Deschutes Estuary

River Delta

River delta sites occur at 16 locations where large river floodplains meet the sea

Most Recent Edits

• File:Multi-scale benefits of estuary restoration for PS Chinook salmon ESRP webinar Final.pdf

Salish Sea References

• Watershed Characterization Mapper
• The Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
• PRISM Project Search
• Washington Coastal Atlas
• WDFW's Salmonscape Map

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The Deschutes Estuary is in the cities of Olympia and Tumwater in Thurston County where the mouth of the Deschutes River enters Budd Inlet. The estuary became Capitol Lake with construction of the Fifth Avenue Dam in 1951. Developing a politically acceptable strategy for restoration of the estuary has been a long term effort. Percival Creek Watershed drains to the west side of the estuary. The historical Estuary could be defined to include several small tributaries in south Budd including Indian-Moxlie Creek Watershed, now buried and entering East Bay in a pipe, as well as Schneider Creek Watershed at West Bay. The Estuary is a MTCA cleanup site, part of the Puget Sound Initiative.

Chronology

Most dates from DES 2022.

• 1912 - Olympia Yacht Club established in current location.
• 1922 - Port of Olympia Established.
• 1951 - Capitol Lake constructed by daming the Dechutes River.
• 1954 - Fish ladder constructed on Tumwater Falls.
• 1985 - City of Olympia closes swimming area because of water quality.
• 1997 - Capitol Lake Adaptive Management Plan steering commmitte formed.
• 1998 - Ecology lists Capitol lake in its 303(d) Listing of impared waters.
• 1999 - Capitol Lake Adaptive Management Plan published.
• 2004 - Capitol Lake declared impaired due to Eurasian Watermilfoill
• 2009 - Lake access closed due to New Zealand Mud Snail.
• 2009 - Capital Lake Adaptive Management Project recommends estuary restoration.
• 2015 -
• 2016 - State Legislature authorizes DES to develop long-term management plan.
• 2020 - EPA accepts revised state TMDL s for sediment, bacteria, dissolved oxygen, pH and temperature for the Deschutes River, Percival Creek and Budd Inlet Tributaries.
• 2022 - Publication of the final EIS determining full restoration as the preferred alternative.

Notes

• Washington Department of Enterprise Services manages the estuary as part of the Capitol Campus.
• Deschutes Estuary Restoration Team has supported the Steh'chass Festival
• PWA 2008 provides an analysis of restoration feasibility.
• The lake is currently under public ownership and managed by the General Services Administration.
• CLAMP 2009 describes the final steering committee recommendation to restore the lake to an estuary.
• The Capital Lake Improvement and Protection Association has organized resitance to restoration.
• PSNERP has prepared a preliminary conceptual design for restoration as part of a USACE General Investigation.
• The Deschutes Estuary Restoration Team advocates for restoration of Capitol Lake to an estuary and has assembled historical documents on their website.
• The Squaxin Tribe, also advocating for estuary restoration, provides some information.
• The date of dam functioning is Nov 15, 1951, with the 75th anniversary falling in 2026.

Gallery

particles of clay, silt, sand, gravel, or cobble, transported by water, are called sediment.

the level of oxygen gas present in water, indicating its ability to support aquatic life.