Reservoir Tour leaves questions; committee announced

There was a flurry of reactions after Rocky Mountain Power initially announced new boating restrictions on Alexander Reservoir several weeks ago.  The initial announcement was received by many as indicating that motorboats would be restricted on the reservoir entirely.  Members of Rocky Mountain Power met with the public at the second bridge launch site to take questions and address some of the concerns that had been raised, as well as attempt to provide some clarity.  Despite the efforts, there was a certain amount of resistance to the idea of watercraft restrictions on the part of many members of the public, and some of the public officials on hand.  

There were a number of points of discussion during the meeting, which saw the participation of dozens of locals with interest in water recreation and the management of resources in the county.  Among those present at the tour were State Senator Mark Harris, Representative Josh Wheeler, Sheriff Adam Mabey, County Commissioners Mark Mathews and Marty McCullough, representatives of County EMS, Planning and Zoning, and others, as well as many concerned members of the public.

At heart was the issue of bank erosion throughout the reservoir, and the “wake enhanced craft” that RMP believes to be a major contributor to that erosion.  

There is erosion on the banks—that much seemed to have been a point of universal agreement.  However, the cause and extent of the erosion, as well as the best methods for remediating it, became a back and forth discussion that revolved around questions of how data about the erosion had been gathered and how it should be interpreted.

The erosion had been tracked by the position of posts that had once been embedded in the bank, but were now located in the water, as well as pictures of the area and anecdotal accounts of the shoreline makeup.  The narrow part of the western reservoir, just down from the dam, was said by RMP officials to be too narrow to safely avoid wake damage from enhanced craft.  The specifics of what is meant by “enhanced” will presumably be one of the components of a formal policy when it is adopted.

The competing erosion vector of high wind, which is obviously a constant issue in the area, was noted by many community members.  Since erosion has been occurring throughout the life of the reservoir, and boat wakes became part of the equation later, the question of how significant the effect of restrictions would be was raised.  Skepticism on the part of many in the crowd who used the water for recreation rested in part on the clarity of this data, as well as the fear that any restrictions might lead to further curtailing of recreation on the reservoir in the future. 

For Rocky Mountain Power’s part, the issue was about the longterm sustainability of the reservoir for all of its needs, and the potential to prevent the problem from getting worse as much as possible while a solution could be arrived at.  

Between those two positions is a summer, and a lot of people wondering how they will be able to spend it.   

During the course of the meeting, spokesperson Mark Stenburg noted that the initial announcement had been revised, and that the nature and scope of restrictions was still to be fully determined.  He also noted that until signs were posted the policy was not officially set.  The final form of the restrictions will be arrived at in part as a result of a committee that RMP plans to assemble to gather input and information on the reservoir’s usage, the needs and interests of the community, and protection of the natural resources involved.  According to officials on site for the tour, the committee will be composed of community members, policymakers, company officials, and other stakeholders.  A timeline for the formation of the committee was not available during the meeting last week.