Hiram M. Chittenden (Ballard) Locks and Lake Washington level drop

The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks connect Puget Sound to the Lake Washington Ship Canal and regulate water levels between the freshwater lakes (Lake Washington and Lake Union) and the saltwater of Puget Sound. When the Ship Canal and locks opened in 1917, Lake Washington's level was lowered by about nine feet, permanently altering shorelines and exposing former tidelands. The locks also include a fish ladder to allow migrating salmon to pass between the sea and inland lakes.