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Lake Sawyer Water Quality - Rock Creek & Ravensdale Creek

Over the last several years, I have regularly posted historical and current water quality data sample results for Lake Sawyer.  Thanks to the King County Lake Stewardship program and local lake steward Ken Docktor, we are able to see and track water quality trends for the lake.  King County also prepares an annual Download 2020-Sawyer-2019-Lake-Stewardship-Monitoring-Report (1) that helps us understand what all this data mean.  However good and helpful this data may be, we also need to understand the quality of water that enters the lake from primary sources.  This means Ravensdale Creek (officially called Covington Creek) and Rock Creek.  If there is a growing problem/risk, we need to know where it is coming from so that mitigation measures can be taken to protect the lake - ergo, our recent focus on the John Henry Mine, Oakpointe's Ten Trails Master Planned Development, stormwater treatment from new development along SR169, development around Lake Sawyer, etc.

Like many government programs, the crash of 2007 led to elimination of many of King County's stream monitoring efforts.  Fortunately, at least a few of these programs were restarted in 2014 and we now have some trend sampling data for influent streams Ravensdale Creek and Rock Creek that are the lake's lifeblood.  Here's a map showing current King County stream sample locations:

Based on data developed through studies undertaken in the early 1990's, we know that Ravensdale Creek historically provides over 60% of annual lake influent flows and contributes less than 30% of the lake's annual nutrient loading of phosphorus and nitrogen.  For Rock Creek, it has been just the reverse and is the lake's primary source of "bad actors" entering the lake.  What do recent trends look like? 

Beginning with water temperatures that have been rising some over the last decade, what do each of these streams look like (latest samples taken through June 2020)? 

Interestingly, monthly sample results show little if any change in stream water temperatures, except for seasonal variations.  Both streams tend to fluctuate in the same cycle with the smaller Rock Creek fluctuating in temperatures with higher highs and lower lows throughout the year.  But no clear trend upward over this period, which is good news.

How about levels of dissolved oxygen which are critical to our fisheries and salmon spawning?

Ravensdale Creek appears to be remarkably stable with high dissolved oxygen levels throughout the year with little if any change over this period.  That's good news.  Rock Creek continues a pattern of significant seasonal fluctuations throughout the year.   

How about total phosphorus concentrations?

Clearly, Rock Creek has significantly higher levels of phosphorus than does Ravensdale Creek with neither stream showing an upward trend.  And keep in mind that stormwater runoff from the Ten Trails development does not flow into the Rock Creek/Lake Sawyer sub-watershed and would thus not impact these numbers.

More sample data in future posts.

Lake Sawyer Water Quality - Latest Test Results

King County recently posted Lake Sawyer water quality test results for samples taken in June earlier this year.  Like always, I would caution that we are looking for trends and cannot reach conclusions based on any sample above or below the "norm".  Measuring lake water temperature is a good example where we can clearly see a trend - the lake is clearly getting warmer.

As we would expect, water temperatures in May/June are lower than they are August, but the trend is up over this ten year period, particularly near the surface.  Since warmer water has less oxygen carrying capacity than does colder water, this trend is not positive for lake trout and salmon populations.

 

Sampling is typically taken each year in May and August.  This year, samples were taken later in June.  Secchi measures the depth at which a disk lowered into the water can no long be seen.  The deeper the better - which means the clearer the water.  Over the last ten years, the trend has been positive with somewhat better clarity.  The two samples taken this year in June show reduced clarity.  We'll see what future results have to tell us.

Total phosphorus is an important indicator of long term water quality.  Lower phosphorus levels mean less "fertilizer" available to spur plant growth in the lake, such as algae, and the better lake water quality will be.  Higher phosphorus levels are not good for the lake and can lead to lake eutrophication and the loss of fisheries.  Essentially, as noted by King County, no trends here over the last ten years and we see lots of variability, particularly at deeper depths.  Our concern over mining at the John Henry Mine has largely been driven by concern for higher phosphorus concentrations being discharged into the lake via the Rock Creek watershed.

More about water quality indicators in future posts.

Footnote:  For those concerned about the potential adverse impact of the Ten Trails development on Lake Sawyer water quality, particularly phosphorus discharged to the lake via stormwater runoff, stormwater runoff from current plats under development do not flow into the Rock Creek/Lake Sawyer watershed and thus do not currently impact the lake.    

John Henry Mine Update 6/16/2020

Good news, I think.  According to recent documents submitted to the City of Black Diamond, Pacific Coast Coal Company (PCCC) is planning to proceed ahead with reclamation of the two large spoil piles at the mine that are located within Black Diamond city limits.  Specifically, the notification states:

To proceed with reclamation, PCCC must obtain a clearing and grading permit from the city.  The following map shows the location of spoil piles 3N and 3S (shown n red at the bottom left of the map).

A condition of the permit as submitted by PCCC requires that the city affirm acceptance of current permit conditions.  From my perspective, it would be wise fo do all that we reasonably can to facilitate the completion of mine reclamation.  This is an important step and the sooner that reclamation can be completed the better.  Acceptance of these same conditions, were they planning for the continuance of mining as previously proposed, howerer, would be a whole different matter - but that apparently is no longer the case and thus this is good news for our community.  Be prepared for a very different landscape as you drive by on SR169.

For those seeking to make comment to the city, following is a copy of PCCC's complete proposal Download John Henry Mine SEPA (1).  

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

 

John Henry Mine - November 2019 Update

Last week, I talked with the federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) for an update regarding the status of reclamation activities at the John Henry Mine.  Good news.  According to OSM, mine reclamation activities continue and Pacific Coast Coal Company (PCCC)  has fully addressed the 5 deficiencies outlined earlier.  In addition, they are moving ahead now to update PCCC's permit to focus just on reclamation.  This is the best sign yet that they no longer intend to mine coal and are proceeding ahead to complete reclamation and reforest the site.

As you may note in the above graphic, there are three very large stockpiles that will become mountains no more.  The change in topography will be particularly noticeable for those of us who drive to Lake 12 and the Green River Gorge or on the road to Ravensdale.   With so much earth moving to occur during reclamation, there remains risk of surface water runoff containing high phosphorus concentrations into Ginder Creek and on to Lake Sawyer - but much less so than if mining were to occur and OSM will continue to monitor discharge water quality during reclamation.  We are also likely to see curtailed levels of reclamation during wet winter months which will reduce discharge risks even further.

State DOE has yet to address any potential updates or changes to PCCC's NPDES surface water discharge permit.  We should expect to hear from them later this month.

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.

 

Chinook Salmon now Spawning in the Green River

On Tuesday, I headed out to Kanaskat-Palmer State Park hoping to see some fall colors along the shores of the Green River.  What did I find - Chinook salmon spawning close to shore and some fall colors too.  What a treat this was!  These are the big guys that we seldom see spawning around these parts.

I'm not sure which of these are the female and which the male, but they sure make a pair working their way up and down the spawning grounds and within about 20 feet from where I stood.  More often than not, there were three or four fish swimming side by side participating in this annual ritual.  You can see the eye of the one salmon to the far right - one of four in this cluster making plenty of splashes on the surface.

Here's another pair.  Note how big the humpbacks are.  The water is crystal clear.

Spawning is apparently a bit early this year, thanks to fall rains.  I also saw some smaller Pinks spawning, but the Chinook steal the show.  You can see the eye of another salmon above.  Is it the male with the bigger humpback or the female?  Judging from the positioning of the two fish, I would have to guess the bigger fish is the male, trailing somewhat the movement of the female.

I did find some fall color and the carcass remains from spawning fish that had arrived earlier.

On the one hand, it makes me sad.

On the other hand, we should be very happy.  It's the time of year when trees shed their leaves and salmon spawn, depositing their fertilized eggs for the spring return to sea and leaving their remains for the eagles and other wildlife that rely on them for sustenance to make it through the winter.  And to see them survive and now return in increasing numbers, it's a special treat.

This coming weekend should be a great time for visiting Kanaskat-Palmer State Park and wandering the shoreline, both to see the colors of leaves falling and to see the Chinook salmon in the act of spawning.  The best place I found was along the shoreline to the far north end of the park.  After entering the park, head down the road toward the river.  When the road T's, turn right and follow to the end.  Follow the trail from there to the river.  What a treat!

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.

John Henry Mine - Reclamation Costs

How expensive will it be for Pacific Coast Coal Company (PCCC) to complete restoration of the John Henry coal mine?  How about $6,381,806.  Based on Reclamation Bond records from 2018, that's what it will cost PCCC and that is the amount of the collateral bond backed by an Irrevocable Letter of Credit that they must maintain to ensure that mine reclamation be completed.  Completed by when is a whole another matter.  It's one thing to arrange with a bank for a letter of credit, likely backed by a lien on real estate holdings of PCCC, but actual restoration requires cash out of pocket spending and borrowing money.  Clearly, there is a big incentive for delay, delay, delay.  Mine reclamation has now finally begun.  Let's hope that it's completed soon.

Follow this link for a copy of last year's bond records obtained from the Federal Office of Surface Mining, Enforcement and Reclamation Download Bond

 

 

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.

Black Diamond - 1936 to 2017

What has been happening in Black Diamond looking back over the period 1936 to 2017?  What did our community look like then and how does that compare with the here and now?  King County's iMap Interactive Mapping Tool provides some great points of comparative reference.  Following is an aerial image taken in 1936 spanning from 288th Street in the north to Jones Lake in the south and Lake 12 to the east and Horseshoe Lake to the west.  Not all of this area is within current city limits but the map provides a reasonable framework for visualizing what changes have occurred in our community over the years.  Here's what an aerial view of our community looked like in 1936.

Adding a few photos of well known locations from this time period, 1936 looks like this:

The Lawson coal mine closed in 1910 following the explosion that killed 11 miners and the Black Diamond mines were on their last legs, if not closed, by 1930.  The railroad depot closed in 1925 for passenger service but rail service continued for hauling coal until about 1931.  The mid 1930's and the great depression served to end what I'll call the "resort" era at Lake 12 and Lake Sawyer, but what an era it was. You could even rent bathing suits back then. The Lake Sawyer Mill Company sawmill and logging operations closed the doors in 1934.  Click on the above picture to enlarge and get a better view of these photos and their locations.

Fast forward to 1998 and as one might expect over 60 years, a whole lot of change occurred during this period.

Mining came back to town with Palmer Coking Coal's aggregate mining operation, the Reserve Silica mining operation of silica sand (now closed and in process of reclamation) and of course the John Henry No. 1 Mine which ceased operations in 1999.

Dredging of area lakes seemed to be the order of the day, particularly at Lake Sawyer, with significant parts of the lake dredged to make it more "development friendly".  But the big news was all of the residential development that occurred in our community beginning in the 1950's. The Lake Sawyer area alone added over 600 residential lots as the Neukirchen family (owners of the Lake Sawyer Mill Co.) and other land owners subdivided their land into residential lots.  Our cabin/home was built was built in 1954.  Significant waterfront areas surrounding Lake 12 and Horseshoe Lake were also developed during this period.  In addition, with the development of Morgan Creek, Lawson Hills Estates, Eagle Creek and Diamond Glen, historic Black Diamond also saw significant residential growth.

In 1975, the Black Diamond School District was dissolved and absorbed into the Enumclaw School District.  Grade school age children went to school in Black Diamond with middle school and high school students bussed to Enumclaw (as it is today).  Sawyer Woods Elementary (part of the Kent School District) was built to support the residential growth on the west side of Lake Sawyer, followed by Kentlake High School, which opened in September 1997.

By 2007, King County aerial photographs were now in color.

By 2007, new schools had attracted more residential development in the designated King County urban growth area west of Lake Sawyer.  In this case, land use regulations intended to protect land from development in unincorporated King County didn't quite work.  Lots of homes were built.  The John Henry No. 1 Mine ceased operating in 1999.  No mine reclamation occurred during the 2000 - 2017 period and we can see a big deep lake and spoils piles now on the site.   A significant area of timberlands in the Lake Sawyer watershed were also clear cut during this period.

A decade later in 2017, we can see the beginnings of the 10 Trails Master Planned Development.

Important parts of Black Diamond's history remain with some freshened faces.  Still a wonderful view of Mt. Rainier from the Black Diamond Bakery.  The old railroad station has been remodeled and "reclaimed" into a top notch History Museum befitting our community's coal mining history.  What a great new coal miner statue. Even the historic cemetery received a freshening.  Wonderful library and a brand spanking new elementary school.  Trails for mountain bikers and hikers abound and so do the views from Lake Sawyer.  Fortunately, our community's gift of wonderful wildlife remains including those cute otters, elite osprey fishermen and kings of the sky bald eagles.  4th of July traditions with Uncle Sam at Lake Sawyer and Labor Day festivities also remain.  

It will be interesting to see what this map looks like in 2027.  Fortunately, we have some important measures now in place that hold real promise for our future.  For one, new parks and natural areas are strategically located to protect the Ravensdale Creek sub-watershed and Lake Sawyer water quality.

Forest lands previously logged have recently been acquired by King County and add even more buffer protection.  Much to be thankful for and much to look forward to, including plenty of challenges too.  From where I sit, though, my glass is well over half full.

 

Friends of Lake Sawyer - On Vacation or Moving Away?

In the nearly 40 years that we have lived at Lake Sawyer, we could always count on visits from lots of regular friends.  Though I expect that they are still around, it's been awhile since we have seen a few of them.  Maybe I should put up some MOST WANTED posters.  First on my MOST WANTED list are the family of river otters that seemed to visit so regularly during fall and winter months.  They are so fun to watch and a great indicator of healthy water quality.  But, it's been a few years since we have seen them making the rounds.

At one time we had kokanee spawning in Ravensdale Creek - a  fisherman's delight to be sure for both man and otter but kokanee haven't been seen here for 20 years or more and are no longer planted in the lake.  But, trout and bass fishing do seem to be reasonably good, judging from all the cormorants, osprey and fishing boats we regularly see.  So let's hope that our otter friends are just vacationing elsewhere for a little while, letting osprey guard their territory.

A couple of winters ago, a storm wreaked havoc with the eagles nest at the south end of Lake Sawyer next to Frog Lake.  Alas, too much damage done and the eagles haven't been seen nesting here since then.  Though we do still occasionally see them patrolling around the lake, it sure would be great if we could find where they might be nesting now.  Close I hope.

Here's a view of a 3 or 4 month old eaglet taking some practice flights between branches, about ready to leave the nest.  Where else have you seen this before and within walking distance of your home?

Next on my MOST WANTED list are the winter Coho salmon that have historically spawned up Ravensdale Creek.  Four or five years ago, Judy and I were able to find them spawning near the "slatted" bridge.  Quite the spectacle to witness.

The good news - a substantially modernized salmon hatchery downstream at Big Soos Creek is now nearly completed.  Let's hope that increasing water temperatures and more development along Covington Creek don't ruin this important habitat.

So, if you spot any of these "friends" on our MOST WANTED list, please let me know.  It's very important that we keep the welcome mat out - through our actions to protect lake water quality and to maintain the vital wildlife habitat that we now have.

With the old Black Diamond sewer plant no longer discharging into the lake beginning about 1991, with the John Henry No. 1 mine shut down beginning in 1999 and now we have an "anti-degradation" phosphorus discharge limit in place and enforceable with the MPD developer, we have a good shot at protecting the lake.  But, it will take the continued work and vigilance of us all to make that happen. We do have challenges ahead.

Lake Sawyer Water Temperatures

It sure seems like it's been a warm and dry January.  One indicator for me has been that I've been able to be out on the lake in our kayak at least a half dozen times so far this year.  I can't remember ever being out in January before.  Maybe it's all that tough old horsehide we grow for skin as we age, protecting us from the cold?  Curious, I checked the Lake Sawyer Weather website and sure enough, weather has been mild this January to say the least.  As of January 31, Lake Sawyer water temperature measured 48 degrees F at one meter below the surface.  That's certainly warm for this time of year.  I think we can forget ice skating around the lake again this year.  Here's the latest lake water temperature chart.

Although Bob Edelman, who maintains this website, doesn't have historical water temperature data readily available, he does provide historical annual rainfall data and historical ambient temperature data on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis for Lake Sawyer dating back to 2005.  Using this data, following are two charts.  First, January rainfall for the years 2005 through 2019.

2019 has had the lowest level of rainfall at just 2.87 inches in January over this period.  Average January ambient temperatures also are at the high end of the spectrum over this period.

Unfortunately, higher temperatures are not good for fish habitat, particularly trout and salmon.  The oxygen carrying capacity of warm water is much less than for colder water.  Not a problem for catfish though.  It's most likely wishful thinking, but let's hope that warming trends don't continue or accelerate as recent years and forecasts seem to suggest.

Thanks again Bob for keeping us informed about the lake!