Soap Lake Conservancy
an outstanding resource water
Join us in saving our lake.
The Conservancy’s Mission includes working toward restoration and preservation
of our unique meromictic mineral lake ecosystem.
Grant County, Washington State, U.S.A
Want to understand what is happening with the wells on the north end of Soap Lake? This is a link to the Landau Associates Report on the CASE STUDY of Benchmark Farms “A New Water Right for 1600 acres". click on image to open the PDF link
Exciting News from Soap Lake Conservancy! (July 2024)
We're thrilled to announce that we've been awarded the Smokiam Conservation Project grant from the Columbia Basin Foundation! This grant will enable us to continue to collect, preserve, and share important documents about the unique ecosystem of Soap Lake, including legal, historical, and scientific resources.
SLC members Bonnie Holt and Leslie Taylor with the new scanner
Our goal is to make these materials accessible to historians and researchers worldwide, helping to preserve our region's rich history and ecological significance. This project is a vital step in continuing our mission of education and conservation.
The grant allowed us to purchase a high-quality scanner and hire someone to digitize and organize these documents. We will start by collecting information from SLC members and then reach out to the broader community, including the city library, to gather additional resources. We hope to have a student from Soap Lake work with us on this project, making it a true community effort. The Soap Lake Community Center has generously donated space to house this project.
Thank you Columbia Basin Foundation for supporting and believing in our mission. Stay tuned for updates as we embark on this important project!
Soap Lake is known to those who have gathered here for centuries as Lake Smokiam. This ecologically unique and culturally significant ecosystem perpetually attracts people from diverse cultures. Many people attribute medicinal value to this alkaline water as “healing water”, and visit to heal physical ailments and their spirits. The water, oil, and mud are purported to heal physical ailments and the spirit.
One of the highest salt and mineral concentrations, as well as diverse mineral profiles, of any lake in the world. Like the Dead Sea, the high mineral content of the lake increases in buoyancy.
The water also contains ichthyols, an oil-like substance sold over the counter in Europe to treat infections and abrasions. The ichthyol in Soap Lake water and mud is a sulfur-rich shale oil that was formed by the decomposition of copepods (and possibly other animal and plant material) thousands of years ago and is now part of the sediment at the bottom of the lake.
The alkalinity of the lake is similar to that found on the moons of Jupiter. Because of this, in 2002 the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a grant to researchers from Central Washington University to study the lake to learn about the possibility of life on Mars. The NSF recognized the unique and remarkable salt and mineral profile of Soap Lake and declared it a rare Microbial Observatory for the 5 years it funded biological research. (edited from Wikipedia, 2021)
Soap Lake is known as the šmokíəm ("healing waters") of the Moses-Colombia tribe. Many tribes gathered here for thousands of years for the relaxation and healing properties of alkaline water, oil, and mud. This ecologically unique and culturally significant ecosystem continues to attract people from different cultures FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
The Conservancy had Lab Tests done in May 2024. These are some of the results. Click on the chart to open the excel file with all the results.
measurement is mg/L
The deepest waters of Soap Lake has very likely not mixed with the upper layer for at least 2,000 years. That is among the longest documented stratification of any lake on earth. SLC is deeply concerned about the bottom layer which is the Monimolimnion Layer. (profile graphic courtesy Kovach Architects)
Learn More about the Lake
A unique mineral lake with a long history in the middle of Washington state, USA. The Conservancy takes a science-based approach to preservation and restoration.
We acknowledge
Soap Lake Conservancy recognizes that šmokíəm (Soap Lake) is located in the traditional škwáxčənəxʷ or Moses Columbia Tribe. We acknowledge that this is unceded land and water of the Confederate Tribes of the Colville Reservation (CTCR): Chelan, Chief Joseph Band of Nez Perce, Colville, Entiat, Lakes, Methow, Moses-Columbia, Nespelem, Okanogan, Palus, San Poil, Wenatchi (CTCR link)…. Along with other tribes of the past and present. We value our partnership with the Confederate Tribes of the Colville Reservation on our Outstanding Water Resource Water Application.
HISTORY OF SOAP LAKE
“Indians camped here each summer for many centuries. They gathered food, raced horses, gambled, and used the healing waters of Soap Lake. The Indian camp was across the lake at the popular (sic) trees. Their race track was near the hospital. The famous Cariboo cattle trail, used from 1859-1868 passed just east of here. Pioneers settled here about 1900. The first store was built in 1904 by Carl Jensen. Soap Lake platted in 1908, incorporated in 1919. Soap Lake has been called Cottage Lake, Salome Lake, Siloam, and Sanitarium Lake. Soap Lake is noted for its annual July Fourth fireworks celebration.”
Grant County Historical Society
Healing Waters Calling music written and composed by Don Johnstad, sound engineer Chris Ahman, underwater footage Paul Odian, cinematography Joe Bryant and Kathleen Kiefer, editor Kathleen Kiefer, produced by JACOL Filmworks, LLC, January 2012
SUCCESS!
Thank you everyone for helping Soap Lake become an Outstanding Resource Water! (Dec. 19, 2023)
Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (CTCR) and Soap Lake Conservancy applied jointly via the Washington State Department of Ecology for this special designation.
Outstanding resource waters are identified as having exceptional water quality, ecological and recreational values, or unique attributes that distinguish them among state waterbodies and warrant special protection. This is the first time Washington has assigned the highest level of protection to a waterbody under the Tier III Antidegradation section in our water quality standards.
Any new or expanded source of pollution to a Tier III(B) ORW cannot cause a measurable change in water quality. This level of protection would place extra requirements on new or expanded point source discharges to ensure pollution from wastewater is kept to a minimum. For nonpoint sources, this designation would require that certain Best Management Practices are used to limit pollution from runoff to below measurable levels where total elimination is not feasible.
JAWRA pivotal research study abstract. Click the button to read the full article.