Editor,
Mr. Halverson has his facts straight concerning the Capitol Lake Estuary — Capitol Lake Deschutes Estuary project good or bad? | Nisqually Valley News (yelmonline.com).
I will only add that, besides the terrifying cost of the project, it does far more harm than good. In fact, it is difficult to determine any good. All of the credible fish biologists, and there are several, state that the enormous project will not benefit the salmon run at all. The former tide flat was turned into a lake for a reason, and those reasons still exist — the flooding of downtown near the tide flat and the stink at low tide. Will this be the world's first tide flat — estuary — not to stink at low tide? After removing the dam, will King Tides subside for some reason?
Why is this happening when the lake was so popular when it was maintained? Money, and GA grew tired of maintaining the lake and decided to sell the lack of dredging it as "natural." There is nothing natural about downtown Olympia, nor will there ever be. It is mostly landfill and extremely prone to flooding.
When politics and science collide, politics usually wins.
Jon Kime
Olympia
