Pierce County Council approves Spanaway Lake Management District 2026 work plan amid debate over oxygenation project funding

The Pierce County Council on Sept. 10 adopted Resolution R2025-185 approving the Spanaway Lake Management Districts 2026 annual work plan, authorizing continued implementation of lake-management activities and directing staff to pursue the district reauthorization process for 2026.

The approved plan, presented by policy analyst Tom Swanson of Pierce County, continues the districts existing programs including noxious vegetation management, phosphorus and cyanobacteria management, completion of Citizens Advisory Board-recommended projects, and staffing support from Planning and Public Works. "The proposed work plan before you, for next year, covers really six main areas," Swanson briefed the council, and noted the plan does not change the $4-per-foot-of-frontage assessment or the $1,500 annual cap established when the district was formed.

Why it matters: the Spanaway Lake Management District (LMD) funds lake-treatment and water-quality activities that affect residential parcels on and near Spanaway Lake. The district was formed following county action and is funded by a frontage-based assessment; 2026 is the final year of the five-year authorization that created the district, meaning the county and council will need to repeat the public process to continue the district beyond 2026.

Public comment at the council meeting highlighted a dispute over one line in the work plan: a proposal to dedicate LMD funds as matching support for an experimental oxygen saturation system sited just south of Enchanted Island. Melvin Oleson, a member of the Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) and leader of the districts volunteer Toxic Algae Watch Committee, urged the council to limit any county LMD contributions to no more than what Parks has already pledged and to redirect remaining funds to projects serving parcels in the south end of the lake. "If they're going to go ahead and try it, limit how much of the money they waste that could be used to actually do good in the lake," Oleson said during public comment.

Penny Cooper Howard, chair of the CAB, told the council the advisory board voted 6-1 to endorse the plan and to prioritize measures identified by scientific advisers and limnologists. "We have been told by many different people that are the experts ... that it is going to affect a majority of the lake," Cooper Howard said, adding the CAB views the proposed pilot as part of a phased approach.

Council member discussion acknowledged the years-long volunteer and county involvement in Spanaway Lake work. Council member Kuver (district not stated in transcript) said the districts formation and citizen engagement represent a lengthy and continuing process and supported forwarding the plan. The council voted 7-0 to adopt the resolution.

What the council authorized and next steps: the resolution approves the annual work plan for 2026 and allows staff to pursue the statutory and public steps needed to consider reauthorizing the LMD beyond 2026. Swanson told the council that the work plan itself does not initiate reauthorization but authorizes staff to begin work on a renewal process that will return to the council as separate legislation.

Outstanding points from the meeting: public commenters pressed the council for more geographically balanced spending within the lake and asked for limits on how much LMD funding would be used on the oxygenation pilot if Parks or other agencies ask the district to match experimental technology costs. County staff said public comments submitted by email were included in the administrative record and packet materials.

The council approved the resolution by roll call, 7 ayes, 0 nays. The council and staff indicated future legislation will address district reauthorization.