The Old Issaquah Waterworks
Did you know Lake Tradition has an inlet stream but no outlet stream? Where does all the water go? It finds a way out - underground. The water percolates through the earth and comes to the surface via various springs on the slope of the north side of the Tradition Plateau.
In the early days of the town, the public works department took advantage of this water resource by constructing a series of catchments, cisterns and pipes to provide water to the residents. If you know where to look, the system's remnants can still be seen. The most easily seen artifact is a pair of concrete cisterns a short distance from the I-90 exit 18 eastbound on-ramp. The photo below shows the cisterns, taken from the slope above, with the freeway in the background. They haven’t been cleaned in a while!
Cisterns of the old Issaquah waterworks, with I-90 in the background. Photo by Tom Anderson.
The view from the on-ramp is more subtle, but the cistern’s upper rim can be seen from the passenger side of a vehicle taking the on-ramp. (Dear driver – keep your eyes on the road).
The view of the cisterns from the i-90 on-ramp (Exit 18). Note: this photo was taken in the winter; it’s a little harder to see through the foliage of summer. Photo by Tom Anderson.
If you are lucky enough to have an old copy of the “Guide to Trails of Tiger Mountain” by William K. Longwell Jr., there is a specific hike description for the “Waterworks Trail,” which went by these cisterns and then skirted along the base of the Tradition Plateau eastward. Sadly, it was a very soggy and difficult-to-maintain trail, so it has been allowed to return to nature.
Back in the early years of the club, hikes to the waterworks were often on the IATC calendar. Here is a description from the 1985 Q1 Alpiner:
As the town grew, more water was needed, prompting many system upgrades. Here is a 1937 Issaquah Press article about a project to add water storage capacity by building a tank not far from these cisterns.
The Issaquah Press, November 4, 1937. (Courtesy the Issaquah History Museums.)
Ultimately, collecting drinking water from surface springs was discontinued in favor of deep wells – a more sanitary approach (still in use). The old waterworks system has been abandoned, but stands as a reminder of the water resources essential to life, and the role of the natural areas around the town that recharge the aquifer we still draw upon.