Eightmile Lake Dam located in the Alpine Lake Wilderness Area is a high hazard dam in need of rebuild and restoration. Following the 2017 Jack Creek wildfire, a state of emergency was declared at the dam in the Icicle Creek watershed by the Icicle-Peshastin Irrigation Districts (IPID) and Chelan County. Temporary repairs to the dam were completed in 2018 to prevent erosion and flooding, and increase dam safety.
IPID and Ecology's Office of Columbia River (OCR) are working to identify and analyze environmental impacts associated with design alternatives to rebuild the dam and bring it up to current safety requirements. More information regarding this project can be found on the project website at: https://ecology.wa.gov/eightmile.
A final EIS is expected to be completed by the end of 2021.
Agencies, affected tribes, and members of the public are invited to comment on the scope of what to consier in the EIS, including probable significant adverse impacts, mitigation measures, and licenses or other approvals that may be required related to the proposed alternatives.
An expanded scoping comment period is being provided pursuant to the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 197-11-410, and will include two public meetings. Due to COVID-19, these meetings will be held virtually on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 3-6 pm and Thursday, Jan. 21, 5-8 pm.
Comment period
- Friday Dec.18, 2020 to Monday Feb. 1, 2021.
- All comments related to project scoping must be submitted by Monday Feb. 1, 2021.
- Comments may be submitted orally at the virtual scoping meetings or in writing.