Introduction - CLIPA White Paper (part 1)

Last summer, our community was stunned by the CLAMP Steering Committee’s split vote favoring removal of the dam which creates Capitol Lake. This action would result in reverting the Capitol Lake area back to a tidal mud flat, irretrievably losing Capitol Lake and all that it provides to the citizens, businesses, and community. Almost as startling, the CLAMP study focused on Capitol Lake to the exclusion of the Deschutes Watershed as a whole, missing the opportunity to identify and address water quality and sediment management concerns through more viable, long-term and cost-effective solutions.

In response, a group of concerned citizens, most with strong environmental interests and credentials, formed the non-profit organization “Capitol Lake Improvement and Protection Association” (CLIPA) in order to study the issue and identify more appropriate alternative solutions which would provide for improved water quality and sediment management in the Deschutes Watershed, including Capitol Lake basin and Budd Inlet, while preserving one of our state’s most precious icons, Capitol Lake.

This committed grassroots group has worked steadily, creating a strong Science and Policy Panel and challenged the Panel members to create a realistic, scientifically-based and practical plan which would accomplish the above goals. This packet contains the results of those exhaustive efforts. You will note that in addition to our stated position, we provide many options and alternatives. A solution must embrace the many interests in support of aesthetics and ecosystem health, as well as economic vitality and social needs, and be flexible to findings from continued research.