By Dennis Box-The Courier-Herald
There may be water, fish and money flowing through the White River diversion dam if politics and policy converge at the right time.
President Bush's proposed budget for 2008 includes $11.5 million to rebuild the dam, according to U.S. Congressman Dave Reichert's office. Reichert represents the 8th District, which includes the Enumclaw, Buckley and Bonney Lake.
Reichert, Sen. Patty Murray and Sen. Maria Cantwell, along with other state politicians, have been working to secure the funds necessary to rebuild the structure, which is estimated to ring up at about $20 million.
Nearly every year, a winter storm knocks down the wood panels used to divert water into the U. S. Army Corps of Engineer's fish trap.
The dam, sometimes called a barrier dam, diverts water to Lake Tapps and directs spawning salmon into a fish trap where they are transported by truck to spawning grounds above Mud Mountain Dam.
Tim Shaw, project manager for the corps, said the message is the administration supports a new diversion dam.
“This goes beyond our needs for design and provides money for construction,” Shaw said.
While the budget will move through the U. S. House and Senate before Bush signs the final version, Shaw said he thought the money would make the cut.
The current dam is a timber structure with 55 wood flashboards on top.
According to Shaw the new structure will “use steel gates to the control the flow.”
The corps hopes to begin construction as soon as 2008 and complete the new structure by 2010.
An important element of the dam's function is protecting spawning Chinook salmon, which is listed as an endangered species by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
In 2006, nearly $6 million was budgeted by the federal government for repairs and design of the dam. About $4 million went toward repairs and $1.7 million for design of the new dam. In the same year $2.6 million went toward work on the fish passage.
Puget Sound Energy owns the dam. The utility company built the dam, flume system and Lake Tapps reservoir in 1911 for its White River hydroelectric project.
The electric utility plant was closed in January 2004 and PSE is proposing to sell the lake, flume and dam to Cascade Water Alliance, a water provider, for about $37 million.
The sale is based on the Department of Ecology granting municipal water rights to PSE for Lake Tapps, which will be transferred to Cascade.
Ecology spokesman Tom Loranger said Ecology is expected to reissue the water rights by March.
