Letters: Water Quality Paramount

I have lived in Canyon Lake for 40 years. I can remember skiing on a lake as clear and clean as the Colorado River in the early seventies. Unfortunately the passage of time, increased population, and climate change has led to pollution and water quality that is well…less than what it used to be, especially when it comes to the East Bay.

Water quality in the East Bay ranges from fair to horrible, depending on weather conditions. The problem is that the bay is essentially “cut off” from the Main Lake with the exception of the causeway boat tunnel. This disallows water flow and movement needed for a healthy body of water.

One way to alleviate the problem is to replace the boat tunnel with a bridge that would allow greater movement of water between the two bodies. That however, would be a costly, disruptive, and time consuming project.

An easier and presumably much cheaper way to provide water flow in the East Bay involves the pumping of water from the deepest portion of the lake adjacent to the dam via an underwater pipeline to the East Port Marina on a 24/7 basis. This would provide a constant, subtle flow through the causeway tunnel, basically “flushing” the bay on a continuous basis.

The electric pump could be moored on a dock behind the dam safety buoys and power provided from the Campground via underwater cable. The operation would be silent and mostely invisible.

I think everyone agrees that water quality is paramount to the Canyon Lake lifestyle and home value. Alum treatments may help, but are only temporary and need to be repeated routinely. We need a real fix to a real problem. I would encourage any experts in hydro-engineering to provide input regarding feasibility, design, mechanics, and cost to the community for consideration.

Dan Bonelli