It is tough
tobe an
urbanfish!
LakeWashington fish have some complex
challenges. One hundred years ago, Lake
Washington used to flow out toward the
south through the Black River and then
theDuwamishRiver before reaching
Puget Sound. The entire plumbing of Lake
Washington changedwhen theHiramM.
Chittenden Locks (also called the Ballard
Locks) were created. The goal was to allow
ships to go between Puget Sound and
LakeWashington for transporting logs,
lumber and fishing vessels. In 1916, the
final cut wasmade and LakeWashington
began draining out of the ship canal.
Because thewater level of LakeUnion
was lower than LakeWashington, the
water level in LakeWashington dropped
8.8 feet, changing habitat all around the
lake - and how our salmon reach Puget
Sound. LakeWashington salmon no longer
have an estuary, an areawhere freshwater
mixeswith saltwater, that provides
important habitat and food formany
juvenile salmon. LakeWashington salmon
now have to navigate in and out of man-
made structures such as smolt slides, fish
ladders, and the locks themselves.
As human populations increased, so
did rooftops and streets. Stormdrains
were designed to help control flooding.
However, human activities can cause
polluted stormwater runoff that flows
directly to our salmon habitat. There
were somany salmon one hundred years
ago that people did not realizewhat an
impact development would have on fish. It
happened slowly over time.What choices
canwemake now that protect habitat and
water quality?
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SUNDAY, OCTOBER30, 2016 |
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