Boat landing issue to be floated at EWEB meeting.

Byline: Jeff Wright The Register-Guard

VIDA - A long-promised boat landing on Leaburg Lake is likely to draw discussion when Eugene Water & Electric Board commissioners meet in Vida today.

The utility last fall petitioned federal officials to abandon the proposed boat landing, which initially was tied to a proposal to raise the level of the lake by 18 inches. EWEB officials now say they want to raise the lake by only 6 inches, beginning in November.

But the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in March told EWEB it should continue to explore funding options for the boat landing, which the utility estimates could cost between $500,000 and $1 million.

McKenzie Valley residents aren't of one mind on where, or whether, to push for the boat landing, EWEB spokesman Lance Robertson said. While some boaters have voiced support for a landing, some lakeshore property owners are opposed, he said.

One potential site is just west of Vida and upstream from Goodpasture Bridge, across from the Riverside Inn. But that site, along a curve of the McKenzie Highway, poses some traffic safety concerns, Robertson said.

The boat landing and higher lake level are tied to a renewed operating license for the Walterville and Leaburg power plants that EWEB won from the federal commission in 2001 after a 12-year process.

EWEB contended it should be allowed to raise the lake's level to make up for the electrical power lost to a salmon-protecting fish screen it was required to build downstream. After removing an old concrete beam that partially blocked water flow, the utility determined in 2005 that it would reach its full water rights if it raised the lake by only 6 inches.

The lake already has been raised by that amount on several occasions for testing purposes. Tests in March, for example, found no adverse impact on fish at the Leaburg fish screen, according to an EWEB report.

The higher lake level has produced greater seepage in the adjoining Leaburg canal, but not at levels that present immediate safety concerns, the report said. More testing on seepage and fish impact will be conducted later this year.

The tests also show that the increased level should have minimal impact on only a few properties, EWEB contends. Studies will continue on what impact the heightened level might have on shoreline trees and on nearby septic systems.

EWEB will hold a public meeting in McKenzie Bridge on May 17 to review its test findings.

In conjunction with its renewed federal license, EWEB has made several improvements to the Lloyd Knox Water Board Park area, and plans to build a visitor's center at the park this year.

Next year, when the lake is stabilized at its new level, the utility proposes to improve an existing boat landing area and build a new boat dock at the park.

EWEB commissioners' review of McKenzie Valley issues is also expected to include updates on the final application for a new operating license for the Carmen-Smith Hydroelectric Project farther upriver, and of the Measure 37 property rights claims made by 18 parties with land near the river.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

EWEB plans sessions with McKenzie Valley residents

Today: Commissioners' meeting, 5:30 p.m., Vida Community Center, 90377 Thomson Lane. Agenda includes review of McKenzie Valley utility projects

May 17: Community meeting on Leaburg Lake testing, 7 p.m., Upper McKenzie Community Center, Rainbow Drive west of McKenzie Bridge