Water Wars at Dreamland Park
Accusations that a local amusement park's lake was draining Garrison Creek are dismissed by park manager Charles Phillips.
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Charles Phillips has vehemently denied claims that the lake at Dreamland Park is responsible for water shortages experienced by College Place residents and Fort Walla Walla. Critics alleged the park was diverting water from Garrison Creek, but Phillips states the creek is already reduced to a 'mere dribble' before it even reaches the park boundaries. He dismisses reports of neighborhood cellars flooding due to park leakage as fabricated, announcing that a new power pumping plant will soon be installed to augment the water supply for the downstream area.
“The statements also that cellars in the neighborhood have water in them from the lake and that the lake has a leakage in it are statements made of whole cloth and without regard to the truth.”
Water rights and the impact of private land use on communal resources remain contentious issues in the Walla Walla Valley, echoing similar tensions over infrastructure and resource management from the 1900s.
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