Dear Action Line: One of our favorite pastimes, from past times, was to take our small boat to Electra Lake, pay the outrageous entry fees and tour around the lake. We could stop for lunch, swim or even try to catch some trout. Electra has been closed for over two years because of dam problems and flume problems (or damn flume problems). With all the snowpack this year will we see an open Electra Lake? – Noah Water
Dear Noah: No, sorry, Electra will not. Wait. ...
This bulletin just in. ... Yes, because of changes that occurred after Action Line received this question, it will reopen.
It took a while to get an answer to this seemingly simple yes-or-no question because the situation was in flux, but our patience has been rewarded. After last being open in 2019, Electra Lake is set to reopen on June 17, with a few qualifications, which we’ll dive into later.
First, some answers to things you’ve probably wondered about, or should have wondered about, for many years.
One question: Who owns and is in charge of Electra Lake?
The lake in northern La Plata County is sort of public, and its access is controlled by Electra Sporting Club. Action Line’s research showed that the club formed back in 1910 after Western Power Co. built a flume from Cascade Creek to take water to what became Electra Lake. Some Durangoans and Silvertonians decided to form a club, lease land and build cabins around the lake. They also added fish to the water.
Another question: Why is this lake at a private resort that was established 110 years ago even open to the average person at all? Does Electra need the money, or is it just being nice?
The answer is that under an agreement made about 40 years ago, it must. The main supply of water to Electra Lake comes from Cascade Creek in that fancy flume, which is maintained by Xcel Energy. The flume and the lake itself are part of the Tacoma Generating Station project constructed in 1905 and now operated by Xcel Energy (Public Service Co. of Colorado) on the banks of the Animas River. In a deal made in the 1980s, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which regulates Xcel, decided that because Electra Lake is part of a public works project, the lake must be open to the public. It made a deal with Electra Sporting Club to do so.
A final question: What was the holdup on reopening the lake?
In early 2020, Xcel announced plans to reconstruct the Cascade flume pipeline, which was leaking. After that was finished, Xcel realized it needed to reconstruct parts of the flume’s bracing structure. In the interim, not much water was going into Electra Lake, because the Cascade flume was and still is out of use. Thus, the lake level dropped and it was deemed unsafe for boating. Even with the big snow year, it didn’t look good for 2023.
“Earlier this spring we didn’t think we could open,” said Cathy Craig, president of Electra Sporting Club.
Somewhat unexpectedly, the lake level rose dramatically from water in Elbert Creek and other drainages, and there was enough for boating. Fishing is also possible. Here come the qualifications.
Because of the low water level, “The fishing population has really been decimated,” Craig said. “We’re committed to rebuilding the fishery. It’s a huge commitment.”
So, fishing is catch-and-release this summer. Barbed and treble hooks are strongly discouraged.
Also, boats have to stay under 5 mph, which Action Line thinks is going to make water skiing rather difficult. The fish-cleaning station and boathouse will not be open.
To guard against invasive species such as zebra or quagga mussels, which cling to boats like barnacles, anything that enters Electra Lake first must be inspected at the washdown station. Yes, anything – from water craft to paddles to waders.
Electra’s gate will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 17 through Sept. 4 (Labor Day). The washdown station will open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Day use entry fee is $10 for a car and driver, and $5 for additional passengers. A fishing permit, good for one day, is $25. There are also fees for water craft and the washdown station.
For more information, including a rundown of the fees, visit www.electralake.org.
Dear Action Line: So I come home to Durango after being gone for three days only to find my gardens and yard buried in snow. What gives? Wait – that’s not snow, it’s Siberian elm seeds! Though the shade these mature trees offer is invaluable to me, the sheer volume of seeds they produce is ridiculous. What’s the best way to remove them: vacuuming, blowing, raking, napalm? – Seed Sick
Dear Sick: Russian thistle, Russian knapweed, Putin, Siberian elm. Noticing a pattern here?
OK, OK, not everything Russian-related is evil. There are those cute little nesting dolls, for instance. And one could make an argument for the merits of Dostoyevsky, or Tolstoy, or Prokofiev.
Darrin Parmenter, director of and horticulture agent for the La Plata County Extension Office, said he gets a “fair amount” of elm seed, tree and bug questions every year.
“Everything associated with the Siberian elm is essentially deplorable,” he said. “They are: aggressive; weak-wooded (because they grow so quickly); trashy; break under heavy loads of snow or with wind; attract the elm seed bug (which is also nasty and stinky); prolific seeders; and their roots can upheave sidewalks and find their way into any breaks in pipes, etc.”
Parmenter concurred there’s one really good reason for having Siberian elms around: shade.
He pointed out the elm is drought-tolerant, one that thrives in the semi-desert regions of Central Asia, making it adaptable to our semi-desert. It’s fast-growing, and hearty in a variety of soils.
The seeds are contained in flat little pods that sneak onto your deck, into many a crevice and into your house. Inside, suck them up with a vacuum? For outside, Seed Sick revealed he has purchased a hand-held blower. As we know, blowers are essential homeowner items for blowing all sorts of detritus toward the street or toward your neighbor, so it can eventually be blown back at you.
Email questions and suggestions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. If you’re dumping Russia’s Catherine the Great into the evil category for being a bit heartless, just remember she was really German at heart.
