May 14, 2025
The Wenatchee World reports that rebuilding the Eightmile Lake dam could be delayed at least a year.
Here’s the article:
Eightmile Lake Dam rebuild delayed as Ecology waits for final design, permits
By Ed Rieckelman
Wenatchee World May 9, 2025Engineering design work is underway for the rebuilding and restoration of Eightmile Lake Dam in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area, following the release of a final environmental impact statement (EIS) last summer by the Washington State Department of Ecology.
However, construction will not begin this year, according to Levi Jantzer, manager of the Icicle-Peshastin Irrigation District, or IPID, which owns and operates the dam southwest of Leavenworth. Jantzer said there is no completion date in sight for the project, though there is a slight chance construction could begin in 2026.
"At this point we're about 60% through the design phase, so there is zero chance of any construction happening in 2025," he said. "And there is only a very slim chance that we could see things start up in 2026."
Scarlet Tang, Northwest communications manager for the Department of Ecology, agreed that the construction timeline remains unclear.
"Permitting can be somewhat unpredictable in terms of when the permits are issued versus when you apply for them," she said. "So, it's a bit uncertain, but we do know that it's not going to be in time for this (2025) construction season."
Recent changes in staffing within the federal government could also affect the project timeline, according to local officials.
"We are concerned about the idea that federal agencies will be short-handed or not well-funded to handle things like the Army Corps of Engineers permitting or the Forest Service's environmental review," Jantzer said.
Tang said the Department of Ecology remains hopeful the work will proceed despite possible federal workforce reductions.
"Right now, the people that we've been working with at the Forest Service are still there," she said. "Same with the Army Corps of Engineers, we know they're still there to discuss permitting issues and so forth. We're keeping an eye on things of course, and so we'll just work with who we have available and continue as we can."
Eightmile is one of four high-elevation lakes serving as reservoirs for IPID in the Icicle Creek watershed. The others are Colchuck, Square and Klonaqua lakes. All were dammed prior to the creation of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in 1976, and the district holds easements to operate and maintain outflows from the dams, which also benefit instream flows for fish populations.
In 2018, the 90-year-old Eightmile Lake Dam was designated a high-hazard structure due to the number of residents living downstream and the threat to life and property.
"A state of emergency was declared in the watershed, after flood damage and erosion at the dam caused by impacts of the Jack Creek Fire in 2017," according to the Department of Ecology's website. "Emergency repairs made in the summer of 2018 stabilized the dam, but these repairs do not meet current dam safety standards."
Tang said dam conditions will continue to be monitored as planning moves forward.
"We're always keeping an eye on (current) dam conditions of course," she said. "And the reconstructed dam will be designed to very strict safety standards."
The Department of Ecology received more than 17,000 public comments before completing the environmental impact statement in June 2024. The EIS evaluated four proposed alternatives and their potential effects.