News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Annual predictions begin for lake levels The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued its January water forecast for the 2019 flood control season that determines what the needed levels will be for Lake Roosevelt in the coming months. “Based on current conditions, the April 20 flood control level … is 1249.9 feet above sea level,” noted Lynne Brougher of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which physically controls the level of the reservoir behind Grand Coulee Dam. The predicted level for the end of April is about 40 feet lower than compl...
Willard Pearson, 79, former resident of Coulee Dam, Washington, and Assistant Project Manager of Grand Coulee Dam for 20 years, passed away on December 23, 2018. Willard retired to his home roots of Scottsville, Kentucky, after 37 years with the Bureau of Reclamation. He is survived by his wife, Faye Pearson, and children: Kelley, Matt, Keith and Josh Pearson.... Full story
Federal and tribal officials said last week that the question of whether fishermen should continue to be able to drive on the sand along Geezer Beach behind the Grand Coulee Dam stemmed from tribal concerns. The Bureau of Reclamation has been collecting comments on the issue as they do an environmental assessment on whether to continue allowing people to drive on the beach. USBR Public Affairs Specialist Lynne Brougher said the idea of banning cars from the beach started when the bureau received a request to address the issue from the Colville...
The Bureau of Reclamation is looking to modernize three more generators in the Third Power Plant of the Grand Coulee Dam in a project that should get underway in about four years. The upgrade of generators G19-G21, if approved, would take about 10 years to complete, beginning in 2023 at the earliest, and would add tens of millions of dollars to the regional economy, a draft environmental assessment states. A similar project, modernizing G22-G24, started in 2010 and still continues. It has cost...
The Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area will remain accessible to the public, but with no visitor services, during the current shutdown of the federal government. That’s according to a statement issued by the National Park Service unit on Saturday, after Congress and the president failed to compromise on a bill to keep the government fully open. “During the shutdown of the federal government due to the lapse of appropriations, national parks will remain as accessible as possible while still following all applicable laws and pro...
The city of Coulee Dam will oppose changes to the operation of a beach upriver from the Third Powerhouse behind Grand Coulee Dam being considered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The city council unanimously voted last week to send a letter to that effect. The bureau is considering restricting people from driving vehicles onto the beach during low drawdowns of Lake Roosevelt, or possibly closing the area to fishing entirely. It is seeking comments to include in its decision-making process. The spot is popular with older anglers, from whom...
Hank Wiebe and his friends are raising hell against the United States Bureau of Reclamation’s recent announcement that they are considering no longer allowing people to drive onto “Geezer Beach” behind the Third Powerhouse at the Grand Coulee Dam, or possibly not allowing fishing there at all. The Grand Coulee man has been placing petitions at local businesses to gather signatures to voice opposition against the idea. “People are fired up, saying, ‘Keep after them,’”Wiebe said. Wiebe said that he and his friends go fishing at the beach regular...
It will take nearly $4.4 million to run the city of Grand Coulee next year, according to a budget prepared for the city council, which took a look at it last week. That’s just about a break-even amount that includes nearly $1 million for fixing streets. The city expects to take in just under $4.5 million, including more than $637,000 in taxes and $955,000 for goods and services, including water and sewer. The Grand Coulee City Council was presented the preliminary budget at their Dec. 4 c...
The Bureau of Reclamation is seeking comments on the draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed modernization project for generating units 19–21 (G19–G21) in the Third Power Plant at Grand Coulee Dam. The proposed modernization project will provide continued, reliable hydropower production for 40 years or more and will ensure that Reclamation meets its contractual obligations for power generation, the bureau said in a press release. In the draft EA, analysis is underway on a proposed action and a no-action alternative for any pot...
The Bureau of Reclamation may change rules related to fishing and recreation on "Geezer Beach," a popular spot along the shore behind the Third Powerhouse of the Grand Coulee Dam. People will often drive their vehicles onto the actual beach to go fishing there during the spring drawdown, something that the bureau may no longer allow, with another alternative being not allowing fishing or recreation there at all. "Driving and parking on the drawdown can present a public safety risk to drivers...
When the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced proposed possible changes to the way it manages a local fishing beach, it used in an official document the popular name given it by the folks who use it, a name first made popular in the writings of a Star columnist. Reg Morgan wrote about all kinds of things in decades of writing Morgan’s Musings, frequently about local hunting and fishing, which he loved. During the course of those writings, Reg applied the moniker “Geezer Beach” to the shoreline on Lake Roosevelt behind the Third Power...
Foundation rumor unfounded A rumor of a crack in the foundation of the new fire station under construction was put to rest by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Tuesday. Lynne Brougher, public affairs officer for the bureau, told The Star in an email on Tuesday that the foundation is just fine. “An inspection of the Fire Station was completed this morning and the only cracking that was observed is within normal parameters for concrete,” Brougher said. “The building has control and expansion joints per engineered designs to control cracking. It al...
Firefighters in Coulee Dam want to clean up areas of the town that could contribute to a much worse fire season than the last one under the wrong circumstances. Judah Pope told the city council Wednesday the Coulee Dam Volunteer Fire Department had its eye on several areas of town that, if ignited, could cause serious problems. Pope listed several areas, including Fiddle Creek on the west side of town, where understory brush is thick and close to homes that could easily catch fire if the area were to ignite. But Fiddle Creek is the only area...
Ambrose Joseph "Joe" Reichlin passed away on Tuesday, November 13, 2018, in Wilbur, Washington. Born in Cottonwood, Idaho on October 6, 1943, to Franz and Agnes Reichlin, Joe spent his childhood on the family farm outside Keuterville, Idaho, the eighth of 10 children. He joined the Marine Corps in 1961 and served in the U.S. and Far East. After his discharge, Joe moved to Colville, Washington, to farm with his uncle. It was there that he married his first wife, and his children were born. Joe... Full story
A welder works on the iron trusses lifted within the week onto the top of the fire station being built for the Bureau of Reclamation off SR-155. If workers are able to get the roof on before snow flies, progress will continue in the winter. - Jacob Wagner photo...
Bill Phillip Niendam, 91, passed away Sunday, October 28, 2018, at Grand Coulee, Washington. Bill was born January 10, 1927, at Paris, Arkansas, to Bill and Edris Niendam. Bill was a Shriner and a 32nd-degree Mason. He was a longtime resident of Elmer City and retired from the Bureau of Reclamation. He is survived by his wife, Agnes “Dusty” Niendam; son, Mark (Marcy) Niendam; stepchildren: Bill (Marcy) Williams Jr., Connie Klimes and Cindy (Chuck) Giese. Bill is also survived by grandchildren Damon (Kim) Broers, Dr. Tara ( Dr. Tyler Lesh) Nie... Full story
Gary L. Pierson passed away Thursday, September 20, 2018, from a heart attack in Ephrata, Washington. He retired from the Bureau of Reclamation at Grand Coulee Dam in 1995. A memorial service will take place Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, at 2 p.m. at the American Legion Hall in Ephrata, Washington.... Full story
Robert Joseph Mueller, age 93, died on October 24, 2018, in Spokane, Washington. Bob was born December 4, 1924, in Aberdeen, SD, to parents Otto Edwin Mueller and Margaret Arntz Mueller. From April 1943 to August 1945, Bob was with the Army's 346th Infantry Division. He received two Bronze Stars and the Purple Heart while seeing action in France and Belgium, including the Battle of the Bulge. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1948 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical... Full story
An independent candidate for the state Legislature visited the Grand Coulee Dam area last Thursday and Friday, knocking on doors and speaking at the chamber of commerce luncheon. Ann Diamond is running to represent the 12th Legislative District, which includes most of the Grand Coulee Dam area. A physician who founded the first family practice clinic in the Methow area, Diamond, said her travels during her campaign have taught her that small towns share in common many issues of concern:...
Sharene (Sherry) Lee Dotson, 75, passed away Tuesday, October 9, 2018, at her home in Electric City, Washington. Sherry was born on July 15, 1943, in Portland, Oregon to James (Marvin) and Edna Marie White. She attended grade school and high school in Winston, Oregon. She married Loren Dotson in Roseburg, Oregon, in November 1960. Loren and Sherry lived in Klamath Falls; Las Vegas; Livermore, California and Eugene, Oregon before arriving in the Grand Coulee Dam Area in the early '70s, where...
As the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District works on a list of projects to help bring North Dam Park into compliance with federal law on providing access for those in wheelchairs, it increases the likelihood of starting other projects, such as a community garden. Still, the list is long. CAPRD manages North Dam Park, which is owned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The USBR has a list of items that need to be done to bring the park up to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, accessibility projects concerning parking, pathway...
CAPRD approves future kiosk at park Kiosks to tout the features along the Coulee Corridor are looking like they will finally get put up after about 10 years of effort, if a paper discussed at the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District is an indication. A local kiosk will detail the history and geology of the area and be placed at North Dam Park in Grand Coulee. It will be one of a total of five along the Coulee Corridor National Scenic Byway, joining others in in Coulee City, Soap Lake, Othello, and Warden. Total cost for the project going...
The Grand Coulee city council voted to extend the closure of B Street through October 2019 while the United States Bureau of Reclamation continues to build their fire station off of Highway 155. "We would like to think that they're going to bring the road to a better condition than it was," said Mayor Paul Townsend. Construction on the building began in April 2017, and the council laughed about the length of time construction seems to be taking. The bureau awarded the $13.6 million construction...
The Bureau of Reclamation was fined $115,500 by the Environmental Protection Agency for hazardous waste handling violations at the Grand Coulee Dam. The EPA said in a press release Tuesday that the action was taken at the request of the state of Washington’s Department of Ecology. “We conducted this inspection at the Dam at the Department of Ecology’s request and found some areas of non-compliance,” said Chris Hladick, EPA Regional Administrator in Seattle. “Proper handling and management of hazardous waste is a serious responsibility that prot...
A study of the Bureau of Reclamation’s problems in attracting qualified employees to the area is leading to broader avenues of local communication and could even result in the privatization of some federal land. “In all the places I’ve worked in the United States, I’ve never seen this situation,” Jeffrey Simons, of Stantec, told the local Rotary club last Wednesday. “Not only do you have four communities, but you have multiple counties and the tribes.” Simons, who also spoke to the chamber of commerce’s Economic Development Committee the n...