Did You Know?

• The Seattle area is one of only a few urban watersheds in North America that still maintains large Pacific salmon runs.
• The Lake Washington watershed as a whole (which includes the Sammamish watershed) has the potential to produce more salmon per square mile than any other major river or lake system in the state.
• Throughout the 1970s and 1980s and again in 1996, salmon returns to the Lake Washington watershed were comparable to those projected by the Clinton administration for a restored Elwha River (a project that is widely seen as a national environmental priority).
• King County, Seattle, Bellevue, other local governments and federal and state agencies have invested millions of dollars to protect and enhance fish habitat in the watershed, and they anticipate investing millions more.

So, Is There Reason For Concern?

Yes. Last year's sockeye run was a record low (26,000 fish). With the exception of 1996, the lake's sockeye runs have been too low to support fishing since 1988 and are expected to remain low through the rest of this century. Scientists don't know why the overall run has dropped so dramatically, but in recent years sockeye seem to have had greater survival problems in the lake than in ocean or river waters.

If The Lake Is A Problem, What Has Been Done
About It So Far?

In 1993, a team of scientists from the University of Washington, state and local governments, and the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe developed a series of scientific studies to help increase sockeye survival rates in the lake. The studies, as originally proposed, were designed to examine three main issues:

• Are young sockeye dying because of food shortages in the lake?
• Are lake predators eating large numbers of young sockeye?
• Why, in some years, do survival rates for sockeye from the Sammamish system seem to be significantly better than those for sockeye from the Cedar River (where most of the lake's sockeye come from)?

Preliminary findings have already led to a number of policy and operational changes, including:

• Reduced herbicide use in sensitive areas for salmon fry;
• Operating and structural improvements at the Ballard Locks and the Cedar River sockeye hatchery; and
• A far greater appreciation of the possibility for further improvements at the Locks.

However, though the studies are less than half complete, they have nearly come to a halt because--until now--the partnership that was proposed to oversee their management and funding has not been created.

More about the Lake Washington Studies

Putting the watershed in context

A New, Regional Partnership To Complete The Studies

The Lake Washington/Cedar River Watershed Forum proposes a partnership to:

• Complete the Lake Washington Studies as they were originally developed, but with a new emphasis on studies at the Locks;
• Provide equitable local funding from governments throughout the Cedar/Lake Washington/Sammamish watersheds;
• Establish a goal of raising half of the remaining costs from state, federal, and private sources;
• Oversee the studies through the Lake Washington/Cedar River and Sammamish Forums (see below); and
• Focus on results to maximize regional benefits from investments to protect and restore fish habitat.

What is the Lake Washington/Cedar River
Watershed Forum?

The recently established Lake Washington/Cedar River Watershed Forum brings together all of the local governments surrounding the lake. Its purpose, like the other forums that have been established for the Sammamish, Green/Duwamish and Snoqualmie, is to develop and coordinate regional actions to address issues related to fish, water quality and flooding in its watershed.

The four forums were created through the recommendation of the Regional Water Quality Committee, which represents the Suburban Cities Association, the City of Seattle, and the Metropolitan King County Council. The Lake Washington Forum is co-chaired by Seattle Councilmember Margaret Pageler and Bellevue Councilmember Chuck Mosher. Its first major project is completing the Lake Washington Studies, on which it is working with the Sammamish Forum.

Why Should The Studies Be Funded By A Partnership?

• Recommended actions could affect all of the governments in the watershed; implementing these recommendations will be easier if all local governments have participated in their development.
• Protecting sockeye and other fish populations in Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish affects interests far beyond those of the local governments in the watersheds, many of which have had little prior direct involvement with these issues.
• No one government has the funds necessary to complete the studies.

Who Has Contributed to the Studies in the Past?

Contributor		Amount*
King County WLR		$300,000
King County WTD		$120,000
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers		$60,000
City of Seattle Water Department		$50,000
City of Bellevue		$20,000
City of Kirkland		$12,500
City of Mercer Island		$5,000

Source: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Information is for September 1992 through July 1996.

* In addition, the Seattle Water Department has budgeted and pledged $40,000 in 1996, on the condition that a partnership be established for oversight and funding of the studies. Contributions shown do not include more than $800,000 spent by the Seattle Water Department for operation of an interim sockeye hatchery on the Cedar River as part of a sockeye salmon mitigation agreement with the state. They also do not include in-kind contributions from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, the City of Renton and others.

Why Is It Important That The Forum Partnership Succeed?

Without further study and informed action, sockeye runs in Lake Washington and the Sammamish system will most likely continue to dwindle. What was the most economically valuable sport fishery in the state throughout the 1970s and 1980s could disappear. Continuation of the studies and implementation of their recommendations will allow the region to realize full value from the tens of millions of dollars that it is investing in habitat protection and enhancement, hatchery production, and other fish management actions.

Success in this effort could help local governments avoid lawsuits or federal actions that might limit their control over funding, land use, and other decisions. And, as in the 1960s, Lake Washington and the area could once again be considered a national model for a regional approach to environmental protection.

Why Contribute?

Major contributors will be recognized as partners in a regional effort to protect and restore the Lake Washington sockeye salmon run--one of the rare assets that make this area known throughout the world as an extraordinary blending of the best of modern urban life and exceptional natural resources. In addition, major contributors will have a say in how recommendations are implemented and will receive first-hand reports on the progress of the studies.

Updated: September 10, 2002