Lake Washington is a 22-mile-long freshwater lake bordering Seattle and Bellevue. It is the second-largest natural lake in our state. It is renowned for a massive mid-century ecological cleanup that reversed severe pollution.
The surface area of the lake is 34 square miles; average depth of 108 feet with maximum depth of 214 feet. The shoreline stretches for 58 miles bordered by Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland and Mercer Island. The lake is fed primarily by the Cedar River and Sammamish River.
The lake is a deep glacial trough carved thousands of years ago. It was officially named in 1854 by Thomas Mercer, honoring George Washington. Historically it was called It-kow-chug by the local Duwamish people.
In 1916 the construction of the Montlake Cut for the Lake Washington ship canal lowered the lake's water level by nearly nine feet and changed its outflow to Puget Sound. Because of the lake's deep water and muddy bottom, building traditional piers is impossible. Instead, engineering feats like the I-90 bridge and Evergreen Point Bridge float on pontoons and rank among the longest floating bridges in the world.
Several high-profile tech billionaires, musicians and sports figures have homes on Lake Washington. These include Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, legendary cartoonist Gary Larson, veteran actor Tom Skerritt and Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft and owner of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Note: Many of us drive regularly to Seattle and points west but have we ever thought to ask WHY floating bridges and not "regular" bridges? And I find it fascinating that a freshwater lake can be so close to ocean water and stay "fresh."
Note: Thanks to Google AI for help with this bit.
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