Legislative finding—1989 c 85: "The legislature recognizes that King county has a unique urban setting for a recreational fishery and that Lake Washington and the rivers flowing into it should be developed for greater salmon production. A Lake Washington fishery is accessible to fifty percent of the state's citizens by automobile in less than one hour. There has been extensive sockeye fishing success in Lake Washington, primarily from fish originating in the Cedar river. The legislature intends to enhance the Cedar river fishery by active state and local management and intends to maximize the Lake Washington sockeye salmon runs for recreational fishing for all of the citizens of the state. A sockeye enhancement program could produce two to three times the current numbers of returning adults. A sockeye enhancement project would increase the public's appreciation of our state's fisheries, would demonstrate the role of a clean environment, and would show that positive cooperation can exist between local and state government in planning and executing programs that directly serve the public. A spawning channel in the Cedar river has been identified as an excellent way to enhance the Lake Washington sockeye run. A public utility currently diverting water from the Cedar river for beneficial public use has expressed willingness to fund the planning, design, evaluation, construction, and operation of a spawning channel on the Cedar river." [
1989 c 85 s 2.]