By Leslie Moriarty
Herald Writer
SULTAN — Regular users of Spada Lake recreational sites are going to have to maintain their patience.
It may be next year before they can fish there.
Sources at the Snohomish County PUD said the area will remain closed to the public as long as the federal government’s security alert, issued after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, is in place. Used for boating and fishing, the lake is the source of water for two-thirds of Everett’s residents and is used to generate a portion of the utility’s power.
"It’s really in the public’s best interest," said PUD spokeswoman Julee Cunningham. "At times like this, safety has to come first."
Bruce Meaker, PUD senior manager of regulatory affairs, said the FBI’s security notice remains in effect until Oct. 11.
"There’s been no specific threats to our facility," he said. "But in light of the magnitude of what happened, the security is not unwarranted."
He also said he expects the security provisions to be extended. That may mean that the recreational area will remain closed until next season. It normally is closed to the public at the end of October.
The recreational areas, first opened for public use in 1991, have been closed since the attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. The federal government placed tight security restrictions on all hydropower systems in the United States as a method to prevent possible terrorist attacks on the nation’s water supply and dams.
Besides limiting access to Spada Lake itself, the PUD was required to limit access to associated areas including picnic grounds and viewpoints.
Security also was immediately tightened at all Bonneville Power Administration hydro projects, and the Spada Lake dam remains on a high security alert, BPA sources said.
Dave Harris, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers in Seattle, said there have been no confirmed incidents of any security breaches regarding any dams or water sources under the corps’ jurisdiction.
Water from Spada Lake, northeast of the city of Sultan off Sultan Basin Road, flows downstream to the Henry M. Jackson Hydroelectric Project below the lake.
"Jackson is a pretty substantial hydro project," Cunningham said. "It may seem extreme to close the recreational area, but we can’t take any chances."
Meaker said the district has received five or six calls about the closure. "Callers have been supportive," he said. "They understand why it is closed."
Concrete barriers have been placed at the entrances, along with signs, asking drivers to keep out.
"People have been very respectful of that," Cunningham said. "We haven’t had any security incidents."
In addition to closing the recreational areas, Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies are patrolling the Sultan River watershed more frequently.
But news of the closings doesn’t set well with people such as Michael Kash of Gold Bar.
"I am an avid user of the whole area, and have been for many years," he said. "It saddens me that such a large area can be closed to public usage. I personally spend many days throughout the year hiking and off-roading in the area, and feel threatened not knowing what is to come of it."
Water supplies elsewhere also are being checked in light of the terrorist attacks.
Security at the city of Sultan facility has been improved since an event earlier this year where it appeared someone broke throughthe fence surrounding the water tower and climbed on top. No contamination was found.
Sultan police sources said there have been no security breaches since then, and because of the recent terrorism the area is now more heavily patrolled.
Hal Schlomann, executive administrator of the Washington Association of Sewer and Water Districts, said the potential contamination of water sources has been a topic discussed by water purveyors for many years.
"The major urban counties have done a fairly good job of taking a look at that," Schlomann said, adding that storage reservoirs have long been the focus of attention.
"There have always been high schoolers and others, getting up and painting their names, looking inside the tank."
Since the terrorist attacks, some cities, including Arlington, have increased police and fire patrols at city water and sewage treatment plants.
"All of our staff are very observant about who has access and who does not have access," said Kristin Banfield, Arlington city administrator. But a balance also has to be maintained between security and public access.
"It’s a difficult line for us, these are public facilities," she said
The city of Marysville has about six drinking water reservoirs. They are all enclosed and fenced and undergo random inspections. Public works managers say they are working on ways to boost security.
"We will undoubtedly be increasing those inspections and looking for ways to constantly improve," Public works director Ken Winckler said.
In Seattle, city councilwoman Margaret Pageler is urging that the city move quickly to cover its urban reservoirs. Nine are in line to be covered in the next five years at a cost of at least $60 million.
Herald writers Theresa Goffredo and Brian Kelly contributed to this report.
You can call Herald Writer Leslie Moriarty at 425-339-3436
or send e-mail to moriarty@heraldnet.com.
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