, yet lake water levels still reached a low point of -23.16".  However, little of this rain fell in drier summer and early fall months.  When it did begin to rain in October, the lake filled quickly, rising from -23.16" on October 12 to +0.79" on November 15.  This last year in 2019, rainfall totaled just 35.1" for the year, yet the lake level fell to a low of just -20.7".  That's because more rain fell in summer/early fall months in 2019 than it did in 2017.

This still doesn't answer the question of whether Covington Water District or Kent Water District wells, or lakeside irrigation pumps are draining the lake and by how much, but enough for today.  I'll address these questions in a subsequent post.

P.S.  Thanks again to Bob Edelman for all your work in maintaining the Lake Sawyer Weather website and weather station.  It's invaluable.

The Mysteries of Lake Sawyer Hydrology

Have you ever wondered why Lake Sawyer and other area lake levels fluctuate up and down the way they do?  Is there something nefarious going on?  Are the Covington and/or Kent Water Districts pumping water from our lake? Unfortunately, when dealing with lake hydrology, there are no simple answers.  For perspective, let's take a quick look at Horseshoe Lake, Lake Wilderness and Lake Sawyer.  

Simplest is Horseshoe Lake.  It has no inlet, no outlet and aside from a little rain, it's water levels are essentially 100% dependent on groundwater.  The underlying soil is highly permeable and as groundwater levels rise, so too do lake levels and when groundwater levels fall, the lake dries up.  Flooding here is a long time problem with water at one time even pumped into Rock Creek and then into Lake Sawyer to relieve the flooding.  Thanks to help from Ten Trails developer Oakpointe, it now appears that a long term solution to flooding at Horseshoe Lake is now in the works.  More about this in a future post.

To the north of us, 69 acre Lake Wilderness is also dependent on groundwater "seeps".  It has no permanent stream flowing into it but being larger, it does receive a greater volume of rainwater and also receives stormwater runoff from the surrounding 318 acre urban watershed.  Unlike Horseshoe Lake, Lake Wilderness does have an outlet in Jenkins Creek.  During times of rising groundwater and rainwater runoff, like we saw this past week, the lake rises with some minor flooding but Jenkins Creek eventually relieves the pressure.  In dry weather with declining groundwater levels, lake levels fall accordingly.

At Lake Sawyer, with 279 acres of surface area and a watershed of 8,120 acres feeding two significant streams (Ravensdale Creek and Rock Creek), surface water flows supply the vast majority of lake water.  Another significant stream, Covington Creek, serves as the lake outlet.  As a result, understanding Lake Sawyer hydrology is a lot more complex.  The most complete studies of lake hydrology that I've found date back to 1989, 1990 and 1991.  This was the time when the Black Diamond sewage treatment plant discharged into Lake Sawyer and amid algae blooms and deteriorating water quality, finding an alternative was essential.  Based on these studies, a Water Balance for Lake Sawyer was estimated to be as follows:

Seasonally, the lake's water balance varies significantly as one would expect.  The following chart shows what the study consultants described as the Typical Year given Typical Weather.

But, as we know, weather patterns change and significant variability can occur from year to year.   

Weir water level graphic shown above is courtesy of Bob Edelman and Jack Sperry.  It's no surprise that lake water levels tend to be higher in wet winter months and lower in dry late summer and early fall.  But why the increasing variability?  What's causing it?  Has something fundamentally changed, such as more water being withdrawn from the lake by wells?  Or are we getting less rain now than before? Or what?

I'll explore these questions in future posts.

It's Been Raining!

Not exactly a blockbuster headline, but there certainly has been a lot of rain over the past several days.  Fortunately, we have not faced the flooding that other communities in our area have seen.  I took a drive around town earlier today and found very heavy stormwater flows but no flooding, except perhaps at the bridge along Abrams Ave.   The most visible sign of heavy rains are the high water levels in Lake Sawyer.  According to Lake Sawyer Weather, the local website maintained by Bob Edelman, lake levels peaked earlier this morning at 15.9" above the weir.  Definitely covering our dock.

You might want to find an alternative location for watching water flowing out of Lake Sawyer and into Covington Creek.

Where's the weir?

What weir?  Although water levels are high, we did have higher water levels in the lake as recently as 2016.

Graphics courtesy of LakeSawyerWeather.com

Today's weather forecast shows some easing off of the heavy rains and maybe even some sunshine by Sunday.  Let's hope.

 

Coho Salmon Run Update - No Luck Yet

This past week, I went for a hike along Ravensdale Creek that took me from Lake Sawyer to Ravensdale Lake and back.  Good exercise but no luck in spotting any Coho salmon making their way upstream just yet.  Here's a photo of what we're looking for taken a few years ago.

Let us know if you spot any.  So much fun to watch them spawn.

Lake Sawyer - Sunrise Winter Capital of the Pacific Northwest

Well, I may have gotten a bit carried away with this post's headline, but it's not that far off either.  Living in Black Diamond and at Lake Sawyer, we certainly fly below the radar screen of the photography community in the northwest.  What makes our location so cool is that at this time of year, particularly in December, January and February, the sun rises and sets as far south as it gets.  The angle of the sun is also at it's lowest which results in particularly intense colors.  With Lake Sawyer waters often calm like glass and given spectacular views of both the Cascades and Mount Rainier, we live in a pretty neat area.

Earlier this week, we saw some of this season's most spectacular scenes to date.  Following are photos of my favorite sunrises over the Cascades and of Mt. Rainier so far this year.  This first one was taken on Thurs. 1/30/2020 and the other on Monday 1/27/2020.  For those interested, I've included camera settings used for each photo.  As you will see, I experiment a lot and change settings frequently to best fit changes in lighting and satisfy my penchant for learning through experimentation.

18 mm focal length, f16, 15 sec., ISO 800

Earlier in the week, the clouds parted long enough to give us some great views of Mt. Rainier.  Since the trees have grown tall enough over the years to obscure our view of the mountain, I find it best to head out in my kayak.  This gives me the mobility necessary to find the best locations.

84 mm focal length, f20, 1/100th sec., ISO400

The other advantage of taking photos from a kayak is this keeps you very low in the water and a perspective you don't often see.  I like vertical shots too, though using a longer focal length brings you closer to the mountain.

154 mm focal length, f20, 1/100th sec., ISO 400

Time doesn't stand still either.  The changes in scene and lighting over a short period of time make it challenging to make the appropriate changes in camera settings needed, which I do manually, while also trying to keep my kayak properly oriented.  Without use of a tripod, all pictures are taken with a hand held camera, which results in faster exposures than one might use if on terra firma. 

92 mm focal length, f16, 1/100th sec., ISO800

72mm focal length, f16, 1/100th sec., ISO1000

Back on our dock, more time to play with different camera settings, focal lengths and compositions.

26 mm focal length, f4.0, 4 sec., ISO200

The above photo was the first one I took while experimenting with alternative camera settings and compositions.

16 mm focal length, f22, 3.2 sec., ISO200

35 mm focal length, f22, 30 sec., ISO200

Some fog in these last two photos as the sun began to show on the horizon.  While in my kayak, I use manual focus and a faster shutter speed to keep the image sharp, while on the dock, I can use longer exposures and more auto-focus.

Having too much fun and enjoying the beauty we have at Lake Sawyer - Sunrise Winter Capital of the Pacific Northwest.

Stormwater, Phosphorus and Lake Sawyer

As often stated, protecting Lake Sawyer water quality requires limiting sources of phosphorus discharged into the lake.  Phosphorus is the primary nutrient in lakes that stimulate plant growth, leading to eutrophication - otherwise known as becoming a dead lake.  One way to actually "observe" sources of phosphorus loading is to take a drive around town during heavy rain events.  Fully one third of all phosphorus discharged into Lake Sawyer comes from stormwater during these peak storm events in just a matter of days.

It's been a while since I wandered about in the rain, so I thought I would go out and take a quick look-see, focusing on the Rock Creek watershed where approximately two thirds or more of phosphorus loading into the lake comes from today.  Although I didn't have a turbidity meter with me for taking samples, you can learn a lot simply by observing the clarity and color of the water.  To orient us, following is an aerial photo taken by King County in 2017.  I've added a few labels to help with orientation.

Each of the streams within the Rock Creek watershed are highlighted in blue.  Based on past observations and sampling, I focused first on Ginder Creek as it winds it way down from the John Henry Mine, across SR 169 and on to Rock Creek.  There are two points where stormwater from the mine enters Ginder Creek.  The first is from Ginder Lake.

Even though mining has ceased and reclamation is halted during wet weather conditions in winter months, stormwater continues to flow through two stormwater ponds on site, into Ginder Lake and on into Ginder Creek.   You can see the Morgan Creek residential development to the northwest.  I took a few photos of the creek as it flows through storm drains under the highway.  This is what I saw, labeled on the map as Pic #1.

With no current activity at the mine, there remains a lot of flow and it's quite clowdy.  The cloudier it is (turbidity), typically the higher the phosphorus level.

Then, following the creek south to the intersection with SR 169, another source of stormwater flow from the mine enters via Mud Lake.  First, another map.

Pic's 2 and 3 show significant flows and high turbidity from Mud Lake.  Pic #2

Pic #3

Ginder Creek also has quite a lot of SR 169 stormwater runoff going directly into the stream and full of lots of contaminants.  Pic #4

And finally, two more photos as the creek follows Roberts Drive before going under the road on it's way to hook up with Rock Creek.  Pic #6

Pic #7

And to be clear, no, the above photo is not taken of the city's sewer system.  Fortunately, cleaning up stormwater runoff from SR 169 is included in next year's city Capital Improvement Plan.  In addition, it now appears that Pacific Coast Coal Company is on the path to complete reclamation of the John Henry Mine over the next couple of years.  Once that is completed and then reforested, another significant source of phosphorus currently discharging into Lake Sawyer will be removed.   But, if it's not reclaimed in a timely manner or they once again pursue mining, then we are still in trouble.  Let's hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

Merry Christmas!

 

The "First Family" of Lake Sawyer

If one family were to be given the honorary title "First Family" of Lake Sawyer, in both name and deed, it would have to be the Carl M. Hanson family.  Swedish immigrants who found their way to Seattle in 1884, Hanson filed a timber claim in 1886 on160 acres at the north end of Lake Sawyer, including the lakeside property where Judy and I now have our home.  Born into a sawmill family in Sweden, Hanson had his sights set on becoming a major player in the pacific northwest timber industry.  Ironically, Hanson and his three sons built their first sawmill not on Lake Sawyer but on Lake Wilderness. 

Image courtesy Maple Valley Historical Society and King County Snapshots, 85.134.1, circa 1887 - 1889

It appears that this photo was taken from the northwest end of the lake looking south from the area now home to the Lake Wilderness Lodge and Park.  If you look closely at the far end, you can see what appears to be sawmill structures.  Not ones to sit still, the Hanson's logged but 5 acres of Lake Sawyer area land and operated the Lake Wilderness mill only until 1889, when they purchased and transferred operations to the White River Sawmill in Enumclaw.  In so doing, they built a major family legacy with the success of the White River mill.  It's interesting to note that even though the mill was eventually sold to Weyerhaeuser, the Hanson family continued to operate it for many years thereafter, leaving the timber supply responsibility with Weyerhaeuser. 

Even though the Hanson family moved their lumber business to Enumclaw, they also left a significant legacy at Lake Sawyer becoming the first to build a significant cabin on the lake in 1926 where they retained ownership for many years.  Today, you can still see the cabin much as it looked when built.  Following are a couple of current photos of the peninsula and cabin.

You can barely see the cabin at the point of the peninsula hidden among the snow covered trees.  We are very fortunately to have these as our views today.  And the good news, the peninsula is now held as a conservation area by current owners and cannot be developed.

For more about Lake Sawyer's First Family, follow this link to Hanson Family by Bill Kombol.

The Mystery of Algae at Lake Sawyer

Reports over the last several weeks have suggested that Lake Sawyer currently is home to a toxic blue-green form of algae which poses a significant danger and health risk, particularly to pets.  However, each time samples were taken of this "toxic material"  by King County and analyzed in the lab, no toxic algae was found in any of these samples at detectable levels.  What gives? 

Following is a photo of what blue-green algae can look like when in bloom (photo not from Lake Sawyer).  Pretty nasty looking stuff.

Though I must admit to not having seen algae like this in the lake, it doesn't mean that it isn't here now or hasn't been sometime in the past.  How can we learn more?  For those interested, you might start by reading King County's publication Algae and Water Quality.  For techies, you might also want to read the paper Download Algae101.  One of the things I learned is that it isn't simple.  Algae comes in all sizes, shapes and colors and what can cause algae growth and blooms in lakes is both simple yet complicated. It's simple in that algae growth requires photosynthesis and the same general conditions as land based plants.  However, like all plants, there are some key variables specific to algae that need to be considered.  For example:

1. Temperature - warmer temperatures in temperate climates like ours facilitate increased algae growth
2.  Nutrients - phosphorus is the most critical in lakes providing the food needed for photosynthesis
3.  Water flows and mixing of nutrients can spur algae growth
4.  Season of the year - longer days and sunny skies promote growth, while short cloudy days and lower temperatures inhibit photosynthesis

I found the following graphic from King County to be particularly helpful in better understanding these relationships in a seasonal context.

Because the reported Lake Sawyer toxic algae blooms have been in October and early November, one would think that there shouldn't be any algae blooms this time of year.  After all, temperatures are declining and there are fewer hours of sunlight.  For those lakes with high levels of nutrients (phosphorus), algae blooms begin early and last through the summer, before declining in the fall.  Fortunately, Lake Sawyer phosphorus concentrations are low and we should expect a seasonal cycle more similar to the "little P" seasonal graphic.  A fall bounce in algae growth can be spurred by increased water flows and mixing. 

For perspective, following is how Lake Sawyer compares with other lakes in King County, with monthly data and trends dating back to 1997.  First for 2018.  The blue buttons are for Lake Sawyer and the black/grey circles are for the other King County Lakes.

The following comparative data shows annual average phosphorus levels from 1997 through 2018.  The 2019 report from King County should be available early next year as part of their annual report.

As you can see, Lake Sawyer is at the lower end of phosphorus levels.  For more Lake Sawyer data, follow this link to Lake Sawyer Water Quality - August 2019 Update.  

So, with fresh water entering the lake this year in September and recent sunshine, it is possible that stirring up of lake nutrients at the bottom along with sunshine and relatively warm water temperatures for this time of year, could result in a fall spike in algae growth like you see in the seasonal chart shown above for "little P" lakes.  In any event, it wouldn't necessarily be abnormal.  But toxic algae???

Some in the community have suggested that development is the cause of recent algae growth, resulting in higher lake phosphorus levels and therefore algae growth.  There has certainly been a lot of development around Lake Sawyer and in other parts of the city.  The Oakpointe MPDs have also been developing their site and building new homes.  Could they be the culprit?  If growth is the problem, its hard to find a smoking gun. Lake Sawyer water quality monitoring reports and data don't support this premise.  In addition, none of the stormwater generated by the Oakpointe MPD's are currently discharged into the Rock Creek watershed that flows into Lake Sawyer.  The two plats currently being developed are Plat 1-A and Plat 2-C, both of which flow into a stormwater retaining pond  that drains south, not north into Rock Creek and Lake Sawyer.  You can see this stormwater pond at the bottom center of the following aerial view from King County.

I have been repeatedly told by King County and state DOE staff that you cannot draw conclusions until you can clearly see trends over a significant period.  No trends in the vast amount of data that we have either, except perhaps increasing water temperatures and clearer lake water as evidenced by trends in Secchi test results.  Ironically, the clearer lake water becomes, and it is getting clearer, the deeper sunlight will penetrate and the further down in the lake photosynthesis can occur.  I'm not arguing that this is the case - merely to point out that there are lots of variables and that a smoking gun cause and effect for algae in Lake Sawyer is not at all clear.  In fact, no test results to date support claims made that algae in the lake is toxic or even that algae growth has increased in the lake.  

What to do?  Keep testing and be vigilant for where we can identify contaminated surface water runoff going into the Rock Creek drainage so that it can be remedied.  As for me, I will continue kayaking around the lake in search of this elusive toxic algae that I have yet to see any signs of.

 

We Have a New Bridge

No, our new bridge doesn't allow us to bypass Maple Valley or Covington during commute hours, but it does improve safety for mountain bikers and hikers in the Black Diamond Natural Area.  Though the bridge has no official name, at least that I am aware of, I've always called it the "slatted bridge" because of the way it was constructed.  Slats placed on top of runners that allowed bikers to ride across and hikers to walk across, but nothing to hang onto or keep you from falling  into Ravensdale Creek.  Thanks to a combination of volunteers and King County Parks, we now have a much safer passage.  Here's how it looked on Saturday.

We have handrails!  The creek itself remains as beautiful and pristine as ever and also where we sometimes see winter run Coho salmon spawning in gravel bars along the creek.  Will begin regular checks on salmon beginning in December when water will be flowing over the weir into Covington Creek in enough volume for salmon to make it up, through the lake and into Ravensdale Creek.

We've seen salmon from the bridge in the past, though the spawning we have seen is a bit further upstream.  If you don't want to use the bridge, you can always use the log crossing, like I do.

Ha, Ha, Ha - no way am I going to make this crossing even scooting along on my butt.  You've got to love all the trails in the Black Diamond Natural Area.  Another of our community's great treasures.

If there is a challenge here, it's that there are so many trails you can easily get lost - not lost-lost but disoriented for sure. 

I always find it easiest to stay as close to the creek as I can, whether on the west side of the creek or the east side.  You can't go wrong this way.  We also now have parking on the west side of SR169 just south of 288th.  If you want to find the new slatted bridge, park here, take the main trail until it reaches the old railroad bed (in the future, this will be part of the Cedar to Green River Trail).  Turn right onto this main trail going north and then left at the first trail that goes west toward the creek.  Follow it along as it reaches the creek and bends south (left), always staying close to the creek and on your right until you reach the bridge.  Enjoy.

 

Nature's Magic

What a great time of year it is right now.  Leaves are turning brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow and falling from trees in bunches.  There was a time growing up when I didn't appreciate all those leaves.  It took time to rake them up into piles and haul them away to compost.  Today, I have a much better appreciation for nature's magic and look forward to time in the mountains to experience the change of seasons.  This weekend, I observed and learned something new - one of the better places to see brilliant colors in the forest now is to visit areas recently logged.  An area recently replanted can be perfect, like this Gifford Pinchot National Forest land shown below.

Young douglas fir trees have been replanted here but this still "leaves" (pun intended) quite a bit of land area at risk of erosion.  Air borne seed from deciduous trees, like alder and maple, help fill the voids and hold the ground until youngster firs can begin their tall reach for the sky and shade out their temporary companions.  So much beauty here right now.  The above photo was taken along Hwy 23 just north of Trout Lake.

And then I return home and look out the window across Lake Sawyer.  I gotta say, this view is pretty tough to beat.

 

 

Lake Sawyer Water Quality - August 2019 Update

King County recently posted updated water quality test results for Lake Sawyer taken through August 2019.  Once again, one cautionary note - we need to focus on trends.  As the historical data shows, sample results can bounce around from sample event to sample event but it takes a period of years for significant issues, either good or bad, to emerge.  Lake water temperatures are a good case in point.  We have test data that goes all the way back to 1993 and trends here couldn't be more clear.

Unfortunately, lake water temperature is a variable over which we have least control, but the adverse impacts on our salmon and trout fisheries are also very significant.  Higher temperatures increase plant growth, decreasing dissolved oxygen levels in the water which further adversely impacts trout and salmon.

Secchi is a measure of water clarity.  A disk is lowered into the lake and when it reaches the point where it cannot be seen, that is the data point recorded.  The lower the disk goes, the better it is.  Current data shows continued positive trends.

Total phosphorus is an important indicator of long term lake health.  The greater the level of phosphorus in the lake, the more plant growth we will see, the less dissolved oxygen there will be and over time, this is how lakes die - a process called eutrophication.  This is also the variable over which we have the greatest control, with the principal source of phosphorus being surface water runoff such as stormwater into Rock Creek and Ravensdale Creek, with highway and development runoff into Rock Creek being the principal bad actor here.  

On the positive side of the ledger, stormwater runoff from SR169 is currently untreated discharging directly into Ginder Creek which flows into Rock Creek and represents a significant share of current phosphorus discharge into Rock Creek.  Thanks to the persistence of City staff and with the help of grant funding, we will soon have stormwater treatment capacity in place to mitigate this source.  In addition, Master Plan Developer Oakpointe is required to meet a phosphorus anti-degradation standard from stormwater runoff from the development.  In other words, they can have zero net impact on phosphorus discharge into Lake Sawyer.

On the other hand, there is now significant development in our city around the lake and elsewhere in town outside the MPDs with potential for significant adverse impact on phosphorus concentrations in the lake.  In addition, stormwater runoff from mining and reclamation at the John Henry mine flows into Ginder Creek and on into Lake Sawyer and also posing significant risk (more about the status of the mine in future posts).

Identifying trends for phosphorus can be the most difficult given the variables of precipitation across the 500+ acre Lake Sawyer watershed, the season of the year and depth of water in the lake.  Following are results from samples taken in May of each year at different lake depths.

Sample results in both May and  August show a lot of variability from year to year, but not a clear trend.

King County will publish an annual water quality report for the lake after the first of the year.  Will pass it along when its available.

Footnote 1:  There is currently no stormwater runoff from Oakpointe MPD's flowing into Rock Creek or elsewhere in the Lake Sawyer watershed.  This will change when development moves to other plats within the property that do drain into Rock Creek but not currently.  

Footnote 2:  The recent scare about potential toxic algae in Lake Sawyer is not substantiated by the facts.  Intensive sampling by King County found algae levels in the lake to be very low and in many cases at nondetectable levels.

More Birds of Prey - Some Odd Shots of Owls

What does a baby Great Horned Owl look like when it first ventures out of the nest?  It looks like it had a rough night!

Taken from a very long distance but managed to get focused on this one's eyes.  These two youngsters were moving about very carefully in the crotch of a tree at the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually Wildlife Refuge.  Both had what looked like a feather "crust" still clinging to them around their head area.  Lots of growing up yet to do for these two.

Fierce predators.  Because most owls are nocturnal and silent hunters of the night, finding and photographing them has for me been very challenging.  Short eared owls in the Skagit Valley have been the easiest to find during the day.

For Burrowing Owls, who also hunt and wander about during the day, Othello is the place to go.  You'll find them burrowed under some old irrigation ditches.

Cute little guys.  Speaking of little guys, try to find a tiny Northern Saw-whet Owl like this one hiding in the bushes at Nisqually trying to get some sleep.  Not much larger than my fist.

This Long-eared Owl was nearly impossible to find and photograph hiding among all the branches.  Finally, it was his eye that blinked open, giving him away.

In Black Diamond, Great Horned Owls seem to be the most common in the forested areas around Lake Sawyer and I have heard reports of a Great Grey Owl.  Though I have heard a lot of them, I have yet to get a decent photo here.  But it's a fun challenge.  Keep your ears open and let me know where you see or hear them.  Thanks

John Henry Mine - The Saga Continues

On April 18, 2018, the Pacific Coast Coal Company (PCCC), based in Seattle, received approval from the Department of Interior, Office of Surface Mining (OSMRE), to proceed ahead with surface mining at the John Henry No. 1 mine site located just north of town.  The Washington State Department of Ecology then issued an administrative extension to PCCC's existing NPDES permit, clearing the way for mine reopening.

So what's happened over the last 16 months?

1. NO MINING - After providing notification to all the adjacent residences and property owners of intent to proceed with mining and blasting and with promises that they had buyers for their coal, PCCC has not mined one ounce of coal and now admits to the fact that they have no customers for their coal mined now or in the near future. Remember the sales contract that PCCC presented as "proof" that they had customers for John Henry mined coal?  As several of us commented,  the so called "contract" required the identified "buyer" to buy nothing.  Not even an intent to buy.  But, they say they are still looking for potential customers.
2. NOTICE OF VIOLATION - PCCC received a formal notice from OSMRE that they were in violation of the conditions of the permit issued to them just last year.  Not yet sure about the nature of the violation but am tracking it down.
3. SITE INSPECTIONS - OSMRE is now visiting the site on a monthly basis and DOE on a quarterly basis.  For your reference, I am attaching copies of DOE's last two inspection reports dated March 26, 2019 and June 19, 2019.  It's never a good sign seeing an oil sheen on water draining from the coal washer into Ginder Lake while the inspectors are there.  See the pictures taken by DOE.
4. SOME RECLAMATION HAS BEGUN - Finally.

Based on past experience, I wouldn't get too excited about reclamation having begun.  There are plenty of ways to drag this out.  Reclamation of Stockpile 2 area alone is now estimated to take about two years and there is a lot more to be done in other areas of the property, even excluding the sites to be mined.  Previous estimates were that full reclamation would take just one year following cessation of mining.

DOE was previously planning to have available for public review and input an updated draft NPDES permit for the mine in May of this year.  It now looks like it will take a couple more months and we should have an opportunity to see an updated draft permit in November.

Following are PDF copies of the Inspection Reports:

Download John Henry Mine Inspection Report March 26 2019

Download John Henry Mine inspection report June 19-2019

I will pass along further updates as information becomes available.  Also, for perspective, the last coal mining at the John Henry Mine took place in 1999.   It's now 20 years later - well past when mine reclamation should have been completed.

Lake Sawyer Water Levels - August 2019 Update

As you may have noticed, Lake Sawyer water levels as we near the end of August are about one foot higher than last year at this time and way above the beaver dam days of 2015.    Attached is a recently updated graph prepared by Jack Sperry plotting lake water levels above/below the weir dating back to 1996.  

As you can see, not as steep a drop as we have seen in recent years - at least so far.  Rain in the mountains this time of year is always good.

 

 

Thanks again Jack Sperry and Bob Edelman for keeping us up to date.  For more information about Lake Sawyer weather, follow this link to Bob's website at Lake Sawyer Weather.

Predators

Living in the northwest, we are blessed with nature's bounty.  This includes the cute and cuddly looking bunnies, squirrels and chipmunks that we so love to see, even in our yards, as well as those predators who rely on these same creatures as a staple in their diet.  I didn't think that I'd ever see bears roaming around Lake Sawyer, but so they were this year, even swimming in the lake.  Raccoons are also regular visitors and not to mess with as are river otters and beavers.  We've even seen a weasel in our yard.  But it's birds of prey that we see most often among the predators and their antics can be amazing to watch as they target their dinner of the day.

What's the most amazing bird of prey that we've see while hiking and exploring?  Not eagles and not osprey, though they are so much fun to watch, but I would have to say seeing a peregrine falcon in action was the most exciting.

We saw this peregrine eating dinner after downing it's prey along Shi Shi beach.  Never thought that we would be so close.  Did you know that peregrines are the fastest bird in flight in the world with speeds topping 200 mph.  They literally dive bomb their prey, stunning them with the force of their hits.  They are not big (about the size of a crow) but they sure pack a wallop.  

Eagles, of course, are reining kings of the sky and appear to fear nothing.  Just look at those talons.

For the best form diving, however, it's osprey that win the prize.   And look at the size of the prey they can catch.

This kokanee salmon must weigh 2 or 3 lbs.  A family of osprey take up residency here at Lake Sawyer most of the year, while bald eagles typically head north by mid July or so for summer vacation - and summer salmon runs.  Here's one at Lake Sawyer with a large catfish.  Poor picture but it does show the catfish.

Not quite as glamorous perhaps as peregrine falcons, bald eagles and osprey, we also have quite a few of what I'll call "blue collar" birds of prey of the hawk and owl families that we can see more widely in the Puget sound area.  We even get to see short eared owls in flight during daylight hours.  Very graceful and very powerful.  I wouldn't want to be a rodent with these guys around.

Rough legged hawks are somewhat smaller but fast and also in pursuit of rodents.  Even saw one of these guys hunting at Kelly Butte lookout.

American Kestrels are one of the prettier, though petite, members of the hawk family.  

Kestrel will eat anything from insects (beetles, dragonflies, spiders and butterflies), to rodents, to small birds.  Really really quick.  Too many more to include in this post.  Soooo much fun observing and photographing them all.  One thing they all seem to have in common - so graceful and so determined.

 

 

Lake Sawyer Water Quality Update - May 2019

For those not familiar with water quality testing at Lake Sawyer, in May and August of each year samples are taken to measure three key water quality indicators - Secchi disk, which measures the clarity of water at it's deepest depth, phosphorus which for Lake Sawyer is the key indicator of algae growth and nitrogen which is of lesser importance here.  All three measures are then combined into an overall Trophic State Index.

Following is a chart of phosphorus sample results in May dating back to 2006.

As you can see, samples are taken for phosphorus concentrations at three different depths - 1 meter, 8 meters and 15 meters.  No significant trend during this period either positive or negative (the lower the better).  We have data going all the way back to 1971 where we see much higher phosphorus levels than this during a period when we also had significant and regular problems with algae blooms.  Life is much better today.  We will see sample results again in August.  Because of warmer temperatures and limited flushing of the lake during summer months, we typically see significantly higher phosphorus levels in summer months, particularly at deeper depths.

Measurements taken with the Secchi disk measure water clarity.  The deeper you can see the disk in the water, the clearer and the better.  As you can see, there is a significant positive trend here.  My only concern is how much of this trend is caused by rain patterns which recently have decreased flows into the lake from both Ravensdale Creek and Rock Creek.   

A trophic state index at 40 or below is where we want to be.  The higher the overall index, this means more plant/algae growth and decreased oxygen levels - and fewer fish in the lake.  Phosphorus is a little higher so far this year and lake clarity continuing to improve.  We'll see what August data looks like.  And a reminder - data can bounce around, trends are what we are looking for.

Black Diamond Demographics - Income

How much money do people make who live in Black Diamond?  How does this compare with other communities in the state?  Well, thanks to Bill Kombol who passed along results from a recent study, we now have an answer and it may surprise you.  First, a couple more data points.  The study was conducted in 2017 and ranks the Wealthiest Zip Codes in the Puget Sound Region measured by Median Household Income.  In all, there are 715 zip codes in Washington State and one might expect that the vast majority, if not all of those are located in the Puget Sound Region.  A few wheat farming zip codes in eastern Washington may represent a few outliers, but if you are in the top 10 or even top 100 in the Puget Sound Region, you are more than likely to be in the top 12 or top 120 statewide.

The first surprise from this study was that Black Diamond had the Highest Median Household Income growth, year over year at 23.1%.  Wow, somebody got some extraordinary bonuses or windfall profits from something.  Anybody willing to share with the rest of us?

The second surprise is that overall, Black Diamond ranked 44th among all zip codes with median household incomes exceeding $90,000.  Not exactly Medina but ours is an affluent community to be sure.

Thanks Bill for passing along this interesting data.