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Lake Desire
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Welcome
Wilderness
Yellow
Watershed Area
875 acres
Lake surface area
72 acres
Maximum depth
21 feet
Mean depth
13 feet
Public Park
Yes
Boat Ramp
Y, no gas engines
Fish Present
bass, stocked rainbow
Volunteer monitoring began at Lake Desire before 1985 and continued through 2004, when measurements of water chemistry were discontinued. The data collected classify the lake as moderately high in primary productivity (threshold eutrophic) with fair water quality. Increased productivity from human impacts was verified in the lake management plan (King County, 1995), and the lake is listed for phosphorus impairment on the EPA 303d list.
Profile data suggest that thermal stratification is not stable through summer, and phosphorus concentrations do not build up in deep water. Nitrogen to phosphorus ratios drop below 20:1 in late summer, which may favor bluegreens over other algae.
Lake Desire has a public access boat ramp, and Eurasian milfoil was first reported in the lake in 1995, although it is not spreading aggressively. Residents should watch for an increase in this species, as well as occurrences of other noxious aquatic weeds.
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This bathymetric map shows contour lines of equal depth, similar to a topographic map would for mountains and valleys
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
Back to top 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. Five year water quality trends
A common method of tracking water quality trends in lakes is by calculating
the “trophic state index” (TSI) (Carlson, 1977). TSI indicators predict the biological
productivity of the lake based on water clarity (Secchi) and concentrations of total
phosphorus (TP) and chlorophyll a (Chlor).
The average of these three TSI indicators during the growing season can be used
to place lakes in one of three broad categories:
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