The Olympia Lakers? Or Deschutes Estuary?

Olympia folk always seem to have a dispute brewing about their land- and sea-scape. Besides a donnybrook over whether to allow really tall buildings on the isthmus between Capitol Lake and Budd Inlet, the townspeople and lots of natural resource experts are trying to decide the future of the lake itself. The iconic lake, with the Capitol Campus, the mountains and the sea all nearby, is a much-photographed part of the cityscape, beloved by walkers, joggers and cyclists. But it's a man-made, multi-basin lake created by damming Deschutes River -- and it's very expensive to maintain, primarily because of massive silting. Some environmentalists and others are advocating a return to estuary state. That would involve removing a dam and allowing the river to return to its regular streambed and allowing mixing of fresh water and salt water from Puget Sound. A new report says the cost of keeping the lake is significantly higher than allowing it to return to estuary. A nine-member committee, including state, local and tribal officials, will recommend a decision to the state Department of General Administration.