Puget Sound > Overview

Puget Sound Overview

Puget Sound needs our help. We know that:

• Toxic chemicals are concentrating in the water and entering the food chain. Low oxygen levels caused by failing septic tanks, sewage treatment plants and other pollutants are killing fish in Hood Canal and threatening other areas around the Sound.
• Critical habitat like salt marshes, eelgrass beds and estuaries are damaged by poor development practices and stormwater runoff.
• Oxygen levels in southern Hood Canal plummeted in September 2006, suffocating fish, crab, sea stars, wolf eels, octopi and other marine creatures.
• Low oxygen levels are natural in Hood Canal, but pollution from failing septic tanks, farm runoff and other sources has significantly worsened the situation.
• These and other environmental threats are combining and causing populations of marine birds, fish and marine mammals to plummet. The recent Endangered Species Act listing of Puget Sound steelhead trout as a “threatened” species is another signal that the ecosystem is in trouble. (Learn more about threats to Puget Sound.)

While Puget Sound is sick, it is not dead. Governor Gregoire and our state leaders have demonstrated a serious commitment to saving Puget Sound. But they know that state government can’t do the job alone: local governments, businesses and citizens must join the effort.

And while we will also need support from the federal government for this monumental effort, citizens will play the most important role. We all need to make sure we are knowledgeable about the problems and the solutions for Puget Sound, and we all need to do our part to help restore Puget Sound.

New Puget Sound Partnership Formed

In May 2007, Gov. Gregoire signed Senate Bill 5372 which created the new Puget Sound Partnership to bridge gaps in the highly fragmented system of governing protection and restoration of Puget Sound.

The Puget Sound Partnership is a community effort of citizens, governments, tribes, scientists and businesses working together to restore and protect Puget Sound. Despite its size, Puget Sound is ecologically delicate; and while its symptoms of trouble are not easily visible, they are undeniable and getting worse.

The charge given to the Puget Sound Partnership by Governor Gregoire and Legislature is to create a real Action Agenda that turns things around and leads to a healthy Puget Sound.

The Action Agenda will prioritize cleanup and improvement projects, coordinate federal, state, local, tribal and private resources, and make sure that we are all working cooperatively. We will base decisions on science, focus on actions that have the biggest impact, and hold people and organizations accountable for results.

The Partnership includes a seven-member Leadership Council, appointed by the governor and headed by Bill Ruckelshaus. The Council will be guided on science issues by a Puget Sound Science Panel to bridge gaps in the highly fragmented system of governing protection and restoration of Puget Sound. An Ecosystem Coordination Board, with representatives from all major stakeholder groups, will provide important input as well.

This new Partnership retains the authorities of existing federal, state and local governments, and it doesn't create another layer of government. The new Partnership consists of a Leadership Council of distinguished leaders overseeing the work of an implementation board representing diverse interests, a science advisory committee and executive director and staff.

The Partners recommended a significant increase in state funding for 2007-09 to accelerate progress immediately. They also recommended creating a new revenue stream dedicated to Puget Sound protection and restoration as soon as it is feasible to do so. The act also established the following objectives to help restore, protect and preserve Puget Sound:

• Protect existing habitat and prevent further losses.
• Restore habitat functions and values.
• Significantly reduce toxics entering Puget Sound fresh and marine waters.
• Significantly reduce nutrients and pathogens entering Puget Sound fresh and marine waters.
• Improve water quality and habitat by managing storm water runoff.
• Provide water for people, fish and wildlife, and the environment.
• Protect ecosystem biodiversity and recover imperiled species.
• Build and sustain the capacity for action.
• Engage and educate the public in protecting and care for Puget Sound. The Partners recommended a public-private multi-year effort to build and sustain public awareness and to engage citizens in protecting and restoring the Sound. The 2007 Legislature provided $2 million in matching funds for 2007-09.

For more information on the creation of the Puget Sound Partnership, see RCW Chapter 90.71, Puget sound water quality protection