Under Tacoma Power's new plan, Riffe Lake will only rise 4 feet above its typical winter level, seen here from the east end of the lake near the Kosmos boat in February 2017. The drawdown will be a 30-foot reduction of historical summer lake levels.
The spillway piers on the upriver side of the Mossyrock Dam jut out into Riffe Lake. The spillway piers are a primary area of concern for Tacoma Power in the event of a large earthquake.
A plan announced this week by Tacoma Power stating the intent to manage the level at Riffe Lake some 30 feet below the historical waterline has quickly drawn the ire of area anglers and local businesses alike, though an employee of the company says concerns are unwarranted.
The plan to operate Mossyrock Dam with a reduced summertime pool in Riffe Lake was spurred by a recent study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey. That survey found that a magnitude 7.5 earthquake in close enough proximity to the dam has the potential to sheer off the spillway piers on the upriver side of the dam.
Tacoma Power representatives noted that if the piers were to fail, the spillway itself would lose its ability to hold back water, which would put downriver communities at risk of flooding. By keeping less water in Riffe Lake during the summer months when mountain snowmelt is typically allowed to fill the pool, it is believed the threat to downstream communities like Toledo and Castle Rock will be alleviated.
Tacoma Power has been unable to provide a specific timeline for the completion of upgrades to the dam that would allow for additional water to be safely held in Riffe Lake, but they are certain that the “new normal” lower levels will stretch into the next decade.
It did not take nearly that long for locals to get worked up about the impending change to what has become a favorite waterway recreation destination since Tacoma Power constructed Mossyrock Dam in 1968.
“It’s going to decimate fishing and camping at Mossyrock Park and at the other end at Kosmos. Especially if you can’t launch your boat. That’s on the real joys of camping there,” said Jerry Barr, a dedicated angler and a salesman at the Sunbird Shopping Center fishing desk in Chehalis.
Last summer was the first year in the nine years that Barr has lived in the area that he did not camp out or fish at Riffe Lake. He said his decision to avoid the lake was directly related to the low water level at Riffe last summer, which made the landscape and the fishing nearly unrecognizable.
Tacoma Power Generation Manager Pat McCarty said that last summer’s low water event was due to unusual snowmelt evaporation and not related to the structural concerns at Mossyrock Dam. However, the summer lake level for the foreseeable future will be similar.
“That fishery is going to go away. They’re really shooting themselves in the foot by doing that,” said Barr, who noted that Riffe Lake is a popular destination for anglers targeting rainbow trout, brown trout and landlocked silver salmon, as well as smallmouth and bigmouth bass. “It’s a tremendous loss because that campsite is normally full all summer long.”
Additionally, the fishing bridge at the east end of the lake within Taidnapam Park will be compromised by the lower lake level. As it stands now, the bridge is roughly three stories above the surface of the water, which makes it difficult to even angle for, yet alone land, fish.
“My opinion is that since it’s being run by Tacoma Power they don’t really care if it’s open or not. They’ really mismanaging the fisheries on the Cowlitz,” added Barr, who is concerned that the surrounding communities of Mossyrock and Morton will be negatively affected by the change once anglers and campers find out that there is a “new normal” coming to Riffe Lake.
“It’s just a shame because it used to be such a beautiful place to go camping and fishing and just have a good time,” Barr said.
Taidnapam Park Manager Arnie Lund does not share Barr’s myriad concerns. Lund is set to retire in April and believes that the future of recreation at Riffe Lake is on solid ground, even if it winds up changing somewhat.
“Recreation has changed so much in the years since the dams,” said Lund, who laughed that people were first upset that the Mossyrock Dam turned the Cowlitz River into a lake, and now seem to be upset that it is returning to more of a river flow. “It still will be a great recreation area. It’s a beautiful destination. You’ll just have more bank now.”
Lund believes that Tacoma Power has historically gone above and beyond the mitigation requirements in its operation contract in order to provide sport angling, camping and recreation opportunities on the waterways that have been forever changed by their dams. Because of that track record, Lund believes that even a modest reduction in services or opportunity would still fulfill the power company's obligation to the public.
Even after he retires and leaves the park behind, Lund says he is not concerned that things will change for the worse in his absence.
“It’s not like they are going to do anything that’s against their best interest or that makes them look bad in the public eye. They’re not going to trash their parks,” said Lund. “I don’t think there’s anything to be concerned about as far as keeping those standards.”
In fact, Lund says that even last summer when the water level in the lakes was uncharacteristically low, revelers and reelers continued to flock to the two parks run by Tacoma Power at the lake.
“We do a survey every year and nearly everyone says they would tell a friend about this park. In fact, we learned that the one who said they wouldn’t. It’s because they don’t want their secret to get out,” said Lund.
Not everyone is as confident as Lund that the ensuing changes and transitions at Riffe Lake will not cause ripples in the local communities. At True Value Hardware in Mossyrock, owner Craig Coppock said that the recreation at Riffe Lake is the driving engine behind the town’s sparse economy. He fears that a drastic change in the dynamic at the lake could send regular visitors searching for a new destination.
“People can’t launch their boats is the problem. Anything bigger than 14 feet and up you can’t get down there,” said Coppock. “Everyone is just waiting for the summer crowds to come in. Our biggest business is actually summer visitors.”
Coppock noted that the Riffe Lake Campground, the only privately owned campground on the dam-made lake, is one of the hardware store’s biggest accounts.
“It will definitely impact us with the campers and also the business to business aspect,” explained Coppock, who said he’s heard of some visitors to Riffe Lake campgrounds that have already been voicing their displeasure with the “new normal” low level lake.
“They’ve got campers coming and complaining because the pictures they are seeing is not what they’re getting,” said Coppock, who pointed out that lots of anglers have already begun shifting their attention to Mayfield Lake in order to find deeper water and better piscatorial prospects.
“That’s what they’re doing with the fishing right now because they can’t get down to the water,” he said.
