Capitol Lake

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Capitol Lake

Location	Washington
Coordinates	47°1′59.81″N, 122°54′31.58″WCoordinates: 47°1′59.81″N, 122°54′31.58″W
Lake type	artificial lake
Primary inflows	Deschutes River
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	3 km
Surface area	260 acres (1.1 km²)
Settlements	Tumwater, Olympia

Defunct railroad bridge crossing Capitol Lake

Capitol Lake is a 3 kilometer long, 260-acre (1.1 km²) artificial lake at the lower end of Deschutes River in Tumwater/Olympia, Washington. The Olympia Brewery sits on Capitol Lake in Tumwater, just downstream from where the Tumwater Falls meet the lake. The Washington State Department of General Administration manages the lake.

1 History
2 Controversy
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

Before the lake was constructed the mud flats lining Budd Inlet in its place were home to Olympia's "Chinatown," which was succeeded by a Depression-era "Hooverville." Designed by John Olmsted to reflect the Washington State Capitol building, the lake was created in 1951 by a dam on the Deschutes where it empties into Budd Inlet on Puget Sound. The creation of the lake destroyed the former Deschutes/Budd Inlet estuary.

The February, 2001 Nisqually Earthquake did considerable damage to Deschutes Parkway on the west side of the lake.^[1] Heritage Park, Capitol Lake Park and Marathon Park in Olympia and Tumwater are on the lake. Swimming, kayaking and canoeing, and sailboating are popular recreational activities on the water. Capital Lakefair, centered on the lake, is held annually in July.^[2] The trail around the lake is 1.5 miles long.^[3]

[edit] Controversy

Controversy surrounds Capitol Lake because it replaced a once productive estuary. Because of a high rate of siltation, the lake must be dredged to keep it from filling in and resorting to its estuary/swamp state, a classic case of eutrophication. Additionally, the lake is experiencing a milfoil infestation and poor water quality (it is frequently closed to swimmers due to excessive levels of E. Coli). The Department of General Administration, other state and local agencies, and the Squaxin Island Tribe have participated in a study entitled "The Capitol Lake Adaptive Management Plan" or "CLAMP" to determine the future of the lake. The decision was to maintain the freshwater lake until 2013.^[4]