Lake Washington
Lake Washington (Lushootseed: x̌ačuʔ) is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle, Washington, United States. 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 | |
|---|---|
| x̌ačuʔ (Lushootseed) | |
The longest and second longest floating bridges in the world cross Lake Washington | |
Lake Washington Lake Washington | |
Lake Washington and surrounding area | |
| Location | King County, Washington, United States |
| Coordinates | 47°37′N 122°16′W |
| Primary inflows | Sammamish, Cedar Rivers; Ravenna, Thornton, Kelsey, Juanita, Forbes and Coal Creeks |
| Primary outflows | Lake Washington Ship Canal (1916) |
| Catchment area | 315,000 acres (1,270 km2) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 22 mi (35 km) |
| Surface area | 33.8 square miles (88 km2), 33.8 square miles (21,600 acres) |
| Average depth | 108 ft (33 m) |
| Max. depth | 214 ft (65 m) |
| Water volume | 2,350,000 acre⋅ft (2.90 km3) |
| Surface elevation | 16 ft (4.9 m) above mean sea level, 20.6 ft (6.3 m) above Puget Sound mean lower low tide |
| Islands | Mercer Island, Foster Island, Marsh Island
|
| References | King County |
Lake Washington has been known to the Duwamish and other Indigenous peoples living on the lake for millennia as x̌ačuʔ (lit. "lake" in Lushootseed). At the time of European settlement, it was recorded as At-sar-kal in a map sketched by engineer Abiel W. Tinkham;: 10 and the Chinook Jargon name, Hyas Chuck ("great/large water"), was also used. Other English names historically used for the lake include Lake Geneva by Isaac N. Ebey;: 140 and Lake Duwamish in railroad surveys under Governor Isaac Stevens.: 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.
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.