Pierce County, Washington is home to a reservoir known as the Lake Tapps park. Established in 1911 by Puget Sound Power & Light, it generated hydroelectric power until 2004.
In order to meet the water needs of its 350,000 population and 20,000 businesses, King County sold the reservoir to the Cascade Water Alliance.
The lake usually doesn’t fill up until late May at the earliest. From the middle to the end of September, the lake level will gradually drop below the recreational water level height, with each passing day.
Do you want to find out more about the Lake Tapps Park? keep reading then!
What is the Lake Tapps Park About?
Cascade and Lake Tapps residents came to an arrangement that would allow the lake to be used for recreation during the summer.
Cascade has signed treaties with the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and the Puyallup Indian Tribe to maintain fish populations in instream habitats.
In order to perform necessary repairs and maintenance, as well as the odd large capital project, the reservoir level is dropped from around October to April.
The safety of dikes from wind, waves, and storms is ensured by lowering reservoir levels in the winter.
Lake Tapps has a surface area of around 4.5 square miles (12 km2) and a shoreline length of roughly 45 miles (72 km).
Because of the topography, the coastline is irregular in shape, with several inlets, peninsulas, and islands.
There were a number of smaller lakes in the area before the reservoir was built, one of which was Lake Tapps. A network of dikes keeps the reservoir in place.
A wide variety of fish, such as carp, smallmouth bass, perch, and tiger musky, have been spotted in the reservoir. Water from the White River is diverted at a dam near Buckley and then flows through a flume into Lake Tapps.
The water was diverted from the White River roughly 20 miles (32 km) downstream from the diversion dam on the reservoir’s western bank to power the Dieringer Powerhouse with hydroelectricity.
Although the former hydropower infrastructure is no longer used to generate electricity, the water is still diverted and recycled back into the river.
The United States Army Corps of Engineers has started work on a new barrier and fish trap at the White River diversion complex. The construction began in the second half of 2018 and will be finished in 2023.
Read also:Â What You Did Not Know About the Algonquin Provincial Park
What are the Amazing Facilities that Can Be Found at the Lake Tapps Park?
- Improved bulkhead and extended boat ramp
- Restrooms
- Trails
- Peninsula walking path which ends at a Mt. Rainier viewpoint
- Picnic tables, BBQ grills, and coal dumps
- Life jacket self-serve kiosk during the summer months
- Beach access and new pocket beach water access
Read also:Â What Happens At Lake McConaughy?
What are the Parking Hours at the Lake Tapps Park?
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Conclusion
The park operates on a first-come, first-served basis for its visitors. Parks employees, or occasionally Pierce County Sheriff’s Office deputies, will keep an eye on things to determine when parking lots are full.
Cascade and Lake Tapps residents came to an arrangement that would allow the lake to be used for recreation during the summer.
North Lake Tapps County Park is a beautiful swimming spot with stunning views of Mount Rainier to the south.
You have got to pay a visit one day to this amazing park.
FAQs About the Lake Tapps Park?
Is the Lake Tapps Park Accessible to the Public?
Since the coastline is almost entirely developed and only accessible to members of community associations, public access is prohibited.
North Lake Tapps Park is located at the northernmost point and is open to the public. Pierce County maintains the park and charges visitors a small fee to use it each day.
Bonney Lake’s Allan Yorke Park in the south provides the other public access point.
Thank you for reading!
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