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| WRIA | 9 |
| County | King |
| Parameter | Total Phosphorus |
| Current Status | TMDL approved by EPA Lake listed as category 5 on 2008 Water Quality Assessment |
| TMDL Approval Date | January 13, 1993 |
| # of TMDLs | 1 |
| TMDL Lead(s) | Tricia Shoblom |
Lake Fenwick is a small lake in King County, Washington. It is located west of the city of Kent. The main recreational activities on the lake are fishing and boating. Fenwick Lake is considered an important recreational resource for the city of Kent.
Nutrient inputs into the lake encourage eutrophication of the lake. Eutrophication is the process of excessive plant growth in lakes or ponds, due to an enriched supply of nutrients. Stormwater runoff contributes excess external phosphorus to Lake Fenwick.
Excessive nutrient inputs to lakes provide aquatic plant and algae dominance, making lakes unsuitable for recreation or viewing enjoyment. Phosphorus is one of the nutrients. When it is discharged into a waterbody, like a lake, it fuels the growth of algae.
Excessive algae growth reduces water clarity, increases oxygen demand in the bottom sediments severely impacting coldwater aquatic habitat, and can, depending on the dominant algae present, pose a human health risk.
In 1991, a comprehensive lake and watershed management plan was proposed for Fenwick Lake under EPA's Clean Lakes Program. The proposal included a two-phased implementation approach to resolve the phosphorus issues in the lake. Implementation plans included monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of the assigned load allocations for phosphorus, as well as other parameters. The second phase was scheduled to begin in December 1998. Based on these plans, EPA approved a total maximum daily load (TMDL) for Fenwick Lake in January 1993.
Despite implementation actions, in 2002 Ecology monitoring determined that goals set by the TMDL were not being achieved. The lake is currently on the 2008 water quality assessment as a category 5 (water cleanup plan required by the Clean Water Act).
Fenwick Lake Total Phosphorus Total Maximum Daily Load (Ecology publication)
www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/9310203.html
Effectiveness Monitoring for Total Phosphorus Total Maximum Daily Loads in Fenwick and Sawyer Lakes
(Ecology publication)
www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0203054.html
Reducing Phosphorus Pollution to Improve Water Quality (Water Quality website)
www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/nonpoint/phosphorus/PhosphorusBan.html
Tricia Shoblom
Water Quality Program - Northwest Regional Office
WA Department of Ecology
3190 160th Ave. SE
Bellevue, WA 98008-5452
Phone: 425-649-7288
E-mail: tsho461@ecy.wa.gov
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
