Lake Washington

Lake Washington
x̌ačuʔ (Lushootseed)
Refer to caption
The longest and second longest floating bridges in the world cross Lake Washington
Location of Lake Washington in Washington, USA.
Location of Lake Washington in Washington, USA.
Lake Washington
Location of Lake Washington in Washington, USA.
Location of Lake Washington in Washington, USA.
Lake Washington
Lake Washington and surrounding area
LocationKing County, Washington,
United States
Coordinates47°37′N 122°16′W / 47.617°N 122.267°W / 47.617; -122.267 (Lake Washington)
Primary inflowsSammamish, Cedar Rivers; Ravenna, Thornton, Kelsey, Juanita, Forbes and Coal Creeks
Primary outflowsLake Washington Ship Canal (1916)
Catchment area315,000 acres (1,270 km2)
Basin countriesUnited States
Max. length22 mi (35 km)
Surface area33.8 square miles (88 km2), 33.8 square miles (21,600 acres)
Average depth108 ft (33 m)
Max. depth214 ft (65 m)
Water volume2,350,000 acre⋅ft (2.90 km3)
Surface elevation16 ft (4.9 m) above mean sea level, 20.6 ft (6.3 m) above Puget Sound mean lower low tide
IslandsMercer Island, Foster Island, Marsh Island
  • Until 1916: Ohler's Island, Pritchard Island
  • After 1916: Broken Island
ReferencesKing County[1]

Lake Washington (Lushootseed: x̌ačuʔ)[2][a] is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle, Washington, United States.[3] It is the largest lake in King County and the second largest natural lake in the state of Washington, after Lake Chelan. It borders the cities of Seattle on the west, Bellevue and Kirkland on the east, Renton on the south, and Kenmore on the north, and encloses Mercer Island. The lake is fed by the Sammamish River at its north end and the Cedar River at its south.

Lake Washington has been known to the Duwamish and other Indigenous peoples living on the lake for millennia as x̌ačuʔ (lit. "lake" in Lushootseed).[2] At the time of European settlement, it was recorded as At-sar-kal in a map sketched by engineer Abiel W. Tinkham;[3]: 10  and the Chinook Jargon name, Hyas Chuck ("great/large water"), was also used.[4] Other English names historically used for the lake include Lake Geneva by Isaac N. Ebey;[3]: 140  and Lake Duwamish in railroad surveys under Governor Isaac Stevens.[3]: 174  Lake Washington received its present name in 1854 after Thomas Mercer suggested it be named after George Washington, as the new Washington Territory had been named the year before.

The lake provides boating and sport fishing opportunities. Some fish species found in its waters include sockeye salmon, coho salmon, Chinook salmon, rainbow trout, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, and black crappie.[5]

Lake Washington has two passenger seaplane bases: Kenmore Air Harbor on its north end; and Will Rogers – Wiley Post Memorial Seaplane Base on its south end, adjacent to Renton Municipal Airport.

  1. ^ "Lake Washington Monitoring Overview". King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks Water and Land Resources Division. November 23, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "The Waterlines Project Map" (PDF). The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  3. ^ a b c d Meany, Edmond S. (1923). Origin of Washington Geographic Names. University of Washington Press. ISBN 9780598974808.
  4. ^ Phillips, James W. (1971). Washington State Place Names. University of Washington Press. p. 156. ISBN 0-295-95158-3.
  5. ^ "Lake Washington – Fish Washington". Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife.


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