The Canal in Winter
Lake Tapps was completed in 1911. (As an aside: The
Keokuk-Hamilton dam and powerhouse first tamed and tapped the power
of the mighty Mississippi River in 1913. The Panama Canal joined
the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in 1914.) All three projects were
engineering marvels of the Western Hemisphere in the days of steam
shovels, pickaxes, and manual labor and are viable yet today.
A diversion dam in Buckley sends a portion of the White River's
water through a flume-canal-pipeline system into
Lake Tapps. Lake Tapps is a reservoir that was created by Puget
Sound Energy, which produced hydroelectric power there until 2004.
In December 2009, PSE sold the whole kit and caboodle to the
Cascade Water Alliance. Cascade plans to eventually use Lake Tapps
as a municipal water supply source, but not until at least the
2030s or later. For now you may notice many improvements being made
to the system.
NWHikers.net suggests a future Flume Trail. This "trail" is
mostly unpaved service road with a short portion of single track.
Pierce County Parks and Recreation even proposed making it a paved
6.7 mile trail. There are no cross walks or sidewalks at the road
junctions at this time.
Cascade Water Alliance has given permission to place this cache
at this location. (While the no trespassing signs are coming down,
it is good to ask permission, as not all areas are open.) Here you
will see where the open canal enters the pipeline. Always use
caution, as the water can be deep and rapid flowing at times. Stay
outside the fence. Watch the small ones. The find should be easy,
as its main purpose is get you out into an area you may not have
been aware of. Plenty of off road parking is available nearby.
I’ve enjoyed creating this; my first hide. I hope you
enjoy it also. Could the ecstatic feeling of a FTF require any
better reward? -- Congrats to Roadtrip for the FTF!!!