Sammamish Watershed

The Sammamish watershed is part of the greater Lake Washington - Cedar River drainage, encompassing the land area in which rainwater drains to Lake Sammamish, the Sammamish River and out into Lake Washington. The Sammamish watershed includes Swamp Creek, North Creek, Bear Creek and Little Bear Creek, Cottage Lake Creek, Evans Creek, Issaquah Creek, Tibbetts Creek and a number of smaller creeks draining to the east and west shores of Lake Sammamish.

Community service center
Information about King County satellite offices including one in Sammamish at the address, 801 - 228th Ave SE, Sammamish, WA 98075, phone number, 425-295-0750. To the north in Bear Creek, visit the Cottage Lake Community Center near Redmond.

Brightwater Education and Community Center
New sustainably-built facility and surrounding park located near Bothell and Woodinville, available host school and community events, indoors or outdoors.

Basin stewards
Look up watershed experts to get answers to questions and help solve watershed related problems. For more information about the Sammamish Watershed, or to get involved in basin activities contact one of the Basin Stewards in the Sammamish Watershed:

Issaquah Creek and Bear Creek
Tom Beavers, 206-205-5620

Surface water and groundwater

Introduction to watersheds

Lake Sammamish
Learn about the history of the lake including its past and current pollution problems, kokanee populations and what King County is doing to protect the lake.

Lake Sammamish water quality data
This page offers an overview of Lake Sammamish water quality issues and provides graphs of water quality data from several sampling locations on the lake, spanning years. Graphs display temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, nitrogen, phosphorus, chlorophyll, bacteria, tranparency, and other data.

Swimming beach data
Find information about levels of bacterial pollution and relative health risks at swimming beaches on Lake Washington, Lake Sammamish and other King County lakes.

Streams Monitoring Program
Keeping watch for pollution in greater Lake Washington streams including those in the Sammamish Watershed. Water quality data are available online for:

• Bear Creek, Cottage Lake Creek and Evans Creek
• Ebright Creek
• Eden (Zuccuse) Creek
• Idlewood Creek
• Issaquah Creek
• Lewis Creek
• Little Bear Creek
• North Creek
• Pine Lake Creek
• Sammamish River
• Swamp Creek
• Tibbetts Creek

Endocrine disrupting chemicals in the environment
Learn about these natural and synthetic chemicals flushed daily into our waters, and discover what King County is doing to protect public health and the environment as the science and our understanding of endocrine disruptors develops.

Redmond-Bear Creek Valley Groundwater Management Area
Issaquah Valley Groundwater Management Area
Learn about plans to protect the aquifer in areas spanning the Sammamish watershed including Woodinville, Redmond, Sammamish, Issaquah and areas in between.

Allen Lake Outlet Rapid Assessment
Report investigating flooding around the outlet of Allen Lake and preliminiary assessment of options to help reduce flooding.

Sediment quality evaluation in Lake Sammamish, Lake Union, and Lake Washington
Report of chemical and biological substances, their distribution and toxicity, and benthic communities at various sample sites.

Bear Creek and Cottage Lake Creek mussel survey
Freshwater mussels are a strong indicator of water quality. This report provides information about freshwater Mussels found in Bear and Cottage Lake Creeks during Habitat Assessments in 2001.

Sammamish Watershed map
Drainage map displaying streams, lakes, drainage divides, major roads, in King County and Snohomish County portions of the Sammamish River Watershed. The map is in Acrobat format. File size is 426 Kb.

Issaquah Creek map

Issaquah Basin Plan summary

Salmon, trout and habitat conservation

Lake Sammamish kokanee
Describes the dwindling population of genetically distinct kokanee in Lake Sammamish and actions that King County and other agencies are doing to protect and restore them.

Sammamish kokanee video, fall 2011  NEW
In this video, kokanee salmon return to Laughing Jacobs Creek in large numbers.

Kokanee and chinook restoration projects in the Sammamish Watershed
List of projects scoped for fast-action and to benefit kokanee and chinook salmon populations in Lake Sammamish tributaries (2011).

Lake Washington, Cedar River and Sammamish (WRIA 8) salmon recovery
This site provides information about the recovery of threatened salmon species in the Sammamish, Lake Washington, and Cedar River drainage area including an overview of the planning process, scientific information, and meeting records. We welcome your participation.

Lower Bear Creek Natural Area Habitat Enhancement Project
Determination of Non-Significance under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA)

Willowmoor Reach restoration
Project to restore habitat on the in Marymoor Park, reconfiguring 1,400 feet of the upper Sammamish River to improve and expand the habitat available for fish and wildlife -- while maintaining current flood protection on the river and along the Lake Sammamish shoreline. Includesa timeline and contact information.

Habitat inventory and assessment of three Sammamish River tributaries: North, Swamp, and Little Bear Creeks (Acrobat format)

Flooding and hydrology

Issaquah Creek flood information
View real-time gage data and map for Issaquah Creek and learn about expected conditions at various flood phases.

Hydrologic gage data map
Look up detailed gaging station data for creeks in the region.

Lake Allen Outlet Project
Culvert work to alleviate roadway flooding.

Wastewater treatment

Brightwater treatment systyem
Major improvements to the sewage treatment system serving King and Snohomish Counties. The Brightwater project encompasses a new treatment plant located in Woodinville, its associated conveyance pipes, outfall to Puget Sound and an environmental education center. The system is under construction now (2011).

Recreation and appreciation

King County natural areas:

Look up individual properties protected in King County's open space system for their ecological and working resource values. The natural lands site provides addresses, pictures, location maps and rules for public use:

• Bassett Pond Natural Area
• Cold Creek and Bassett Pond Natural Areas
• Evans Creek Natural Area
• Issaquah Creek Park Natural Area
• Kathyrn C. Lewis Natural Area
• Log Cabin Reach Natural Area
• Lower Bear Creek Natural Area
• Taylor Mountain Forest

Sammamish Valley tourism & recreation map guide 
Oudoor recreation opportunities and points of interest for residents and visitors around Redmond and Woodinville, Washington.

East Lake Sammamish Trail
This scenic and safe regional trail hugs Lake Sammamish and runs from the city of Issaquah to Redmond, connecting Lake Sammamish State Park at the south end with King County's Marymoor Park at the north end of Lake Sammamish.

• East Lake Smmamish Trail Construction Project

Burke-Gilman Trail
Sammamish River Trail
King County's beloved regional trail hugs Lake Washington and the Sammamish River to provide a link between the Cities of Seattle, Lake Forest Park, Bothell, Redmond and the crown jewel of our parks system, Marymoor Park.

Marymoor Park
The largest and most diverse destination park in King County's portfolio of Parks. Provides hundreds of acres of nature and offers a wide variety of recreation options including birdwatching, rock climbing, fishing, off-leash dog walking, bike racing, team sports, outdoor concerts and movies and just being.

Fishing regulations and seasons (external link)
Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife fishing rules for Washington State including Sammaish River, Lake Sammamish and their tributaries, and lakes within the watershed.

Known hazards on King County rivers
Reports of confirmed logjams and obstructions that pose a hazard to recreational river users, but does not include hazards that are not known.

Lake Shorelines, Life on the Edge Video Series (Windows Media format)New
Watch a video that describes lakes in King County and how residents value them, with ideas that shoreline landowners may like to apply to help preserve the quality of lakes and lake ecosystems.

Lands

Historic and recent aerial photographs
Aerial photos from the 1930's, 1970's, and 1990's illustrating growth around Cottage Lake, among other areas in King County.

Agriculture in King County, Washington
Comprehensive information related to agriculture in King County including parts of the Sammamish Watershed.

• FARMS Report - Future of Agriculture Realizing Meaningful Solutions New
  Report describes the findings of a study that determining what measures King County and other agencies should take to ensure the continued success of local agriculture.
• Puget Sound Fresh
  Look up Sammamish Valley u-pick farms, community-supported farms, nurseries and produce markets.

Redmond Ridge and Blakely Ridge Urban Planned Developments
News and information about these two planned developments which together cover 2126 acres of the Bear Creek basin in the northern Sammamish watershed.