I'm sure Boris Sieverts is a nice guy, but his "letter to Burien about its lake" is WAY off the mark. Let's start with some facts about Burien and the city he makes a comparison with, Haltern am See, Germany.

Haltern am See is a rural town with a population of around 38,000 people in 61 sq. miles of land area and a population density of 621 people per sq. mile.

The "lake" is a reservoir created by a dam built in 1930 that holds over 700 million cubic feet of water for distribution to surrounding communities. The extensive shoreline is largely undeveloped. Haltern has no other shoreline.

Burien is an urban city with a population of around 45,500 people in 7.4 sq. miles of land area and a population density of 4,287 people per sq. mile. Lake Burien is a natural lake that is a very small fraction of the size of the Haltern See.

The shoreline is fully developed with homes. Burien owns Seahurst Park, including approximately one mile of Puget Sound shoreline that is largely undeveloped.

Perhaps we should build a dam on Lake Burien? Or rename the city "Burien on the Sound," so our home prices will double, as happened in Haltern?

Mr. Sieverts' letter suggests public access at Lake Burien would not harm the water quality of the lake if the city took the right approach, such as providing a public bath, with attendants. I wonder why property owners near public access locations on Puget Sound are always picking up garbage left by the public. Must be the lack of attendants.

Mr. Sieverts may have relatives here, but he knows nothing about Burien or issues relating to the conflict between public access and private shorelines. If you are going to print an article that goes on for three pages in your paper, at least make it something relevant to our community.

Marco Spani
Burien