Lake Ballinger
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Lake Ballinger is a freshwater
lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...
with a surface area of 103 acres in southern
Snohomish County Snohomish County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. With a population of 827,957 as of the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous county in Washington, after nearby King and Pierce counties, and the 72nd-most popul ...
,
Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...
. It is bordered by the cities of Mountlake Terrace to the east and Edmonds to the west. It is fed by Hall Creek at its north end and its outflow is McAleer Creek at its east end, going on to feed
Lake Washington Lake Washington () is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the largest lake in King County, Washington, King County and the second largest natural lake in the state of Washington (state), Was ...
. The lake was formerly called McAleer Lake after logger Hugh McAleer, who was the previous owner of the lake and surrounding lands. It received its present name in 1901 when it was purchased by Richard A. Ballinger, future
United States Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natura ...
, who named it after his father, Richard Ballinger."Ballinger Park Boat and Fishing Access"
. City of Mountlake Terrace. Retrieved 25 March 2014.


Description

Lake Ballinger is a natural lake formed by the melting of the Puget Sound lobe of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet. It is fed primarily by Hall Creek, but is also fed by groundwater flowing from nearby Echo Lake as well as by
surface runoff Surface runoff (also known as overland flow or terrestrial runoff) is the unconfined flow of water over the ground surface, in contrast to ''channel runoff'' (or ''stream flow''). It occurs when excess rainwater, stormwater, meltwater, or other ...
."Lake Ballinger Fact Sheet"
. City of Mountlake Terrace. 15 June 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
It is just west of
Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...
in Mountlake Terrace and immediately north of the boundary between Snohomish and
King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
Counties, three miles north of
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
. Lying in the Puget Sound lowlands (around 2.7 miles east of
Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...
itself), its surface elevation is 292 feet. Lake Ballinger is wide and oval-shaped, oriented north to south, with a fairly straight western bank and a wide protrusion in its southeastern portion where it drains into McAleer Creek. Near the center of the lake is Edmount Island, a three-acre
peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...
island. The site of houses at two separate times in the past, today it is part of Mountlake Terrace's Ballinger Park. The lake is 0.58 miles long and 0.37 miles across at its widest, covering 107 acres including the island, the actual water surface area being approximately 103 acres. Its greatest depth is 35 feet.


History

Lake Ballinger was originally called Lake McAleer after Hugh McAleer, its first owner. McAleer was a logger and the proprietor of much of the land surrounding the lake. One Bartholomew family had a homestead on the island beginning in 1888, until the 1901 purchase of the land by Richard A. Ballinger. Ballinger renamed the lake after his father, a Civil War veteran. He used the lake to store logs before being floated down McAleer Creek to
Lake Washington Lake Washington () is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the largest lake in King County, Washington, King County and the second largest natural lake in the state of Washington (state), Was ...
for shipment."A Salmon's Guide to Lake Forest Park"
. Lake Forest Park Stewardship Foundation. Page 9. December 2006. Accessed 1 April 2014.
In 1914, Ballinger began selling plots along the lake's western shore with the intention of establishing a residential development. In 1972, Lake Ballinger was found to have the poorest water quality out of 34 Puget Sound area lakes that were surveyed for quality. One of the most significant problems contributing to its poor state was algae growth arising from phosphorus pollution, which resulted in hypoxia. In the following decades, a series of steps were taken to mitigate water quality issues. In 1980, sedimentation ponds were built along Hall Creek to allow some of the pollutants destined for the lake to settle. Two years later, a hypolimnetic aeration system was installed to introduce oxygen from the air to the lower strata of the lake. In 1991, Mountlake Terrace received approval to treat the water with
alum An alum () is a type of chemical compound, usually a hydrated double salt, double sulfate salt (chemistry), salt of aluminium with the general chemical formula, formula , such that is a valence (chemistry), monovalent cation such as potassium ...
to reduce nutrient levels. Lake Ballinger experienced a major flood of over six feet above its normal elevation on New Year's Day 1997, damaging several waterfront homes. This same flood caused the overflow of a nearby sewer line into the lake. A similar incident occurred in December 2007, flooding three homes and causing sewage contamination from three separate leaks. On July 29, 2009, coals from a barbecue ignited brush on Edmount Island. In the fire that resulted, one firefighter was injured.De Leon, John
"Firefighters battling stubborn blaze on Lake Ballinger island"
''The Seattle Times''. 31 July 2009. Accessed 25 March 2014.
The peat smoldered for several days, until the last hot spot was extinguished on August 9."Firefighters Wrap Up Operations on Lake Ballinger Island"
''MLTNews''. 13 August. Accessed 25 March 2014.
The island remains closed to the public indefinitely."Lake Ballinger Island Closed Indefinitely"
''MLTNews''. 12 February 2010. Accessed 25 March 2014.


Ecology

Lake Ballinger suffers from a number of ecological issues.
Urban runoff Urban runoff is surface runoff of rainwater, landscape irrigation, and car washing created by urbanization. Impervious surfaces (roads, parking lots and sidewalks) are constructed during land development. During rain, storms, and other Precipitati ...
introduces petroleum, heavy metals, and excess nutrients to the water.
Fecal coliform A fecal coliform (British: faecal coliform) is a facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped, gram-negative, non- sporulating bacterium. Coliform bacteria generally originate in the intestines of warm-blooded animals. Fecal coliforms are capable of growth ...
levels are elevated due to the presence of domestic pets and large numbers of geese, a problem addressed with the practice of egg addling. Excess nutrients cause
algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular ...
growth, resulting in a loss of oxygen at the bottom levels of the lake when dead algae decomposes. Lake Ballinger is a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Priority Habitat."Critical Areas: Biological Features"
. City of Mountlake Terrace. 2002. Accessed 1 April 2014.


See also

* List of lakes in Washington * Mountlake Terrace, Washington *
Edmonds, Washington Edmonds is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located in the southwest corner of the county, facing Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains to the west. The city is part of the Seattle metropolitan area and is located ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ballinger Lakes of Washington (state) Lakes of Snohomish County, Washington