On Monday, the National Academy of Sciences will host its third and final public meeting as part of the process for developing a decision framework for the long-term management of the Spirit Lake and Toutle River system.
The natural outflow of Spirit Lake was dammed by the sediment and debris of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. That earthen dam caused long-term changes to the watershed’s ecology, and in 1985 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a 1.6-mile tunnel to allow for the manual control of water levels in the lake in order to avoid a natural failure of the dam that would result in a huge release of water and sediment into the Toutle River system.
The focus of Monday’s meeting will center on those Spirit Lake outflow operations and the related hydrologic, seismic and volcanic information associated with various outflow methods. Those in attendance will be able to hear discussion between the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Corps of Engineers.
A public comment period will begin at 2:15 p.m. on the day of the meeting.
The study committee will not make recommendations regarding the best engineering solutions but will instead suggest a framework for decision-making for infrastructure owners in the region.
Additonal information on the study and meetings can be found online at http://dels.nas.edu/Study-In-Progress/Long-term-Management-Spirit/DELS-BESR-15-03, and additionional information on the Spirit Lake Tunnel and Outlet system can be found online at www.fs.usda.gov/giffordpinchot.
Anyone wishing to participate in the comment period or to view the meeting remotely should email Nick Rogers at nrogers@nas.edu in advance of the meeting.
The public meeting will be held at the Cowlitz Conference Center, located at 1900 7th Ave. in Longview. The meeting will begin at 10:15 a.m. and end at 2:45 p.m.
