Posted on May 22, 2018
The Department of Enterprise Services is in the process of selecting a consultant to perform an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which is the second phase in long-term planning for the Capitol Lake/Lower Deschutes Watershed. An EIS is a tool used in decision making and is required before:
•Any short-term actions are taken, such as initial dredging.
•A long-term management plan can be selected for implementation.
Once a consultant team is selected and under contract, a schedule of the EIS work will be developed and shared, including opportunities for public and stakeholder input.
Capitol Lake is a 260-acre man-made waterbody located in Olympia and Tumwater, Washington. Capitol Lake is a popular destination in Olympia, but it has environmental problems related to water quality, invasive species and sediment management.
Enterprise Services maintains the Capitol Lake as part of the Capitol Campus under a long-term lease agreement with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). DNR manages state-owned aquatic lands on behalf of the people of the state per RCW 79.105. The current lease agreement expires in 2028.
Representatives from local and tribal governments and coordinating state agencies, and the community, worked throughout 2016 to find a path forward on long-term planning for Capitol Lake, completing the first of three phases in an overall plan to manage the resource.
Funding of $4 million to begin Phase 2 – a project-specific Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) – was approved in 2018.
An EIS is required by the State Environmental Policy Act and provides information on potential project benefits and environmental impacts, and how to avoid, reduce or offset, impacts. The EIS also will help identify a preferred alternative for decision makers to consider.
On April 4, 2018, Enterprise Services released a solicitation for consultant services to conduct the EIS, which marks the beginning of Phase 2 work. Submittals were due on May 2. Interviews to evaluate the qualifications of three firms will be held on May 30, 2018 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Insurance Building on the Capitol Campus in Olympia. The interviews will be open to the public, but on an observation basis only. The scoring and selection will be done by a five-member panel, comprised of staff from Enterprise Services, the Office of Financial Management, the Legislature and a private sector engineer. Public seating is somewhat limited and will be on a first-come, first-served basis. For questions, please contact Debra Delzell, project manager, at debra.delzell@des.wa.gov or Carrie Martin, asset manager, at carrie.martin@des.wa.gov
Scoping is the first step in the EIS process. Through scoping, the lead agency will decide what impacts to analyze in the EIS after considering input from the public, tribal governments, and other local, state, and federal agencies.
Information and outcomes from the EIS will be used to inform permitting, final design and construction, and approaches for long-term maintenance.
Source: DES
