Shadow Lake

Vital Statistics
Overview
Maps
Water Quality Data
Reports and Related Links

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Vital Statistics

Watershed Area	310 acres
Lake surface area	50 acres
Maximum depth	45 feet
Mean depth	22 feet
Public Park	No
Boat Ramp	Yes, no gas engines
Fish Present	bass, stocked rainbow

Overview

The key takeaways from the 2020 monitoring season are:

• Shadow Lake continued to have fairly clear water, with moderate nutrient concentrations and algal growth. • Long-term trends suggest that water quality in Shadow Lake has been declining over time, with increasing phosphorus and chlorophyll concentrations, and shallower Secchi depths. In, contrast, the data also suggests that nitrogen concentrations have been decreasing over time. • An algal bloom was sampled for toxin testing in March. Toxin testing found very low concentrations of algal toxins, well below the Washington State Recreational Guidelines.

Please see below for a link to the full 2020 Shadow Lake Monitoring Report.

Maps

This bathymetric map shows contour lines of equal depth, similar to a topographic map would for mountains and valleys. The red 'X' marks the location where water quality samples are taken.

This map shows the area of the watershed relative to the area of the lake. Generally speaking, the larger a watershed is relative to a lake, the greater the influence land use practices on lake water quality.

Click image to enlarge

Water Quality Data

Through a combination of efforts by volunteer lake monitors and King County staff, data relating to physical, chemical, and biological aspects of the lake have been collected for most lakes. The King County Lake Stewardship Program analyzes data to track long-term water quality trends in small lakes in western King County.

View or Download Data
Use this tool to view or download data from the lake in tabular format. You can define date ranges and select which parameters to view or download.

Chart Data
Use the charting tool to look at graphs showing single parameters for a single water year at a time.

Water quality over time
A common method of tracking water quality trends in lakes is by calculating the “trophic state index” (TSI) (Carlson, 1977) and testing the values for positive or negative trends over time. TSI indicators predict the biological productivity of the lake based on water clarity (Secchi) and concentrations of total phosphorus (TP) and chlorophyll a (Chlor). Generally at least 8 years of data without major lake management activities are needed to have confidence in a significant trend.

The average of these three TSI indicators during the growing season can be used to place lakes in one of three broad categories:
<40 = oligotrophic (low productivity),
40 to 50 = mesotrophic (moderate productivity)
>50 = eutrophic (highly productive).

Reports and Related Links

2020 Shadow Lake Monitoring Report
2019 Shadow Lake Monitoring Report
2018 Shadow Lake Monitoring Report
2017 Shadow Lake Monitoring Report

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For questions about lakes in King County, please contact lakes@kingcounty.gov or call the Water and Land Resources Division front desk at 206-477-4800.