Ecology Priorities > Saving Puget Sound > What you can do

What you can do

Puget Sound needs our help.

Besides the 2,800 square miles of inland marine waters that make up the Sound, there are 549 streams, rivers and lakes across the Puget Sound region impaired by poor water quality.

More than 60 percent of water pollution comes from things like cars leaking oil; fertilizers and pesticides from farms, lawns and gardens; faulty and aging septic systems; pet waste; and fuel spills from recreational boaters.

Washington Waters – Ours to Protect

Thousands of small, dispersed sources add up to a big pollution problem. Find out “What you can do” to help protect Puget Sound.

Toxic Free Tips

For information about household cleaners that are safer for Puget Sound and can protect the health of your family, see Ecology's Toxic Free Tips Web site.

Puget Sound Shorelines

Explore, enjoy, and learn how to help preserve Puget Sound shorelines. This site includes a property buyer’s checklist to help you and the Sound.

Water Conservation – Be Water Smart, Not Water Short

Water is a valuable resource in Washington. Using our resources wisely will help us fill the needs of people, industries, businesses, and farms, while also keeping fish and other aquatic life alive and well. Puget Sound water users have diverse needs and goals; we must find a way to share limited, fluctuating supplies. Learn how to be water smart.

Green, Clean Boating

If you own a boat, you have responsibilities. Be a Clean, Green boater.

Property Owner Guides

At Home With Wetlands - A Landowner's Guide

Slope Stabilization and Erosion Control Using Vegetation - How to use plants to stop erosion on coastal slopes.

Surface Water and Groundwater on Coastal Bluffs - How to design a drainage control system for your coastal property.

Vegetation Management Guide -  How to manage plants on your coastal bluff.