What about all the bats? when I was on a batwalk and there were thousands flying all around just above the lake, and the guy said that they can't feed at salt water. they were mothers with babies back at Woodward bay or something.

Mud flats are cool, but why do they call this an estuary? are they going to fix the river too? a biologist watching the bats said that the salmon are new to the Deshutes river since the state wildlife department put them there. how can that be true, aren't the salmon everywhere?
dee ricardo | 02.21.08 - 10:20 pm | #
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The lake is there now and is a fairly good enviornment. It works. With all the things in this state ( this country ) that needs to be fixed, this is way way down the list. $76 million is a lot of money .

Someware close to this story was another story about homeless kids. How can you consider spending anything near that much money doing something that does not realy need to be done when there are people who do not have a roof over thier heads to keep them dry.

I think someones priorities are realy mixed up.

Thank you. Bill Robbins
Bill Robbins | 06.23.07 - 7:22 am | #
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This article makes a signficant error by misquoting Curtis Tanner DFW. I confirmed the misquote with the correct information below.

Estuaries are safe to swim in. Puget Sound is a very large estuary. Sanderson Harbor Pocket estuary is very fun to swim in during the tide change. Kids swim in estuaries.

It is correct and therefore more pertinent to say that Thurston County Public Health & Social Services Department does not recommend swimming in Capitol Lake at this time.

http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/ hea...rk_swimming.pdf

Unless these public health risks can be reduced, Heritage Park
would not be a suitable place for a public swimming beach.


For further information, contact Thurston County
Public Health & Social Services, (360) 754-4111. 11/03
Paul Allen | 06.22.07 - 1:03 pm | #
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Yes the Olympia waterfront used to stink before we had sewage treatment but healthy estuaries don't stink. If you don't like the smell of a healthy estuary you should live inland miles from the sea.
You can swim in a healthy estuary.
You can't swim in Capitol Lake.
Turning the lake into an estuary doesn't mean we can't continue to dredge to a reasonable depth to accommodate the Yacht Club, Percival Landing and a Port that serves reasonably sized vessels. The Olympian claims that either we dredge a half million cubic yards of sediment to accomodate larger ships or give up everything. These are not the only choices we have. The Olympian posted an ugly picture of an estuary at low tide and a pretty picture of the lake. Typically decetive.
My family has lived in the region for four generations. My father caught a 46 pound lingcod off his front porch at Stretch Island 30 years ago. Today there are no lingcod.
The entire Puget Sound ecosystem is in collapse because nearshore and estuarine structures have been modified.
Water quality is shot because of the loss of estuaries.
Oceanography is the study of physical, chemical and biological parameters. In all the discussion of "cleaning up" Puget Sound we rarely discuss the first parameter. This feasibility study is a refreshing departure from the normal nonsense about septic tanks and dog poop. Too bad the decision about the lake will probably come down to a beauty contest based on misinformation.
Harry Branch | 06.21.07 - 8:33 pm | #
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Why are estuaries important?

Estuaries are important for many reasons. Estuaries are among the most biologically productive ecosystems on the planet. More than two thirds of the fish and shellfish we eat spend some part of their lives in estuaries. These ecosystems also provide many other important ecological functions; they act as filters for terrestrial pollutants and provide protection from flooding. Estuaries also have economic importance. These dynamic bodies of water provide us with an important source of food, but are also a popular tourist destination. Millions of people visit the nation's estuaries each year to boat, swim, bird watch and fish.

Why do we need to protect estuaries?

The fragile balance of these productive estuarine environments may be easily destroyed by human activities. Changes in water quality or alterations, by dredging and construction, to the multiple components of estuaries can result in harmful changes in the ecosystem. The purpose of National Estuaries Day is to promote the need to protect these important areas and to learn how we can safeguard these irreplaceable resources.

We can put fake lakes anywhere. Estuaries are a unique gift from God.
RiO | 06.21.07 - 6:15 pm | #
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-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------

""There are hundreds of miles of shoreline in the South Sound area that provide habitat and forage area for all of the aquatic, avian and other animals that live there."

Unfortunately, you are incorrect with this assessment. The vast majority of shorelines are bulkheaded. This process began shortly after the callow act was passed. We are one of the few states that has privatized intertidal zones, and it was this act - in addition to pulp mill discharge - that contributed to the rise and decline of a thriving shellfish industry.

Because the estuary will have an influx of fresh water in addition to salt water, the likelihood of it becoming a barren mudflat is slim.

reestablishing a salinity gradient will actually increase habitat and reduce stress on salmon runs that now must immediately transition from salt water to fresh water.

The descriptions here of estuaries are shocking, but representative of the lack of knowledge the general public possesses. Government and organizations should now have a better idea of the misperceptions, and how to address them. A google image search for "washington estuaries" should reveal some great photos of what the restored area can look like in decades to come as it heals and grows. Because of sedimentation, it will likely no longer be a mudflat. A channel will be cut over time and high points will be colonized by plants suited for that environment. Some of you say we should clean up the lake, but I am not sure you understand that remediation in this case is not possible when maintaining an exclusively fresh water environment.

Others here have stated that dredging the lake is an appropriate form of management or "caring" for the "reflecting pond." Nothing could be more untrue. Dredging will release decades of accumulated toxins, including nasties like DDT and sequestered fertilizer runoff that will contribute to harmful algal blooms. Dredging is probably one of the worst things we can do anywhere in the sound at this point in time. Nature can at least seal off and process some of these pollutants, but it takes time and the right conditions.

Bottom line: we cannot "fix" the lake. Like all things it has run its course and it's time to let the tide and river run theirs.
Charles | 06.21.07 - 2:58 pm | #"

TJ's "robots"?

The only thing "robotic" about preserving God's creation is selflessness for a greater good.

Does anybody who supports the "lake" actually know God's creation well enough to address Charles or is it really all about YOU?
RiO | 06.21.07 - 6:04 pm | #
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"They could add a statue of TJ as a fountain with water coming out of his middle finger as it faces the capitol.
Joolio"


AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That's hilarious but PLEASE don't give his brainwashed robots any ideas! They're liable to protest until they get their way!
Impeach TJ NOW | 06.21.07 - 5:32 pm | #
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Already is a toilet bowl at the end of the Deschutes and they call it "Downtown Olympia"
Smalltown | 06.21.07 - 4:12 pm | #
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Conspicuous by its absence is any discussion of pollutants and run off silt coming down the Deschutes river. If the Deschutes were in pristine condition, the estuary would make sense as a natural system. Unfortunately our little gem of a river is pouring sediment and pollutants from development, logging, sewage and failed septic systems all the way up to Descutes falls. Fix that and you can have either your lake or the estuary. Otherwise whatever is at the end of the river is going to be a toilet bowl regardless.
Gorfalamu | 06.21.07 - 3:53 pm | #
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When architects Walter Wilder and Harry White designed the Capitol Campus, the lake was more than forty years off. Actually, their plan specifically called for a free flowing Deschutes River. Their vision of a reflecting pool would have entailed diking off a portion of what is now the eastern portion of Capitol Lake’s north basin to create a saltwater reflecting pool. Rather than being a shallow and warm freshwater impoundment, that reflecting pool would have been routinely flushed by the tides.

The real reason behind the creation of Capitol Lake wasn’t to complete the original “Wilder and White” vision, but rather to change the image of the nearby neighborhood. Up until the early 1940s, what is now Capitol Lake was home to a shanty town called “Little Hollywood.” In the early 1940s Little Hollywood was dismantled and burned, and ten years later, the state completed the permanent flooding of the site.
Little Hollywood | 06.21.07 - 3:39 pm | #
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I liked yesterdays LTE that suggested letting the high tides "flush" the lake frome time to time. They just converted all that farmland on the Nisqualy to "estuary", isn't that enough? Keep the reflecting lake, shoot the sealions.
Anonymous | 06.21.07 - 3:23 pm | #
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"There are hundreds of miles of shoreline in the South Sound area that provide habitat and forage area for all of the aquatic, avian and other animals that live there."

Unfortunately, you are incorrect with this assessment. The vast majority of shorelines are bulkheaded. This process began shortly after the callow act was passed. We are one of the few states that has privatized intertidal zones, and it was this act - in addition to pulp mill discharge - that contributed to the rise and decline of a thriving shellfish industry.

Because the estuary will have an influx of fresh water in addition to salt water, the likelihood of it becoming a barren mudflat is slim.

reestablishing a salinity gradient will actually increase habitat and reduce stress on salmon runs that now must immediately transition from salt water to fresh water.

The descriptions here of estuaries are shocking, but representative of the lack of knowledge the general public possesses. Government and organizations should now have a better idea of the misperceptions, and how to address them. A google image search for "washington estuaries" should reveal some great photos of what the restored area can look like in decades to come as it heals and grows. Because of sedimentation, it will likely no longer be a mudflat. A channel will be cut over time and high points will be colonized by plants suited for that environment. Some of you say we should clean up the lake, but I am not sure you understand that remediation in this case is not possible when maintaining an exclusively fresh water environment.

Others here have stated that dredging the lake is an appropriate form of management or "caring" for the "reflecting pond." Nothing could be more untrue. Dredging will release decades of accumulated toxins, including nasties like DDT and sequestered fertilizer runoff that will contribute to harmful algal blooms. Dredging is probably one of the worst things we can do anywhere in the sound at this point in time. Nature can at least seal off and process some of these pollutants, but it takes time and the right conditions.

Bottom line: we cannot "fix" the lake. Like all things it has run its course and it's time to let the tide and river run theirs.
Charles | 06.21.07 - 2:58 pm | #
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Keep the lake, clean it up and bring in paddle boats, canoes and rowboats. It's really a beautiful area now that's not accessible, and to make it a muddy swamp again would be a shame.

If you want to make things "natural" again, you're going to have to tear out the whole of the downtown area, take out all that landfill, remove all those rockfilled jetties. Move the capital to Seattle, if you want this area to be "natural." Replant those blackberry bushes and brush and willows and rhodies that covered the area long before the settlers came. That's what would be "natural."
Chastised Retired NCO | 06.21.07 - 2:42 pm | #
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fix the lake and leave it alone.why in the hell did we spend millons of tax dollars to build a retaining wall a park to control flooding,enhance and beautify downtown and now the greeners want to go back to the 19th century. enough is a enough olympia has many more issues to deal with--
have you tried driving through downtown lately--it's depressing!!
dave | 06.21.07 - 2:29 pm | #
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I keep hearing that mud flats smell bad. At low tide there are large mud flats in both East Bay and West Bay of Budd Inlet. As far as I can tell no one notices a smell. If they notice anything, they notice that the tide is out. Using the "bad smell" assertion to argue against the estuary doesn't make any sense to me.

On the other hand using the "bad smell" argument against the Lake makes some sense to anyone who has walked around the lake on a hot summer day...
observer | 06.21.07 - 2:21 pm | #
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Is there anyone following this issue that favors the look of the lake, but is willing to convert it back to an estuary if they knew the estuary will do more to help water quality and health of Budd Inlet than keeping the lake?
Paul J Allen | 06.21.07 - 2:06 pm | #
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Go back to the estuary, like the way it was.
Me | 06.21.07 - 1:21 pm | #
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There is nothing natural about returning Capitol Lake to an Estuary. Fix what you have to work with, and maintain it. Quit trying to come up with another way to spend spend spend. Look how long the Capitol Building was a mess before they cleaned it up and washed it. Look at the grafitti and trash that lines the streets of downtown.
Now lets observe other cities that have clean towns with beautiful historic buildings like Snohomish. You can bet they don't waste funds like we do.

Either way, again the city will spend too much money on planning, deciding, and implementing their plan. It will take too long, probably years before something ever comes of it. They will in turn, hurt small businesses in the area from their construction or deconstruction which is of little concern to them.

Why does Olympia, the State Capitol, have to look like it's a has been? Capitol Lake was put there for a reason, to beautify. Quit trying to change and start maintaining!
Tired of filth | 06.21.07 - 12:43 pm | #
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The Puget Sound has lost 75% of it's estuaries to development. It only makes sense to return this polluted lake to it's natural state providing sheltering habitat for juvenile and spawning areas for adult endangered salmonids. Shorebird numbers have also been decreasing and they would be given more habitat to return as well.
We should be a leader in restoration and environmental responsibility, especially in a time when global warming is no longer be ignored. Let us do the responsible thing and make a demonstration of how beautiful and vibrantly alive a functioning estuary can be and bring in tourist dollars at the same rime with interpretive boardwalks and demonstrations.
There is no beauty in a lake that is full of invasive plants, and shows only superficial decadence.
Lee Brooks | 06.21.07 - 12:39 pm | #
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2008 Estuary Fair?! Gotta vote for the lake based on that alone.
ap | 06.21.07 - 12:24 pm | #
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In the interests of supporting the Olympia area’s devotion to diversity, one would expect support of the current use of Capitol Lake.

There are numerous places within our area where one can go to appreciate the natural look, feel, and smell of an estuary. There is only one place one can go to appreciate a beautiful reflecting pool and view of the Capitol.

Unless the Port of Olympia and marinas are to be eliminated, dredging will be required no matter which alternative is chosen. Let’s go with a decision that provides all segments of the population an opportunity to enjoy the kind of environment they prefer, rather than just satisfying those who prefer estuaries.
Dale Putnam | 06.21.07 - 11:37 am | #
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While I don't live in Olympia any more, I did live there from the time I was born (1946) until around 1970. I still have family in the area and visit there quite often.

I support the restoration of the lake, rather than allowing the lake to become what it used to be ... a giant mudflat that might have been environmentally correct, but other than that was ugly, foul smelling and unusable by the public.

I grew up at Mud Bay, so I'm very familiar with what a mudflat looks like when the tide is out.

I remember what the Capital Lake area looked like before and after the lake was created. It provided many years of wonderful recreation -- swimming, boating, racing -- to area residents and visitors. It was the center of Lakefair. Large crowds filled the swimming areas. People enjoyed the new drive and walking paths that provided different perspectives of the capital.

It's too bad that the condition of the lake has been allowed to deteriorate. But if anyone wants to visualize what the lake will look like if it is allowed to return to being an estuary, they only have to look on the bayside of the dam at low tide and imagine looking at the reflection of the capital building on acres of black mud instead of blue water.

There are hundreds of miles of shoreline in the South Sound area that provide habitat and forage area for all of the aquatic, avian and other animals that live there.

The loss of Capital Lake and creation of a huge mudflat would have a negative effect on downtown Olympia. Don't let that happen. Restoring the lake will have a positive effect on downtown and the quality of life in Olympia.


Bobby Summers
Beaumont, Texas
Bobby Summers | 06.21.07 - 11:22 am | #
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They could add a statue of TJ as a fountain with water coming out of his middle finger as it faces the capitol.
Joolio | 06.21.07 - 10:56 am | #
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At what cost? I see billions in my crystal ball. And when the job is all done and everything looks so beautiful, the geese and duck take over and FOWL things up. I vote no.
Todd | 06.21.07 - 10:22 am | #
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The lake needs to stay!!! You say you have to dredge the lower Budd Bay yearly anyway with the estuary...dredge the lake instead. It's much better than the stinky tide flats. I remember what it was like before the lake --- much better with the lake. There is plenty of fish and wildlife in and around the lake...dredging every year or every other year will keep it clear. PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE TO AN ESTUARY! You've spent enough on the studies when you could have just asked older residents who remember it back when...That money could have been spent toward the long needed dredging of the lake. Thank you.
Nancy Abbott | 06.21.07 - 10:03 am | #
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The "reflecting pond" that we call Capital Lake should remain. We need to take care of it (i.e. dredge it periodically). If all the dollars spent on "studies" had been spent taking care of the lake, there probably wouldn't be such an issue now.

It is part of the state capitol campus nd needs to be maintained - by the state.

No mud flats, please.
Jan Britt | 06.21.07 - 10:00 am | #
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To do a complete job of restoring the estuary the 4th Ave Bridge, The Yacht Club, Percival Landing, and the Port will need to be removed also. Tear up the whole downtown and plant tall cedars. Release deer and elk. Declare the whole area a wildlife sanctuary and ban humans. Don't see a downside here.
smalltown | 06.21.07 - 9:44 am | #
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Isn't there anyone who is actually from Olympia who remembers the mud flats? The dam was supposedly put in to assist with flood control. Water street would flood with high tide, heavy rain and run-off. Sandbagging was normal in the winter.

The mud flats were there when the tide was out and they smell really bad especially in the summer with low tides. That was before the years of the lake (can be called a large pond or retaining pool) covered the mud flats and the water became contaminated.

Just think what the contamination of the mud flats is now.

Maintain the lake, clean it and the water that runs into it.

If you truly want to see what the mud flats look and smell like, open the dam for a few weeks. That should give you an idea.
Sandie Maki | 06.21.07 - 9:26 am | #
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The poll feature is relatively new for us, and all the kinks have obviously not been worked out, which is why you are not able to view the poll results from the front page.

However, if you click into the story page, the poll results are clickable in the lower right hand corner -- below the photos and other extra links.

Sorry for the inconvenience, everyone! We are working on this problem.

Update: The problem is fixed.
April Chan | 06.21.07 - 9:09 am | #
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While I would like to see the lake returned to its natural state, that time has long passed. To do so now would defeat the whole tidal basin design. It is difficult enough to keep the lake clean so imagine it as a smelly bog islands of trash. The whole idea is a waste of $ brought to you by the same naive folks who thought returning Kieko (i.e. Free Willy) to the wild was a good thing which was a disaster.
Unbiased Observer | 06.21.07 - 8:49 am | #
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I have family visiting from the midwest, gotta love graduations huh?!, and was appalled at how horribly filthy the water is around the wharf. It's got an oil slick floating on the top, smells atrocious, and trash is floating all around in it. (And some of the boats are so run down it's amazing they're still floating!)

It was quite embarassing! I was expecting to take them on a walk down the wharf and let them experience the beauty of the area and instead found myself constantly apologizing for how disgusting it was.

Make it an estuary!

I tried to vote on the poll but for some odd reason, can't view the results... Go figure!

BTW... If you're looking for a GREAT place on the wharf to go enjoy a delicious, elegant, decadent, high class meal and a fabulous glass/bottle of wine, PLEASE visit DOCKSIDE BISTRO & WINE BAR (http://docksidebistro.com/ which is where the old Whale's Tail ice cream parlor was! Make sure you read the reviews in the PRESS section!) WOW! WOW!! WOW!!! PHENOMENAL!

It's a dining experience right out of a movie! The ambiance is warm and extrememly inviting and the food beyond any perfect description word(s) I can think of! They have live small jazz groups some evenings too! Whether you go for lunch or dinner (both menus are high class!), you'll be mourning the end of your meal! I'm sure if any celebrity ate there, they'd be offering the kitchen staff high dollar to be their personal chef!!!

OK, I know this isn't a forum for restaurant reviews but it does sit on the same nasty water we're talking about! LOL!
ROFLMAO! | 06.21.07 - 8:35 am | #
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The resource of the lake reflecting the Capitol Dome with the Heritage Park and walking trail, is one of the most important spots of beauty in this area. The locals should take advantage of this asset and use the park regularly. It should be preserved for the future and those who argue for more natural use of our area ought go to those everpresent locations nearby. Leave "wonderful" alone. Preserve undeveloped areas, not wasting time to retrofit thightful and meaningful progress of our past heritage. Spend money for the needs of the majority, not the whims of a vocal minority.
Will Again | 06.21.07 - 8:34 am | #
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This is Olympian reporting at its typical worst for many reasons.

The Thuston County Dept. of Health recommends NOT swimming in Capitol Lake because several reasons.

It is safe to swim in estuaries, although the water is cold.

I was at the meeting last night and belong to the citizen advisory panel that is addressing this question of lake v. estuary.

The participants are mixed regarding lake v estuary.
80 percent of the people I spoke with at the meeting last night favor restoring the Deschutes River estuary to a state of natural beauty.

We need to do what is best for the long term health of Budd Inlet and Puget Sound. Capitol Lake reservoir harms water quality and removes much needed wetland habitat from Budd Inlet/South Puget Sound.

Studies show the Deschutes Estuary will improve water quality, sportfishing and wetland habitat in Budd Inlet/South Puget Sound.

Dredging is needed regardless of lake or estuary.
The marinas and the port will remain functional with proper pre-dredging and maintenance dredging.

We cannot solve the multiple problems Budd Inlet is faced with today, by using the strategies and "vision" that led it to the state of polluted, poor water quality that we have today.

Educate yourself by reading the studies.
This Olympian article is not accurate.
Paul Allen | 06.21.07 - 8:20 am | #
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Hundreds of thousands of acres of land along the Columbia River and Washington coastal rivers and streams are being returned to natural conditions by Groups such as Nature Conservancy Ducks unlimited and Columbia River conservation groups and they are not unsighlty mud flats.
If one looks at old pics of area one sees Spruce, Cedar and other fauna, deer, ducks, many different bird species, shellfish right up to old highwater mark.
What do we have today a visually pretty picture postcard that if you fall into its waters you have to run not walk to the nearest shower. It is a lake you dare not swim in, a chemical dump with pollutants that can kill or at the least make ill anyone who was to eat fish or fowl from its waters.
Cosmetics to hide the real crud.
Hide Behind | 06.21.07 - 8:03 am | #
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I love the lake and believe that downtown Olympia would be diminished if it were converted into an estuary.

No doubt the decision will be made on economic grounds rather than esthetic ones. An alternative would be to channel the river as they do in Southern Calif. and build a huge parking lot with a WalMart and/or Home Depot on the site.

It also occurred to me that spending vast amounts of time, effort, and money designing and re-creating Heritage and Marathon Parks by the lake...then removing the lake, makes as much sense as the current practice in this city of spending thousands of dollars to resurface and smooth neighborhood streets...before spending thousands of dollars to install bumps.
Ken | 06.21.07 - 7:57 am | #
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"Steve Lake"

Your concepts of beauty and functionality are products of a time long gone. Capitol Lake is artificial, unsustainable, costly and toxic. The estuary returns value to the land and water that has been poorly managed for far too long.

Many of you fear the estuary's return will somehow reduce the aesthetic appeal of the downtown area. I don't think anything could be more untrue. Native plants and wildlife are the natural gems that have graced this area. What we have now is a toxic mess, mosquitoes, limited wildlife populations, and invasives like milfoil. Improving water quality "treatment" is what returning it to an estuary is all about. If you don't understand the function of the estuary that once existed there, maybe you can read up on the matter before commenting? The solution is not to engineer some elaborate filtration system when mother nature already had that covered.

Anyone commenting on the smell of "mud flats" obviously doesn't spend much time around the sound or even downtown for that matter. Never mind the fact that much of that smell is the result of decades of industrial and pulp mill waste. I'm far more concerned with the odor originating from our wastewater treatment plant.
Charles | 06.21.07 - 7:55 am | #
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Let it go and use the estuary funds, wether they be grants or loans, go towards complelty cleaning all water that finds its way into it.
No more highway, housing or corporate storm runoff,no septic tank leaching on the waterways, no building paved foot paths and human or domestic animal foot traffic within its confines.
Only entrance is to be by human powered watercraft limited to 12 foot in length with a limit of two persons, no pets, per craft; and no more than 50 individuals by permit per day with launching facilitys located downsteam in port area.
The port area must be environmentally scrubbed for all pollutants and each new entity that is built must conform to standard of zero pollutants including storm water runoff and excessive effulents of logging interest, reduced turbid producing agents.
Being as how Olumpia is not going to modernize or be allowed to grow at least we can have a natural pristine piece of land for wildlife , fowl, fiah and birds.
Why piecemeal this thing. do a regional plan including ports, all lands up to 1 mile belwo lakes exit into bay waters along river and removal of any contributing features such as boat basin downstream to clean and improve whole area. Modernization of port with bigger farmers and craft buildings, marna facilitys civic and convention centers, the whole gambit.
Here is Olympias chance to become the Jewel of Puget Sound inland Waterways.
Of course they will have to pick and choose who will get to be part of the jewel and as usuaual think small and accomplish little that later will find them asking for more money to think small once again.
For just once maybe they can think that this is federal funds, the money is there and if we don't use it will go to build a lake in Bhagdad within the green zone.
Must Olympia always act like a failure just wanting more welfare funds?
This is supposed to be capital of state, noted for its pristine areas, noted but are a lie, and they let it decay while citys like Seattle waste billions on a defunct rail line to, viaducts bridges to the tune of tnes of billions , and still no trains and congestion. Time to look after Capital or else move it to Seattle.
Hide Behind | 06.21.07 - 7:47 am | #
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The unsightly mudd flats that would be created from turning the lake into a estuary and the loss of the beauty and functionality of the lake are just two reasons why I believe it should remain a lake. Having said that I also believe the quality of the lake should be improved with better maintenance and improved water quality treatment.
Steve Lake | 06.21.07 - 7:32 am | #
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The creation of the lake was nothing more than an attempt to mess with Mother nature.

That project was about as worthwile as routing I5 through Olympia with the horrendous curve at the lake so "everybody can see the capitol".
Wandering | 06.21.07 - 7:04 am | #
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Capitol Lake is Olympia's crown jewel. It is a thing of beauty. Beauty should not be destroyed. One would not scrape the oil from the Mona Lisa in order to restore the canvas to it's original state. The beauty of Capitol Lake should be preserved.
Dale Vincent | 06.21.07 - 6:18 am | #
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I don't agree. I believe it should an estuary. Anyone who spends any time down there knows it is hardly a "lake"; more like a water sewage dump.
frecklesan | 06.21.07 - 6:03 am | #
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