July 6, 2000

Forest service to clean up once-pure lake

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- Surrounded by lush old growth forests and snow-capped peaks, Waldo Lake is one of the crown jewels of the Cascades. But it is in danger of becoming tarnished.

Population growth and the boom in outdoor activities have increased recreation use at the lake by tenfold since the 1970s, dirtying the water and creating conflicts over the use of motorboats, snowmobiles and camping along its shores.

"It's a national gem," says Brian McGinley, a recreation planner for the Willamette National Forest. "It would be a shame to see conditions deteriorate in and around the lake to make it less unique."

The forest is about to take steps to slow or halt the lake's declining health. The agency is considering banning gasoline-powered boats and limiting camping outside designated campgrounds -- and keeping the surrounding forest a more primitive experience for visitors.

A task force meeting for about two years has recommended a number of changes in how the lake and the 31-square-mile Waldo Lake basin are managed. And the Willamette National Forest is holding two public meetings next week in Oakridge and at the University of Oregon to help the U.S. Forest Service find ways to preserve the lake.

Once next week's meetings are over, the Willamette's supervisor, Darrel Kenops, will select a preferred action plan for the lake. The forest also will issue an environmental assessment to accompany the decision.

The national forest launched its effort nearly four years ago, after two independent scientists Doug Larson and John Salinas, documented a decline in the lake's purity. Using research gathered from more than a decade of study at the lake, they said heavy recreational use, fish stocking, a leaky sewage system and other factors had increased the amount of nutrients in the water.

The lake is considered one of the 10 purest in the world and it is one of the few very large lakes with that level of clarity, caused mainly by a lack of nutrients and pollutants.

In 1997, the Forest Service took some steps to reduce human impact on the lake's water, such as a ban on camping on Waldo's north shore and on Rhododendron Island.

Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., also secured $550,000 in Congress to replace the flush and pit toilets, which were blamed for potentially leaking sewage into the lake. Work now is under way to install composting toilets at the lake's campgrounds and boat ramps.

But there remained some long-standing conflicts over several other uses, such as whether motorized boats should be banned. Opponents of motors on the lake say they pollute the water and disrupt the serenity of the lake.

The task force has made a number of recommendations, including to shift the management philosophy of Waldo Lake. The change would limit further development of the lake's shore and maintain the "natural ambience" of the area.