Silver Lake advisory chair urges dredging, carp removal and county support as lake quality worsens

Jeff Curry, chair of the Silver Lake Watershed Advisory Council, told the Cowlitz County commissioners that volunteer-collected data show Silver Lakeis deteriorating and urged immediate county involvement and technical guidance.

"If we did nothing, we're basically seeing the lake becoming a swamp," Curry said during an extended public comment. He described boat ramps rendered difficult to use, shorelines choked with muck, and summer algal growths that at times made the lake unsafe for pets and families.

Why it matters: Silver Lake is a recreational asset for local residents and supports tourism and boat-related businesses; long-term degradation can affect public safety, local economies and property values.

Curry proposed several possible actions: contracting an engineering study (estimates he cited ranged from tens of thousands to a six-figure feasibility study), exploring dredging or creating a dredged channel to improve flow, removing common carp to reduce resuspension of phosphorus, testing for springs and hot/cold water inflows, and organizing a nonprofit or third-party lake-management entity to pursue grants and manage operations. He said volunteers have collected years of water-quality data but lack an actionable, funded path forward.

Commissioners acknowledged the lake's value and said they would pass along park-creation contacts and information on county and federal grant sources; staff explained the Silver Lake advisory council's origin and limits, noting that the countyset the group by resolution but that larger watershed collaboration (including Army Corps inputs) now shapes regional work.

What happens next: Commissioners and staff offered to share contacts and explore whether engineering support or grants are available; no formal board vote or new funding was approved at the meeting.