Drafter
Clerk 06/05/2026
Title
AN ORDINANCE adopting a resolution of intention to re-form lake management district No. 2 in the Lake Geneva watershed and setting a public hearing on the formation of the proposed district.
Body
STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. Lake Geneva is a thirty-acre lake within a one-hundred-seventy-nine-acre watershed, located within unincorporated King County.
2. Lake Geneva is within the Duwamish-Green River Water Resource Inventory Area 9, also known as WRIA 9, and is the headwaters of an unnamed creek that ultimately flows into the Green and Duwamish rivers.
3. Lake Geneva supports swimming, fishing, boating, wildlife habitat, wildlife viewing, and park uses.
4. The development in the watershed is predominantly single family residential and vacant residential land. The Lake Geneva Park, owned by King County, is adjacent to Lake Geneva. The Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife owns and operates a boat ramp on the lake.
5. Lake Geneva has issues with aquatic noxious weeds and invasive plants species, nuisance native vegetation, high water episodes due to lake outlet maintenance issues, water quality and human health problems due to Canada geese, and declining water quality resulting from increased algae growth.
6. Chapter 36.61 RCW authorizes the formation of lake management districts for the purpose of improving the environmental, recreational, and aesthetic values of the lakes within Washington state.
7. RCW 36.61.030 authorizes the county legislative authority to initiate formation of a lake management district by adopting a resolution intention. As relevant in this case, the same procedure is available to continue or re-form a previously formed lake management district.
8. King County has a lake stewardship program promoting lake monitoring and protection activities that also assists communities in the lake management district formation and operation. Through the program, the county and nearby property owners have conducted plant surveys, water quality monitoring and some aquatic plant removal.
9. In 2015 and 2016, through King County Ordinances 18102, 18228, 18282, 18310, and 18325, King County worked with the Lake Geneva property owners to form Lake Management District No. 2 for Lake Geneva. The current Lake Management District No. 2 expired May 9, 2026.
10. The Lake Geneva Property Owners Association and lakeside property owners desire to re-form Lake Management District No. 2 to ensure a reliable funding source and management structure to continue to address the lake’s ongoing aquatic ecosystem issues for the next ten years.
11. The proposed boundaries of the re-formed Lake Management District No. 2 are the same as the current District and are shown in Attachment A to this ordinance.
12. The Lake Management District Plan for 2016-2025 is Attachment B to this ordinance and remains the current plan in effect. If the district is re-formed, the nature of the proposed activities to be undertaken by the district for 2026-2036 is the continued implementation of the existing Lake Management District Plan, Attachment B to this ordinance, with additional focus on managing nuisance native vegetation that inhibits recreational use of portions of the lake, as amended by the updated information in Attachments C and D to this ordinance described in subsection 13 of this Statement of Facts.
13. An addendum updating the estimated annual costs for implementing the Lake Management District Plan for 2026-2035 has been prepared and is Attachment C to this ordinance. An addendum updating the proposed annual cost per parcel in the Lake Management District Plan for 2026-2035 has been prepared and is Attachment D to this ordinance.
14. If Lake Management District No. 2 is re-formed, the District would impose special assessments on lakeside property owners for ten years and use the proceeds to implement the improvement and maintenance activities set forth in the plan.
15. In accordance with RCW 36.61.160, the method of special assessments for the district is proposed to be based on a combination of factors, including relative impact of activities on the lake, the benefit received from the activities of the Lake Management District No. 2, the type and extent of improvements on the property and the proximity of access to the district improvements.
16. Following the enactment of this ordinance, which serves as the King County council’s resolution of intention, chapter 36.61 RCW requires public notice and a public hearing to provide opportunity for the county to evaluate property owner interest in re-forming Lake Management District No. 2.
17. The funding proposed to implement improvement and maintenance activities is to be raised by the district, which would impose special assessments for ten years on lakeside property owners.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. In accordance with RCW 36.61.030, this ordinance, which serves as the King County council’s resolution of intention to re-form Lake Management District No. 2 for the Lake Geneva watershed as described in sections 2 through 7 of this ordinance, is hereby adopted.
SECTION 2. The nature of lake improvement or maintenance activities to be financed by the district include:
A. Managing of nuisance waterfowl, such as Canada geese;
B. Surveying invasive aquatic plants;
C. Controlling or eliminating invasive aquatic plants species including but not limited to purple loosestrife, yellowflag iris, cattails, fragrant water lily root mats, and pondweeds;
D. Managing nuisance native vegetation that inhibits recreational use of portions of the lake;
E. Distributing educational materials to residents about events and best management practices;
F. Preparing and distributing updates to the residents about management activities;
G. Holding annual public meetings with the property owners; and
H. Managing the district by King County, including the costs for the specific reporting specified in this section, as well as administrative costs.
SECTION 3. Special assessments totaling $15,282 shall be collected annually to finance the district activities for ten years, with the total amount to be collected during the life of the district to be $152,820.
SECTION 4. The proposed duration of the district is ten years from the date the District is formed by ordinance.
SECTION 5. The proposed boundaries of the district are inclusive of all lakeside parcels, as depicted in Attachment A to this ordinance.
SECTION 6. In accordance with RCW 36.61.030, a public hearing shall be held on the proposed formation of the district:
Date: Unknown
Time: Unknown
Place: Unknown
SECTION 7. A. As authorized under RCW 36.61.060, the King County council hereby delegates the responsibility for holding the public hearing required under section 6 of this ordinance to the King County hearing examiner, as an officer of the council. In formulating the hearing examiner's recommendation to the council on the re-formation of the proposed district, the hearing examiner shall take comment on the Management Plan, which is attachment B to this ordinance, as modified by this ordinance and the addenda updating the estimated annual costs for implementation, and the proposed annual cost per parcel, shown in the Lake Management District Plan, which are Attachment C and Attachment D to this ordinance, respectively.
B. The clerk of the council or the hearing examiner shall issue the public hearing notices required by RCW 36.61.040.