Quite A Let-Down

Day 66: If the weather forecast holds, in a few days, I won't be able to get to this location to take a follow-up shot. Water management practices are a complex subject which goes much farther than letting water out of a reservoir such as Alder Lake in order to accommodate snow melt or heavy rains. Tacoma Power is bound by numerous regulations which stipulate that a certain minimum volume must pass through the spillway and that the water must be within a specific temperature range in order to accommodate salmon habitat downstream. This may mean drawing cooler water through the lower gates of the spillway during times of higher surface temperatures. If the power company fails to meet those criteria, they can be fined. To the average observer, though, Alder Lake "dries up" during the early months of winter, revealing sections of the old road and rail line which passed beside the town of Alder's schoolhouse where it sat on a high point of land. Fragments of the foundation still exist on Schoolhouse Island, and visitors to Sunny Beach Point will need to wade to reach it during the high-water summer months, but for now, Schoolhouse Island is high and dry, surrounded by the mud and unattractive stumps which form the bed of Alder Lake.