Over the past several years Spanaway Lake has been having issues. For us swimming as children, it was the “duck itch” caused by a parasite getting under our skin if we didn’t dry off well with a towel after swimming. Over time, the swimming beaches became less popular, the diving docks were removed, and the park department began charging to visit by car.

Next, as the population of homes increased int he area, the toxic algae blooms made the water dangerous to ingest, especially for pets. That led to some summer lake closures by the health department.

Due to concerns of lake property owners, Friends of Spanaway Lake (FOSL) formed. Many of these caring and ambitious neighbors tried to deal with lake issues from lily pads and toxic algae to overly rambunctious boaters and water quality. Eventually, they began discussing a local taxing district to help pay for the care and treatments the lake needed, and the county was unwilling to fund.

The Spanaway Lake Management District No. 1 was formed in 2021. The lake front owners voted to tax themselves for this purpose. The members meet regularly to discuss the water quality needs, but is not a self directing organization, the County Surface Water Management Department controls the committee. Some believe this is leading to decisions that are not necessarily the best for the lake. Other are still hopeful the hired consultants are helping the committee make the best decisions. An Emergency Algaecide Treatment was applied to the water Aug. 29, 2024.

One longtime local water quality management professional, Don Russell made this comment, “Ten years in the making and at a cost to Pierce County taxpayers of one million dollars, the Pierce County Executive’s gift to Spanaway citizens was a 10 % toxic lanthanum modified bentonite clay treatment of Spanaway Lake that failed to prevent this year’s repeat of the Lake’s annually recurring harmful cyanobacteria blooms.”

Russell is a resident on American Lake, but at 96 years old, he has seen a lot of history of attempts to correct problems that backfired. More recently he harshly criticized the City of Lakewood for their overt algae treatments at Waughop Lake which literally made the population of waterfowl completely abandon the park.

Most recently, beavers have become at problem specifically at Spanaway Park. The beavers in past years were a problem at Tule Lake and some others that were released in the development of the Brookdale Golf Course into a housing development called Trails End, have seven hutches and have stopped up the flow of the South Fork of Clover Creek through Parkland.

Walking the park today, the beavers have been attempting to build a dam across the narrow passage from the main lake to what is called “Little Spanaway,” the smaller pond on the North end of the park. In doing so, they are felling a number of shore area trees.

In addition, the felling of the trees in the Spanaway Marsh area for the “Good Neighbor Village,” the tiny homes enterprise of the Tacoma Rescue Mission is completed and water flow on Spanaway Creek was dredged and culverts altered. It remains to be seen what impacts that will contribute to the lake as well.

In saying that, the lower creek culvert where neighbors videotaped the unpermitted work, the water is no longer backed up and stagnant. It actually looks like it is moving and there are ducks swimming on the South side of the road. Even a heron was spotted there. The heavy Spring rains will tell more.

The disturbances for taking down the trees also released a number of black bears to roams the local area near Spanaway Loop Road. Spanaway neighbors testified to the Hearing Examiner that these issues were coming if all the disturbances of development continued unchecked. The rough ride for the Lake isn’t over. What has ended, is the 8-year term limit of “Damn the neighbors, build it anyway” County Executive Bruce Dammeier. In January, let us hope the new County leadership listens better.