Lake Washington steamboats and ferries Lake Washington steamboats and ferries Lake Washington steamboats and ferries operated from about 1875 to 1951, transporting passengers, vehicles and freight across Lake Washington, a large lake to the east of Seattle, Washington. Before modern highways and bridges were built, the only means of crossing the lake, other than the traditional canoe, was by steamboat, and, later, by ferry. While there was no easily navigable connection to Puget Sound, the Lake Washington Ship Canal now connects Lake Washington to Lake Union, and from there Puget Sound is reached by way of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. In the 1870s the
Electricity in the Puget Sound region are among the lowest in the nation at an average 7.6 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2016. Historically this has been due to the large supply from public utility-owned sources. Three investor-owned electric utilities in Washington (Avista (formerly Washington Water Power), PacifiCorp (formerly Pacific Power and Light Company), and Puget Sound Energy (PSE)) are regulated by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) which sets rates. Of the three only PSE operates in the Puget Sound area. Public utility districts are independent taxation and regulation authorities and are not regulated by WUTC. All Puget Sound counties except Pierce and King have