I am dismayed that the Herald has neglected to cover a serious issue affecting snowmaking at Durango Mountain Resort, fishing in Electra Lake and power generation at Tacoma. The pipeline that carries water diverted from Cascade Creek, ultimately to Electra Lake, was damaged in winter 2013 when the U.S. Forest Service forced Xcel Energy to reduce the flow through the pipe, causing water in the pipe to freeze, holing it in numerous places. Xcel unsuccessfully attempted to repair the pipe in summers 2013 and 2014 and now proposes to replace the pipe. That work will probably not occur until summer 2016. The water diverted through this pipe is the source of snow-making water for DMR, so DMR is likely to have no water for snowmaking in the next three ski seasons.

Electra Lake has been closed to the public since 2013 and is likely to remain closed through 2016. The annual spawn of trout from Electra into Little Cascade Creek has been prevented. All fish in Little Cascade Creek have been killed. The Tacoma power plant is shut down. All of this is due to the ill-conceived policy of the Forest Service in restricting the diversion.

Joseph D. Cheavens

Durango