Publication Summary

The poster was presented during 2009 at the Puget Sound Georgia Basin Ecosystem Conference on February 8-11 in Seattle; the South Sound Science Symposium on May 6 at the Squaxin Tribal Events Center in Shelton; and the Puget Sound Model Open House on June 4 at the University of Washington Center for Urban Horticulture in Seattle.

The poster describes how a three-dimensional model of the marine areas of Budd Inlet and freshwater Capitol Lake system was applied to quantify the effects of human changes.

First, the model described how water circulates in Budd Inlet and Capitol Lake with the dam in place. Next, natural and human sources of nutrients were added into the system to isolate what areas are affected by these nutrients and by how much relative to water quality standards. Finally, a simple Deschutes Estuary was simulated in place of Capitol Lake to quantify the effects of the impoundment on Capitol Lake and on Budd Inlet. Human nutrient sources and the Capitol Lake impoundment affect dissolved oxygen levels throughout southern Budd Inlet.

The modeling effort is a component of a larger project identifying sources of water quality impairments throughout the Deschutes River, Capitol Lake, and Budd Inlet watershed. Ongoing efforts will develop implementation strategies throughout the watershed.