The Devils Lake Water Improvement District (DLWID) Board meeting will be held on Thursday June 12th at 6:00pm. The meeting will be held in the City Hall Council Chambers, which are located on the third floor of City Hall (801 SW Hwy 101, Lincoln City). The Devils Lake Water Improvement District is the governing body which oversees Devils Lake in Lincoln City. The DLWID Board committed in their May meeting to make a precedent setting decision during this meeting that will impact may boaters on Devils Lake for years to come. Your presence does make a difference. Please come and help save Devils Lake!
The Devils Lake Water Improvement District Manager’s current recommendation is to commission a study on the permanent removal of the seasonal dam at the mouth of the D River which was designed to provide safe boating water levels in Devils Lake. If implemented, this plan will result in a summer lake level that will severely impact boating and recreational activities. This proposal is part of an intentional effort by the DLWID Manager to accomplish what he has coined, “natural hydrology”. Two summers ago, he convinced the DLWID board to lower the lake six inches which started a five year clock toward the forfeiture of the Districts right to operate the dam; we have just two and a half years to resolve this issue. In concert with his plan to remove the dam, the DLWID Manager has recently been advocating for his participation in developing restrictions on how you can use property surrounding Devils Lake. Should these plans be implemented the entire shoreline would be put in jeopardy and Devils Lake would be put on course toward becoming a meadow!
The proposed changes should be of concern not only to Devils Lake boaters but to every boater in Oregon, as there will be serious impacts on the accessibility and use of this precious recreational resource. Devils Lake is the only lake which permits motorized boating on the Central Oregon coast. Should the Manager of DLWID prevail and his board votes to proceed with these first steps toward removing the dam, it will certainly make it easier for other like-minded individuals to begin the process on other bodies of water. We need all concerned citizens to attend the meeting to help impress upon the DLWID Board that the only choice is to listen to the public and fully impound Devils Lake this summer.
The residents that live around Devils Lake have created the Devils Lake Neighborhood Association who stands united against this bad idea. Unfortunately, the 150 citizens in attendance at the DLWID Board meeting wasn’t enough to get their attention. We need a much larger crowd to attend and speak on behalf of recreational boaters and homeowners around Devils Lake. I know it’s a Thursday and on the coast but please consider how few places we have left to enjoy our sport. Don’t let our valuable recreational treasures be lost forever.
