Army Corps boosting Lake Washington level early

SEATTLE — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it’s boosting the level of Lake Washington in Seattle early this year due to extremely low snowpack in the Cascade Mountains.

The Corps says the lake only needs to be raised by just over an inch to get it to the target summer elevation of 22 feet, but there’s so little snow in the mountains that officials are worried that if they don’t do it within the next week or two, they won’t be able to raise the water level by June 1, when they usually do it.

Ken Brettmann, a senior water manager with the Corps’ Seattle District, says every inch of water counts when it comes to operating the Ballard Locks for fish passage, vessels and water quality concerns.