I had a nice time speaking at the Lakewood Lions last week on “Water Ways”. They are a friendly group and always seem to be working for a better world, which I appreciate.
As an example of what can be done here in Pierce County, I spoke about the collaboration between Fife, the Port of Tacoma, and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians to revive the nearly 20 acres near Lower Wapato Creek. I also mentioned about the need to be careful about washing cars with the oil and grease often running to water run-offs and the danger of throwing old medical pills into toilets, which can also damage fresh water. In addition I also commented about my instructions as a relief Lakewood paperboy years and years ago. “After delivery ride your bike to Clover Creek and throw the left-over news papers in the stream.” Not great advice currently.
To give the members a larger feeling about water I passed around over a dozen copies of my favorite magazine, Archaeology Magazine, each copy had at least one story about water. I loved the 2023 May/June magazine with a fantastic article about The Moche River Valley in northern Peru. Though barely 1,000 feet from the Pacific Ocean the valley received less than a tenth of an inch of rain per year. In A.D. one thousand the Chimu built their city by hand in the unpopulated coastal desert by creating an extensive network of irrigation canals that channeled snow melt from the Andes Mountains into the Moche River. The Chimu had only about nine thousand people less than Lakewood.
As a special gift I gave a 167 page presentation on local water protection. Knowing I was speaking at Lakewood, I attended a special program from Fircrest, which is almost next door to Lakewood and left with great information about local water protection.
There are many things we can all do to help our communities. On June 4th there will be a “SR 167 Completion Project Open House” from 5 to 7pm at 2111 54th Ave. E. in Fife, 98424, Featured will be local fish habitat information and wetland improvements and the Hylebos Creek Restoration Project.
A timely and relevant issue considering that Pierce County, its incorporated Cities and unincorporated areas now experience a dry Clover Creek bed six months out of the year, 80% of Pierce County lakes experience annual harmful cyanobacteria blooms, Edmond Marsh in DuPont is now drying up, Spanaway Marsh is neglected and now threatened with the placement of an asphalt paved Tacoma Rescue Mission urban Village for the chronically homeless people of Tacoma and surrounds, Carp Lake is now dry in the summer, Waughop Lake is aluminum, sulfate, sulfide and sodium ion polluted courtesy of the City of Lakewood at a cost of $630,000, and our domestic groundwater source is polluted by the forever chemicals PFAS and PFOS.
Our responsible governmental agencies and our elected representative are too busy with facilitating ever more development in our designated critical areas to address our watershed’s increasingly diminishing and polluted surface and ground freshwater resource to actually do what existing Federal, State and City environmental laws require of them in this regard.
Don,
In preparing to talk to the Lakewood Lions Club, I visited a Fircrest city meeting because I understood there was going to be discussions about Fircrest and their water issues. I knew about the water from a comment I saw from the Port of Tacoma. I attended a small meeting, but they didn’t discuss their water problems as I thought they would. When the water expert left the meeting I followed him out. I explained what I was looking for and he gave me a heavy stack of papers (a hundred and 67 pages I believe). One of the most interesting bits was a nice article about protecting their water. I gave the entire stack to the Lakewood Lions. One of the main portions was about storm water run off as well as information about basics: not washing cars/engines, and others chemicals, but going to professional carwash places that traditionally handle the water problems. Also suggestions of rainwater barrel capturing. In addition warning of people simply throwing old pills and household paints into the drains. We all need to clean up our acts to protect and save our water. What the Port of Tacoma is doing for rivers and streams is to clean up trash, keep the waters flowing by adding longer streams and working with the local tribal Indians. They are already seeing improvements. In addition I would recommend talking directly to the one person I know who can work miracles: Marilyn Strickland. Marilyn spoke at the Tacoma Transportation Club of Tacoma. I’ve known her since she was Mayor in Tacoma. She is dedicated about water restoration and housing. She cares about the people especially around Fort Lewis/McChord and Nisqually. Lakewood is damn near close. Don Doman
Thank you for your efforts to preserve our water ways. How were your efforts received here in Lakewood? I’m curious, only because our watershed is primarily rain water dependent. Factoring growth, and the increasing demand for ground water; the supply is simply not meeting the demand. Our lakes, creeks and streams are significantly lower, if not dry much of the year! We are creating a dead zone, void of all wildlife! Yet, there has been little to no effort made by the City of Lakewood to implement a water conservation program.
Poorly
Annie, please, check out my response to Don Russell. I didn’t mention water conservation directly, but there are still things members of Lakewood can do . . . especially if people are willing to work together. Part of my message to the Lakewood Lions was a short story of The Chimu people of Northern Peru. They built their city in the unpopulated coastal desert area by creating an extensive network of irrigation canals that channeled snow melt from the Andes Mountains into the Moche River. There’s always the Cascades waiting for us. . . The Chimu people only had 9,000 fewer people than Lakewood has. I think the people of Lakewood can work their own miracles . . . with a little help. Check out my Don Russell reply. I’m sorry I couldn’t answer earlier. Don