UW's ENVIR 480: Sustainability Studio class in the Program on the Environment presents students with a sustainability topic which they engage in as part of an experiential learning course. The topics change each quarter - this spring, the students researched the UW's environmental history. This is part of a series of posts by the students on some of the information they uncovered.
In the early 1950s, Professor Thomas Edmondson of UW Zoology discovered the presence of bacteria and blue-green algae in Lake Washington – something that is commonly found in lakes that have been heavily polluted by industrial runoff, detergent and sewage. Edmondson’s findings prompted the release of a Washington Pollution Control Commission bulletin in 1955 — the first substantial report on the buildup of pollution in Lake Washington. Edmondson and his colleagues found that treated sewage from surrounding population centers released harmful phosphates and made the Lake’s water cloudy, smelly, and unable to support fish. The lake was coined “Lake Stinko.”
In response to Edmondson and his colleagues’ findings, citizens were determined to restore Lake Washington to its former glory. They created Seattle Metro (the same organization that now manages Seattle’s transit), which worked to divert raw sewage from Lake Washington to treatment plants on the Duwamish River. This water was then discharged into the Puget Sound and eventually diluted into the Pacific Ocean. At the time, this project was considered the most expensive pollution control effort in the nation, costing Seattle $140 million.
Interestingly, phosphates and algae are not the only ecological concerns plaguing Lake Washington. The Maritime Documentation Society has mapped more than eight hundred wreckage sites at the bottom of Lake Washington. Worried about the ecological threats of sunken boats and planes, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sent a dive team to investigate the remains of a 165-foot light ice breaker Coast Guard Cutter Onondaga near the Ballard Locks. Divers inspected the vessel for any hazardous materials that might harm fish, wildlife habitat, or local residents. Other objects, including ships, planes, a train, and even a fully armed WWII bomber have been investigated and found to pose no significant pollution threats to Lake Washington. The Lake is now known by some for its treasure-trove of plane wrecks below the surface that are preserved like an underwater museum.
Since the rescue of Lake Stinko, reducing the amount of pollution that flows into Lake Washington has become a priority. One of the largest ways that UW directly affects the water quality of Lake Washington is via storm water, which flows into Lake Washington.
In 1999, University Facilities Services added "Dump no waste - Drains to lake" stencils to most of the storm drains on campus. This helped reduce the amount of illegal dumping of toxins into storm drains. In 2010 and 2014, UW created storm water management plans to reduce the amount of pollutants flowing from campus into Lake Washington. The first plan focused on cleaning up the operations and maintenance on campus (such as reducing the use of solvents and cleaners campus-wide), and the second included plans for public education and involvement. To this day, UW is still managing storm water through several ongoing projects.
Overall, Lake Washington has both suffered and benefited from the activities taking place on the UW campus and the surrounding areas. While it is no longer home to thriving salmon populations or Native American tribes, the lake and the adjoining ship canal are still an essential part of Seattle life.