Valsetz lake bed is eyed for water
POLK COUNTY -- Could Valsetz Lake, drained 20 years ago, be filled again to provide water for Polk and Lincoln counties?
By Gail Oberst
POLK COUNTY -- Could Valsetz Lake, drained 20 years ago, be filled again to provide water for Polk and Lincoln counties?
While the answer to that question is not yet clear, commissioners from Lincoln County last week agreed to investigate the possibility, according to Mike Propes, Polk County Commissioner.
If Lincoln County officials discover they have a need for water from a reservoir, the two counties will work together to get the scientific information, public comment, grants and loans that would flesh out the project over the next 10 years. If Lincoln County's study, due to be finished in November, reveals that it doesn't need the water, Polk County will go back to the drawing board, Propes said.
Polk County officials have known for years that the region is running out of water, and damming the headwaters of the Siletz and Luckiamute rivers is the latest of several ideas about where to get it.
According to a water supply study completed in 2004, the water supply in Polk County and its cities will exceed demand by 2026, under the best circumstances, and earlier under the worst. Dallas, for example, can no longer supply city water to additional large industrial users without curtailing water to other users, according to the study.
The study was part of ongoing investigations that looked into: using Willamette River water drawn from the city of Adair Village's water rights; surface water storage reservoirs on Mill Creek, Rock Creek and Sunshine Creek; and, additional wells and water sharing opportunities throughout the county.
The full study is online at www.co.polk.or.us/ComDev/Documents/Water_Needs_Assessment_2004.pdf. Most of these options, in addition to the latest Valsetz Lake idea, are still being discussed.
Lincoln County's participation in the project is crucial because the need in Polk County alone doesn't warrant the expense of building a reservoir, Propes said.
One of the proposals is to build a dam that would create a reservoir nearly five miles long and three miles wide, about five times the size of the former Valsetz Lake. The proposed reservoir could cover as much as 2,700 acres, but smaller proposals are also on the table.
Valsetz Lake was originally formed in 1921 by a dam on the upper Siletz River, placed to create a mill pond for the lumber company town of Valsetz, established by William C. Mitchell Co. In 1984 the town was closed and burned, and in 1988 the dam was declared unsound and was removed. The former 435-acre lake is now home to young trees, planted in the sediment by its former owner, Boise Cascade.
Propes said that Boise Cascade was not open to the idea of selling the land for a reservoir. But the company's successor, Forest Capital Partners, has at least allowed the study to progress, Propes said. That doesn't mean the company has agreed to sell the land, but it does indicate a willingness to participate in the study.
Community, landowner, state agency and scientific participation will be the key to deciding whether this project is possible, Propes said. After the Lincoln County study, scientists will study the potential impact on fish and other wildlife if water is released during the summer through the Siletz and Luckiamute water systems. Propes was scheduled to meet with Oregon Fish and Wildlife officials last week to locate funds for that study.
The initial proposal is to transport the impounded water through the rivers, taking water for city uses from somewhere near its confluence with the Willamette River. All of the county's water districts and cities have been part of initial discussions about water resources, Propes said.
"It's too early to tell if any of this will happen," Propes said. "Until we get the facts, it's too early to tell."
It is not too early, however, to express ideas and concerns to Propes by e-mailing him, mikepropes50@hotmail.com.
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