how long did it take lake washington to drain from the historic level of + 9 ft to the current level?

Question

how long did it take lake washington to drain from the historic level of + 9 ft to the current level?

Answer 1

Well, we're talking about 3 feet of water, over the entire water system of Lake Union, the ship canal, Union Bay, Salmon Bay, Lake Washington etc. Any engineers or mathmeticians out there want to do the math?

Couldn't find the specifics on the web site with the history of the locks, but it made for interesting reading. The closest they tallked about it was something that said they broke through the earthen dam on August 3, 1916. And "Over the summer and into the fall the eastern gates were gradually removed to merge the lakes...."

So it would seem that it was done in stages, and took at least a couple of months. If it was done all at one time, it would probably take less than a week.

Thanks for asking the question and taking me along for the historical journey!

Answer 2

It was a while, that's for sure. Luckily there is more water where that came from and more coming each day.

Stay High! Stay Dry!