By Don Russell

“Is there a reason the County lowers the [American] lake level?  Do they do this each year?”

The answers to these questions are as follows; There is no rational basis or reason for the County to lower American Lake water level.  Yes, they do this each year.

Let me explain.

In my lifetime I have witnessed American Lake Levels vary from 236 feet above mean sea level in the winter of 1950-1951 to 228 feet above sea level during the summer of 2021 and likely again this year.

In 1955-1956 the Corps of Engineers constructed a surface water flood control drain box with a curb height of 233 feet above sea level that drained any water exceeding this elevation to drain through a 36″ culvert into Sequalitchew Lake.  The responsibility for maintenance of this surface water flood control drainage system was given to Pierce County.

Subsequently the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife constructed an American Lake surface water level control and fish retention weir at the south end of Little American Lake.  The boards in that weir were set at 233 feet above mean sea level.  This was done because it became apparent that the long appendage of Little American Lake was an area of high infiltration that dried during years of low precipitation and groundwater level. That area is shown in the cross hatch in the attached illustration.

Pierce County Surface Water Management has mistakenly assumed that the maintenance of the American Lake surface water level control and fish retention system is their responsibility.  This responsibility was never assigned to them.  Yet every year just prior to the wet season PCSWM lowers the boards in the weir to 231 feet above mean sea level thus allowing up to 2200 hundred acre feet of American Lake’s water to drain off into Sequalitchew Lake and down the diversion canal to Puget Sound.  Then just prior to the summer dry season they raise them back to 233 feet above mean sea level!

The consequence of this practice will result in American Lake’s surface water level to drop to 228 feet above mean sea level this late summer and fall with the following consequences;  

1. Malfunction of boat lifts to the extent that an owner cannot get his boat off the lift come the end of summer.
2. Floats grounding or being damaged as they bounce off the bottom in response to wind or wake boat induced waves.
3. Boat trailer damage as their wheels drop off the end of American Lake’s several boat launch sites. 
4. Props being damaged as unsuspecting boat owners pass over American Lake’s numerous shoal sites.
5. Increase in the area of lake bottom favoring growth of invasive Eurasion water milfoil and Curly leaf pondweed.
6. Exacerbation of American Lake’s winter time recurring harmful cyanobacteria blooms.
7. Water level and water quality adverse impacts on all downgradient groundwater connected/supported lakes and wetlands.

Over the years Al Schmauder and I have attempted to work with Pierce County Planning & Public Works/Surface Water Management personnel to encourage the practice of capturing, storing, treating and dry season infiltrating each wet season’s precipitation to recharge our overharvested and increasingly polluted sole source aquifers.

Think of American Lake as an 1100 acre by 90 foot deep precipitation detention, treatment and infiltration pond and you can appreciate the magnitude of harm that Pierce County Surface Water Management is inflicting on American Lake’s (and all down gradient lakes and wetlands) water quantity and quality.

This is the consequence of Pierce County’s (and the City of Lakewood’s) surface water flooding prevention bias to the exclusion of managing the quantity and quality of Pierce County’s (and the City of Lakewood’s) lakes, wetlands, in steam flow and groundwater.