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Residents' concerns over aquatic treatment and shoreline clam die-off raised to planning commission
Summary
Commissioners relayed resident complaints about an aquatic phosphorus treatment and a subsequent clam die-off and asked staff for clarification; staff pointed commissioners to the surface-water department's lake-management website and said the city explained the die-off as likely coincidental and related to high temperatures.
At the Aug. 4 meeting, commissioners raised constituent concerns about an aquatic treatment on Lake Stevens that residents said corresponded with a visible shoreline die-off of clams and an unpleasant odor.
Commissioner Jennifer Davis asked several questions about the treatment timing and resident notification, saying neighbors had been told not to use lake water and that the timing caused frustration because families were recreating at the lake. "What was different in this application that caused so much... devastation is the word that keeps there," she said, recounting what residents told her.
Planning Director Russ Wright and Planning Manager Christy Schmidt responded that the city's surface-water team handled the treatment and had posted educational materials on the city website under lake management. Schmidt pointed commissioners to that online resource as background on why treatments occur and why the timing can be in summer months.
Wright said city staff had described the shoreline clam mortality as an apparent coincidence and that high water temperatures can make clams sensitive. "If the treatment caused that, it was accidental," Wright said. The mayor had also commented publicly, Wright added, to discourage speculation.
Schmidt told commissioners the surface-water team produced outreach explaining lake health, the management plan and the rationale for seasonal treatments; she said the materials address why treatments occur at particular times of year.
Staff did not present technical water-quality data or claim a definitive cause for the clam die-off during the Aug. 4 meeting. Commissioners asked staff to ensure residents know where to find the surface-water department's educational resources and to expect follow-up information from surface-water staff.
Ending: Commissioners said they would follow up with constituents and encouraged staff to continue public outreach and clear notification before future treatments.
