Issaquah Pairs Salmon Hatchery Upgrade With Lake Sammamish Trail Restoration
ISSAQUAH, Wash. — Against the backdrop of returning Chinook salmon thrashing up Issaquah Creek, city and state officials on Friday announced paired investments that link fish recovery to downtown revitalization: a $6.8 million modernization of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery and a 1.3-mile restoration of the Rainier Trail and Lake Sammamish shoreline.
The hatchery, operated by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and owned by the city since 1936, releases about 2 million Chinook and coho smolts annually. The upgrade — funded by $4.1 million from the state capital budget, $1.7 million from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and $1 million from the nonprofit Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (FISH) — will replace raceways dating to the 1970s, install recirculating water systems to reduce disease, and add an educational viewing bridge accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act.