Urbanization and Development on Fairview Lake
When I first came I remember looking out across the lake. . . directly south of our home. . . was all a natural meadow. . . It was just totally beautiful to look at . . . I remember looking out and being really enraptured with this entire view because it was so quiet and it was so green and we would get kidded by our neighbors across the street because they called this side [Fairview Lake] the swamp, and their side [Blue Lake] was the classy upscale because they had the water skiing and the clear water and ours was shallow, and muddy, and full of cattails. This entire end of the lake was all cattails and little channels that would meander through the cattails. . . it was a vast wetland.
Jane Graybill, Fairview Lake resident since 1967
A 1990s housing development built on dredge spoils of the re-shaped lake. A small core sample taken from Fairview Lake in the early 1990s indicated heavy contamination in the lake. Photo by Donna Sinclair
The headwaters of the Columbia Slough, the 11-inch deep Fairview Lake, once played a significant role in the Columbia Floodplain ecosystem. It absorbed floodwaters, provided habitat for wildlife, and food for humans. The nutrient-spreading waters of the lake and Slough set the stage for farm-based communities during the early twentieth century.
By the late 1960s and early 1970s major alterations had taken place on the lake, including dredging, filling for farming, and a dam. As the twentieth century came to a close, nearby commercial and industrial development increased. Population growth and housing developments for technical and industrial workers replaced farms. In the late 1990s, new residential development surrounded much of the lake, including the top of the dam.
While many enjoy the lakeside view, some long-term residents assert that not only are the new developments destructive, they are dangerous. In 1980, Fairview Lake was designated an area of significant environmental concern due to potential erosion, loss of wetlands, contamination, and an earthquake faultline. In 1993, the city of Fairview approved Blue Heron Shores, the upscale housing development atop Fairview Dam. A 1994 letter to Ms. Chris Nelson from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, reflects the concern of agencies and residents. The FEMA representative wrote: ". . . The [Fairview] Dam is a debris structure constructed of dredge spoils, trucked-in soils and other material placed in a non-engineered fashion. We believe that your concerns about building residential structures on fill areas that have not been properly compacted are valid."
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