Over the past decade, a 10-mile stretch of lakes,
creeks and a waterfall in southwestern Washington’s Lincoln County
disappeared. This spring, they came back.
Pacific
Lake, Tule Lake and Delzer Falls, all part of the Lake Creek water
system, are among the watering holes that dried up, much to the
dismay of local residents. A 10-year drought was to blame, says
Linda Gustafson of nearby Odessa. She says heavy snows this winter
and an especially wet spring have brought the water
back.
Drought was only part of the picture, says
Gary Yeager of the Spokane Bureau of Land Management. He says farm
irrigation compounded the drought by tapping springs that
traditionally filled the lakes. The lakes have dried up before, but
Yeager says the region’s present wet cycle should keep the lakes
full for the next several years.
To celebrate the
water’s return, the Bureau of Land Management is building
recreation facilities at Pacific Lake and Twin Lakes. The $60,000
in improvements include new picnic and camping areas, boat launches
and improved road access, and the state Department of Wildlife has
stocked the lakes with some 50,000 trout.
“These
lakes really bring back lots of memories,” says Don Walter, editor
of the Odessa Record and longtime Lincoln County resident. He
recalls excellent fishing in the years before the drought, and is
thrilled that dry days are over for the moment. “Right now the
lakes are full to the brim,” says Walter. “They’re looking better
than ever.”
*Emily Miller
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Lakes vanish – and then return.
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