Why is Capitol Lake so low this week? Here's what crews are doing

Capitol Lake in downtown Olympia might look a little different this week, as crews with Deschutes Estuary Restoration project team draw down the water levels to check out the shoreline.

According to a July 14 news release from the Department of Ecology, the water gate on the 5th Avenue Dam was opened on July 19 to allow water to flow from the lake to Budd Inlet. The work is part of efforts to restore the Deschutes Estuary by ultimately removing the dam for good and building a new bridge over the connected waterway.

Construction of that new bridge could begin as soon as next summer, according to the department’s project website. It could take upwards of six years to complete.

“The low water levels will allow the Deschutes Estuary Restoration project team to survey the shoreline and existing structures,” according to the release. “Once the work is complete, the Washington Department of Enterprise Services, which controls the dam, will close the water gate, allowing the Deschutes River to refill Capitol Lake.”

Ecology spokesperson Andrew Wineke told The Olympian on July 20 that crews will survey the shoreline this week, and then the gates will be closed to allow for the lake to refill.

A similar drawdown happened this month two years ago, according to the release. The Olympian reported at the time that the work was being done to see how much sediment had accumulated behind the dam and decreased the lake depth.

DES expects that it could take until July 31 for the lake to fully refill, according to the release.

The pedestrian path around Deschutes Parkway and Capitol Lake will remain open during the work, according to the release. Visitors are being asked not to go out onto the exposed sediment, because the lake remains closed due to contaminants like the New Zealand mudsnail.

According to the Department of Ecology’s website, the Deschutes Estuary restoration project is meant to restore tidal flow to the basin and reconnect the Deschutes River to Budd Inlet after more than 70 years. The project will involve replacing the aging 5th Avenue Bridge and make the area more accessible to all modes of transportation.

“The new 5th Avenue Bridge will be an architecturally unique structure and a notable landmark in the capital city,” according to the department’s website. “The bridge will have some resemblance to the 4th Avenue Bridge, while still having its own signature style that will enhance community connection to the estuary.”

The design includes dedicated pedestrian space on the south side of the bridge that will overlook the future restored estuary and the Capitol Campus, according to the website. There will also be separated bike, pedestrian and vehicle lanes in both directions.

The west side of Olympia will not be completely cut off from downtown and the east side during construction. Instead, the 5th Avenue bridge will stay open and in use while the new bridge is constructed slightly south of the current one, according to the project website. That will involve reconfiguring Deschutes Parkway to connect properly to the new bridge.

“The new bridge and adjoining roundabout speed limits will be set at 25 miles per hour and will provide accessible, low-stress travel opportunities for more people,” according to the project website. “The new bridge and roadway design will accommodate increased usage into the future as the regional population grows.”

According to the project website, the project has been in the design and permitting process since 2023. The Department of Ecology reached its goal of completing 60% design of the restored Deschutes Estuary at the end of 2025, according to previous reporting from The Olympian.

Ecology’s Southwest Region Director Bobbak Talebi previously told The Olympian that Gov. Ferguson’s proposed supplemental budget presented on Dec. 23 included funding to complete the 100% design goal, which has a deadline of June 30, 2027.

That means as long as funding is secured without delay, construction of the new bridge could begin as soon as mid-2027. It’s anticipated that it will take approximately six years to complete, according to the project website.

According to previous reporting, the project is one of the biggest urban restoration projects in the country. By the time construction starts, the cost of restoring the Deschutes Estuary is estimated to be about $416 million. Wineke told The Olympian that the legislature did provide funding to complete the design and permitting work for the Deschutes Estuary restoration in the 2026 legislative session. That work should be complete by June 2027.