Sacheen Lake, Washington — Neighborhood With Water in the Middle

Sacheen Lake is one of Pend Oreille County's more substantial rural residential communities.

Homes and cabins ring the water south of Newport, with density organized around shoreline rather than city blocks.

Seasonal properties gradually mixed with year-round residences as roads, utilities and commuting improved.

That concentration brings neighborhood-scale problems despite the absence of a municipality.

Residents and local agencies deal with water quality, lake levels, wastewater and development pressure around a relatively confined body of water.

Public infrastructure serves portions of the area while other properties rely on private systems.

Sacheen Lake behaves like a neighborhood.

The lake simply occupies the middle of it.