CONSERVANCY SEEKS SOAP LAKE MINERAL RESTORATION CONSERVANCY NAMES NEW CHAIR, TWO NEW TRUSTEES
Soap Lake looking south from the east rim of the Grand Coulee in winter
November 17, 2006 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE P.O. Box 65, Soap Lake, WA 98851
CONSERVANCY SEEKS SOAP LAKE MINERAL RESTORATION
SOAP LAKE, Wa.-The Soap Lake Conservancy announced Nov. 17 it will begin discussions soon with the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) to find methods to restore the mineral content of Soap Lake to 1950s levels.
"The mineral content of the upper of two layers of Soap Lake has been declining steadily since the completion of the Columbia River Basin Irrigation Project 50 years ago," said John Glassco, Chair of the conservancy's Board of Trustees.
"Scientists who have studied the lake since 2002 have predicted that the salinity levels of the top layer will disappear at some point if inflow conditions of fresh water entering the lake through the irrigation system are not mitigated in some way," Glassco stated.
"If this cleansing process is allowed to continue, the lower, more heavily mineralized portion of the lake will be robbed of its research value as the lower layer struggles frantically to adjust to the new conditions," Glassco explained. The line separating the two layers is receding at a rate of "several inches per year." The point at which the total freshening of the lake occurs is still being determined.
"Without proper mitigation, future studies of the "extremophiles" -- unique microorganisms that have learned to survive in the severe environmental conditions -and their potential use in industrial or medical products - likely would be jeopardized, the Conservancy leader said. He noted that newly discovered microorganisms can sometime be duplicated in the laboratory and sold for industrial applications, such as the treatment of toxic waste.
"Likewise, the lake's long-standing recreational and therapeutic appeal to those suffering from certain skin diseases could be threatened, to the detriment of the city's future economic growth from tourism," Glassco said.
Glassco said one mitigation method advocated by the Soap Lake Conservancy is a "remineralization plant." Like widely used desalinization plants that extract salt from seawater to make drinking water, the Soap Lake plant would extract minerals from Basin water inflows and deposit them into the lake, diverting fresh water back into the Basic irrigation system. He said initial funding for such a plant will be requested of the USBR in its next budget cycle.
Soap Lake, an estimated l l/2 miles long and 90 feet deep in spots, has lost an estimated six million kilograms of salt per decade over the last five decades, according to Dr. Anthony Gabriel, a limnologist from Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA. This is due to "surface water pumping and groundwater interception wells installed at the north and south ends of the lake in the 1950's to reduce groundwater flow and protect the town from flooding."
Gabriel is part of a team of researchers from Central Washington, Western Washington University, Washington State University, the University of Missouri-Rolla and NASA that have been studying extremophiles, water and mineral samples under an $840,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The team also has reported that mineral content (total dissolved solids) in the lake has fallen to about 46.3 percent of 1949 pre-irrigation system levels.
"If we cannot find the resources to protect this national treasure from these effects, future generations will be unable to enjoy the lake without wondering why its unique qualities were not preserved," Glassco said.
The Soap Lake Conservancy is a non-profit citizens' group founded in 2000 to protect and preserve the lake's scientific and health values.
SLC306
CONSERVANCY NAMES NEW CHAIR, TWO NEW TRUSTEES
The Soap Lake Conservancy has appointed two new trustees and elevated John Glassco from Vice Chair to Chair, the Conservancy announced Oct. 11, 2006.
Glassco succeeds Gerald A. Vice, Chair since 2000, who becomes Vice Chair.
Glassco has been a Soap Lake resident for 26 years and is President of Eco-nomic Inc., a Central Washington environmental cleanup company. Vice, a real estate agent in Sammamish, WA, stepped down for business reasons.
The new trustees are Linda Bryant Hillman, Soap Lake, and Laura Ackerman, Spokane, WA. Hillman, president of the Soap Lake Chamber of Commerce, and Ackerman, an environmental issues consultant, will serve out terms ending in May 2007.
Re-elected to 3-year terms as trustees were Vice and Freida Sebok, Ephrata. Mary Ackerman, Soap Lake, was named Treasurer and Laura Ackerman was elected Secretary for the coming year. Laura is Mary Ackerman’s daughter.
“The Board of Trustees deeply appreciates Jerry Vice’s leadership over the first six years of the Conservancy’s history, and looks forward to his continued contributions,” Glassco said. “We plan to focus on steps to restore the mineral qualities of Soap Lake for both its scientific research value and its health benefits,” he added. “Simply holding the line on the dilution of this national treasure is not enough. We need to begin the long necessary process to restore the lake’s mineral content to pre-1950’s levels.”
SLC06-1
Copyright © 2004-2006 The Soap Lake Conservancy.
All rights reserved. including all text and images unless otherwise referenced