Lake Sammamish

Lake Sammamish
Geographical location	King County , Washington (USA)
Tributaries	Issaquah Creek
Drain	Sammamish River
Data
Coordinates	47 ° 37 ′  N , 122 ° 5 ′  W Coordinates: 47 ° 37 ′  N , 122 ° 5 ′  W
Altitude above sea level	9.1  m
surface	19.8 km²
length	11.7 km
width	2.4 km
Maximum depth	32 m
Middle deep	18 m

The Lake Sammamish is a freshwater lake, about 13 kilometers east of Seattle in King County in the State of Washington . The lake is 11.7 km long and a maximum of 2.4 km wide with a maximum depth of 32 meters and an area of ​​19.8 square kilometers. It is east of Lake Washington and west of Sammamish ; it extends from Issaquah in the south to Redmond in the south. Issaquah Creek flows into Issaquah and flows into Lake Washington in Redmond via the Sammamish River .

The 250 km² large catchment area of ​​Lake Sammamish extends from Redmond via Bellevue and Issaquah to Preston and Hobart ; there are numerous streams that flow into the lake. Issaquah Creek is the largest tributary, accounting for more than 70% of the total inflow.

growth

The area around Lake Sammamish was the fastest growing suburban district in the Seattle metropolitan area today . During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the cities of Redmond, Snoqualmie , Fall City , Issaquah, and Bellevue grew noticeably. The small town of Sammamish was recognized as a local authority in 1999 due to its suburban growth.

Ecology and nature conservation

Historically, the runoff from the heavy rainfall in the lake's catchment area (almost twice the 889mm that reaches Seattle annually) was absorbed by the surrounding forest. Loose, spongy forest soils ensured that the water was retained and released to the aquifers during the winter, while they released fresh water to the streams in the dry summer months. With rapid urbanization, the forests were replaced by impenetrable surfaces - roofs, streets, parking lots - and the heavy rain runoff increased the risk of flooding. These heavy rain runoffs carried sediments and toxins into the streams and eventually into the lake, which had negative effects on the water quality as well as on fish and other living things.

In May 2010, the federal government requested the City of Sammamish to restrict development within 250 ft (76 m) of the shore to protect local salmon and steelhead trout ( Oncorhyncus mykiss ) populations . The report did not include the Lake Sammamish Kokanee ( Oncorhyncus nerka ) in the endangered species, although environmentalists and scientists saw the species being brought to the brink of extinction by development at the lake and its tributaries. Notwithstanding the opposition to the report by the City of Sammamish, Issaquah is already restricting development within 200 ft (61 m) of the lake, Issaquah Creek and East Fork Issaquah Creek through a Shoreline Management Program ("Bank Protection Program ") . It is estimated that fewer than 100 Kokanees remain in Lake Sammamish.

beaver

The recent return of the Canadian beaver ( Castor canadensis ) to Lake Sammamish is raising concerns among City of Issaquah and Lake Sammamish State Park officials who claim the mammals are increasing the risk of flooding and undermining roads. These authorities recommend the relocation of the beaver families. On July 6, 2010, Issaquah city officials filed a motion with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for the removal of a beaver dam on Tibbetts Creek in Lake Sammamish State Park because they feared potential flooding and the disruption of salmon migrations.

In contrast, research in the northern United States and Canada showed that beavers bring environmental benefits by creating ponds that encourage fish and bird populations in both size and diversity . A study in the Stillaguamish River Basin, about 50 mi (80 km) north of Lake Sammamish, estimated the reduction in young silver salmon growing in summer due to the increased loss of beaver lakes to 89% and a similarly damaging reduction in the critical capacity of the Winter habitats to 86%.

Recreation and parks

Lake Sammamish as seen from Marymoor Park

Lake Sammamish is bordered to the north by Marymoor Park , to the south by Lake Sammamish State Park and the East Lake Sammamish Trail. The main recreational activities are rowing , water skiing , wakeboarding , wakesurfing , tubing and jet skiing .

There is a public slalom course for waterskiing at the far north end of the lake that runs west to east. In the mid-1980s, the radio presenter Pat O'Day suggested moving the Seafair Cup for racing boats from Lake Washington to Lake Sammamish, but was unsuccessful.

Trivia

• Pirates vs. Vikings is a brutal water bomb battle between boats on Lake Sammamish, followed by a dance party until four in the morning. Participants either dress up as Vikings or as pirates. The seventh event in a row took place in 2015.
• Serial killer Ted Bundy kidnapped two women in broad daylight on Lake Sammamish State Park Beach in 1974 by faking an injury and asking for their help.
• The woman killer Randy Roth drowned his fourth wife, Cynthia, on Lake Sammamish in 1991 after they rafted from Idylwood Park in Redmond.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Lake Sammamish in Transition . Save Lake Sammamish. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Lake Sammamish Monitoring Overview . King County Water and Land Resources Division. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
3. ↑ SJ Wenger: Twenty-six key research questions in urban stream ecology: an assessment of the state of the science . In: Journal of the North American Benthological Society . 2009, pp. 1080-1098. doi : 10.1899 / 08-186.1 . Retrieved July 5, 2010.
4. ↑ ^{a b} Warren Kagarise: Cities asked to restrict shoreline development . In: Issaquah Press , May 18, 2010. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011 Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved July 4, 2010.  
5. ↑ Warren Kagarise: Environmentalists wait to learn fate of Lake Sammamish kokanee salmon . In: Issaquah Press , February 16, 2010. Archived from the original on February 18, 2010 Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved July 4, 2010.  
6. ↑ ^{a b} Staci Barsness: Lake Sammamish beaver invasion: Parks and City struggle to balance nature and community needs . In: Issaquah Reporter , July 2, 2010. Retrieved on July 4, 2010.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as broken. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   
7. ↑ Gary Chittim: Beavers taking a bite out of Issaquah roadways , King5.com. July 2, 2010. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011 Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved July 4, 2010.  
8. ↑ Darren Dedo: City May Tear Down Beaver Dam At Popular Issaquah Creek . In: Q13Fox News , July 6, 2010. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011 Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved July 8, 2010.  
9. ^ RJ Naiman, CA Johnston, JC Kelley: Alteration of North American streams by beaver . In: BioScience . 38, No. 11, December 1988, pp. 753-762. doi : 10.2307 / 1310784 .
10. ^ MM Pollock, GR Pess, TJ Beechie: The Importance of Beaver Ponds to Coho Salmon Production in the Stillaguamish River Basin, Washington, USA . In: North American Journal of Fisheries Management . 2004, pp. 749-760. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
11. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from July 21, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 

Web links

Portal: Seattle  - Geography

Commons : Lake Sammamish  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Lake Sammamish in the United States Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System
• Lake Sammamish - King County's overview and detailed statistics
• Save Lake Sammamish (English)
• Lake Sammamish Regional Information
• Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission . US Government Printing Office. Pp. 41-47. 1898. Retrieved August 13, 2015.