April 18, 2025
Out of sight is not out of mind.
News about Eightmile Lake has been sparse since last June, when the Washington State Department of Ecology announced its preferred alternative for a replacement dam. Work, however, has been quietly underway.
It is partly engineering news and partly about government relations. The engineering is about design drawings for the new dam, spillway, outlet valve, and mechanisms to operate it remotely. The dam itself will be passive – no moving parts. The valve at the outlet will be adjustable, so that the irrigation district can regulate how much water it withdraws.
If the dam ultimately receives all approvals, construction access will be by helicopter. Because of the large amount of concrete calculated for the new dam, engineers are studying options to substitute some other, lighter materials. Their aim is to reduce the number of helicopter flights.
Design is being coordinated with Ecology's Dam Safety Office, which has standards that must be met. The goal is to have design drawings 60% complete for the Dam Safety Office by June 30.
This merges into the subject of government relations. Eightmile Dam has been on the Dam Safety Office's radar screen since at least 2018, when the Jack Creek fire prompted emergency repairs of the dam. Apparently, the irrigation district already has an application pending with that office to upgrade or replace the dam. It is now in the process of updating that application.
The irrigation district and/or Ecology have also contacted the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) about funding construction of the new dam under FEMA's high hazard dam program. This reflects a change from previous statements that Ecology itself would pay most or all of the construction costs. We do not know if FEMA has already committed funds for this project, and FEMA's own future is uncertain. In March President Trump signed an executive order creating a council to conduct "a full-scale review" of FEMA, and how much its responsibilities could be turned over to the states. This council is due to report back to the President 180 days after its first meeting.
Another critical application will be for a special use permit from the Forest Service. As we discussed last August, the replacement dam, as proposed, raises questions about expansion of an existing private right within a wilderness area in possible violation of the Wilderness Act.
We have heard nothing to suggest that this application has been made and no indication of when it might be. The Forest Service itself is now preoccupied with its own budget and staffing issues following major policy changes by the Trump administration. Even the Icicle Work Group faces some uncertainty over its budget this year due to state cut-backs.
News about Eightmile Lake has been sparse, but the air is full of issues, and no one can be sure how they will be resolved.