Parks & Recreation Advisory Board communication to City Council regarding Thunderbird Lake (DRAFT) DRAFT DRAFT
Parks and Recreation Advisory Board communication to City Council regarding Thunderbird lake
DRAFT fOR D/SCllSSION AT PRAB'S NOVEMBER 24, 2008 MEETING
Synopsis
Great community interest has been generated by the deteriorating condition of Thunderbird lake in
Admiral Arleigh Burke Park. In response, the Parks and Recreation Department has been engaging the
community, performing remedial actions, conducting investigations, and researching management
options. In its September 22, 2008 meeting, PRAB reviewed management options for the lake and voted
5-2 to support the department's recommended option of adaptive management. Options involving
augmentation of the lake level using groundwater or ditch shares are all prohibitively expensive and
protracted. Options involving use of treated water involved aspects more familiar to WRAB and
generated disagreement. Additionally, across-departmental city-lead effort to challenge community
members to find a way to "save the lake" via changes in unspecified behaviors was suggested by one
board member.
Key Factors
Lowering of the lake level and associated changes are likely due to a combination of {and use change
from irrigated farmland to housing developments, the increase of hardscape and pavement, installation
of basements and associated operation of sump pumps, severe drought in 2002, and continuation of
reduced levels of precipitation thereafter.
Areas of Concern
The main issues touched on during discussion regarding options were cost, timeliness, precedent,
sustainability, impact to department work plan and work load, neighborhood involvement, and setting
of expectations. Other issues touched on would be more familiar to WRAB than to PRAB and included
appropriate use of treated water and impact of use of treated water on the reliability of the city's water
system. Some comparison of the use of treated water in irrigating turf in parks to its use as
supplemental water for lakes in parks was made and some comments regarding the values for which
treated water is utilized in the city were made. PRAB did not explicate its sense that use of treated
water to supplement lakes in parks is unsustainable.
Challenge
The community wants the lake restored to its pre-2002 condition. PRAB recognizes the value of
Thunderbird Lake to the community, especially to the senior citizens who utilize Burke Park and its lake
as a primary source of recreation, exercise, and enjoyment. PRAB acknowledges that the adaptive
management option will manage the lake within the changed environment rather than attempt to
restore the lake to any previous condition.
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