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Lake Boren

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Vital Statistics

Watershed Area 660 acres
Lake surface area 15 acres
Maximum depth 34 feet
Mean depth 18 feet
Public Park Y
Boat Ramp car top boats only
Fish Present stocked trout

Overview

Volunteer monitoring began at Lake Boren in the 1980s and continued through 2008, with several gaps in the record. The data characterize this city lake (Newcastle) as lightly colored and moderate in primary productivity (mesotrophic) with good water quality. There is a possible decreasing trend from 1994 through 2008 in productivity, but the data correlation is not strong.

Limited data suggest that thermal stratification is stable through the summer, and sedimentary phosphorus release adds to deep water concentrations. Nitrogen to phosphorus ratios were occasionally below 20:1, which favors bluegreens over other algae. Bluegreens are commonly present in the lake, but no toxic strains have been identified to date.

Lake Boren has a car top boat launch area in the city park. Residents and lake users should watch the nearshore for noxious aquatic weeds, such as Brazilian elodea or Eurasian watermilfoil.

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Maps

bathymetric map lake watershed map
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

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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.

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:
<40 = oligotrophic (low productivity),
40 to 50 = mesotrophic (moderate productivity)
>50 = eutrophic (highly productive).

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Related Links



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For questions about the Lake Stewardship Program or the contents of this page, please contact Sally Abella, 206-296-8382.

For questions about the
Water and Land Resources Web Site,
please contact
Fred Bentler, webmaster.

Updated: August 8, 2008

Related Information:

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