By Alex Craven
On May 31, Chelan County and the State Department of Ecology announced the release of the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (DPEIS) for the Icicle Creek Watershed Water Resources Management Strategy. The release initiates a 60-day public comment period, with a comment deadline of July 30.
The DPEIS being reviewed presents several alternatives, all of which seek to construct dams and related structures on seven lakes within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Sierra Club is concerned because these proposals include impacts to the wilderness area lakes and endangered species.
The lakes in question are located in the Enchantments Basin and the greater Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The Alpine Lakes – particularly the Enchantments Basin, known for its competitive permit lottery - is one of the nation’s more popular wilderness destinations and attracts people from around the world. With 615 miles of trail (including a section of the Pacific Crest Trail), world-class climbing, hiking and backpacking, and 400,000 acres of spectacular mountain scenery and lakes, the area is beloved by recreationists and is an important contributor to the regional recreation economy
The Sierra Club was part of a coalition of groups that worked hard to get the Alpine Lakes Wilderness protected in 1976. The Washington State Chapter of the Sierra Club will be submitting comments to continue to advocate for those protections.
A copy of the DPEIS and information on how to comment is located on the Chelan County web site: www.co.chelan.wa.us/natural-resources/pages/environmental-review
A public hearing and open house is scheduled for Wednesday, June 27, from 4 to 8 pm, at the Leavenworth Festhalle, 1001 Front Street, Leavenworth, WA.
Chelan County will also conduct an informational meeting in the Seattle area on Monday June 25, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Washington Department of Ecology in Bellevue.
To get involved on this issue or for further information, please contact Alex: Alex.Craven@sierraclub.org.
Alex Craven is a Washington State Sierra Club Organizer for Our Wild America Campaign.