Ward Lake Parcel

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Site:

10 Acres (undeveloped)

Park History:

The identification and purchase of a public swimming beach has been a priority for Olympia since the Capitol Lake Park swimming beach was closed in 1985. This closure resulted from water quality issues that could not be managed within State Health Code standards.  

On May 24, 2007 , the City of Olympia Parks, Arts and Recreation Department purchased a 10-acre parcel located on Ward Lake, in Olympia 's Southeast Urban Growth Area. Currently, there is no fresh water municipal swim access in Olympia and this property may well have been the last available site large enough for a community fresh water swim area.

Ward Lake is an aquifer-fed kettle. The lake is 66.8 acres in size, and has 7,031 feet of shoreline. Currently, there is one developed 80-foot wide public access on Ward Lake. The existing public access site is operated by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for sport fishing. Swim access to the lake is currently limited to property owners and homeowner associations with lake frontage.   

The southern 2/3 of the site is flat to gently rolling grassland. The northern 1/3 is a 35% slope descending 65 feet to the Ward Lake basin. The site has 351 feet of frontage on Ward Lake with a northern exposure. The northern-most .96 acres of the property lies within Ward Lake . On its southern boundary, the property has 535 feet of frontage on Yelm Highway.

Future Plans:

The property will be closed to public use until a public swim beach and associated support facilities are developed. The Department anticipates facilitating a public master planning process for the site in 2010 or 2011. Construction will likely not occur for several years.