Lake Washington Ship Canal and Ballard Locks CE-QUAL-W2 Model, Seattle, Washington, 2016–20

This data release consists of a two-dimensional (laterally averaged) hydrodynamic water-quality model (CE-QUAL-W2; Wells, 2025) that simulates hydraulic, temperature, and salinity dynamics of the Ballard Locks and Lake Washington Ship Canal, Seattle, Washington from January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2020. The model’s geographical extent includes the Lake Washington Ship Canal from the western end of Union Bay at Montlake Cut to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks; Lake Union was included as a connected branch in the model. The original model was constructed by WEST Consultants, Inc. (Rinehimer and Walton, 2022) and subsequently reviewed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS; Sullivan and Leach, 2025). This model release includes updates and suggestions from Sullivan and Leach (2025). Sullivan and others (2026) documents the modifications implemented to the model, reports on sensitivity testing, describes the model recalibration, and provides water surface elevation, velocity, water age, water temperature and salinity results from the updated model for calendar years 2016-2020. This model is not appropriate for use other than its intended purpose of simulating observed hydraulic, water temperature, and salinity dynamics for January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2020.