Puget Sound Water Quality: Issues and Proposed Solutions

Puget Sound Water Quality: Issues and Proposed Solutions

Brahmi Pugh

 

Introduction

The Puget Sound is the United States’ second largest marine estuary located in the Pacific Northwest. In this paper, the Puget Sound will refer to the entire watershed, including the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Hood Canal and the San Juan Archipelago. It is also recognized by both the United States and Canadian governments as part of the Salish Sea, a major estuary that includes the Strait of Georgia in British Columbia. The Puget Sound is an extremely productive fjord estuary – one that is formed after glacial retreat - creating a unique system of deep basins that can hold extremely large amounts of water compared to other coastal plain estuaries. These deep basins effect water circulation and overall water health. It is estimated that about 2,800 streams flow into the Puget Sound, contributing to an extremely diverse range of flora and fauna.

The Puget Sound is of extreme importance for the native populations of this region, who havefished, sailed and traveled its waters for centuries. The history of tribal sovereignty and land and water rights is a long and complicated one, particularly in this region. However, it is absolutely critical to recognize the people that here on this land, living with this land, and tending to the land and waters long before it became the region we know today. The important and vital relationship that the tribes of the region have with the land is as important today as it ever was, and thus, tribes play a major role in discussion of the Puget Sound Region.

Challenges

The Puget Sound faces many challenges, including population growth, loss of habitat, and pollution. Some of the key health issues in the Puget Sound are acidification, low levels of oxygen, high levels of nitrogen, bacteria and toxic chemicals. These issues pose a large threat to the health of the region, and the majority stem from human activities. Increased fossil fuel use and deforestation cause an increase in carbon dioxide absorption, which in turn damages marine life. Bacteria from human and animal waste make the water unsafe for swimming and fishing. Heavy fertilizer use and runoff from septic systems and wastewater treatment plants contribute to an increase in nitrogen, creating hypoxic zones. Toxic chemicals in our everyday products, such as building materials and the brakes on our vehicles, seep into the water system and accumulate in marine animals. In addition to human caused health issues, the waters in the Puget Sound are also affected by the geographic layout and formation of the sound itself. As mentioned earlier, the Puget Sound was formed as a result of glacial retreat, creating massive troughs that hold large amounts of water. The water circulation and the tides in certain areas also contribute to issues of hypoxia and pollution.

Other major issues in the Puget Sound are the recovery of salmon and salmon habitat, and the recovery of Orca populations. The salmon are a vital species in this region, and a critical part of the food web. The streams, rivers, and creeks that flow into the sound are the spawning grounds for these fish. The health and vitality of the salmon in the Puget Sound is extremely vital to the overall health of the ecosystem. For instance, Southern Resident orcas, whose population is declining and under threat, depend on Chinook salmon for food.

Actions

Cooperation between industries, governments, regional tribes, academics, non-profit organizations, and communities is vital to addressing the issues facing the Puget Sound region.

As discussed in the Winter School, it is necessary to involve all stakeholders in decisions regarding land-use, conservation, resource use and health. The immediate need to address the health and vitality of the Puget Sound has led to various ongoing projects, assessments, restorations and recovery efforts. One such example is the Puget Sound Vital Signs, which are measures of ecosystem health and progress that guide recovery efforts for the Puget Sound region. The six recovery goals – healthy human population, vibrant human quality of life, thriving species and food web, protected and restored habitat, abundant water, and healthy water quality – are expressed with one or more vital sign, which is in turn expressed via a variety of health indicators. For example, the recovery goal “healthy water quality” has indicators such as freshwater quality, marine sediment quality, marine water quality, and toxics in fish. This ongoing project is supported by a network of scientists, environmental managers and monitoring programs that give updates on various indicators of healthy and recovery. Some of the contributing partners are the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Ecology, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon State University among others. Funding for this is provided by the Puget Sound Partnership and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Another example of an ongoing effort to address Puget Sound ecosystem and health issues, is the 2018-2022 Action Agenda. This agenda outlines regional strategies and specific actions that need to be taken, at various levels, to address Puget Sound ecosystem health. The Agenda was specifically designed with the coordination of state, federal, local, tribal and private entities in mind to address human health, water quality, and species and habitat health and restoration.

The Agenda is comprised of two components: a Comprehensive Plan and an Implementation Plan. The Comprehensive plan lays out recovery goals and how different stakeholders can work together to achieve those, while the Implementation Plan details recovery approaches, programs and actions that will help reduce pollution, restore habitats, and open new areas for fishing and recreation. Key intentions behind the creation of this Agenda were to use a “collective impact” approach, to be informed by science, to be an inclusive effort, and to guide effective investment in Puget Sound recovery. A key component of this Action Agenda is the Action Agenda tracker, an online resource that allows anyone to track the progress of ongoing recovery efforts, share information, and tell stories. It is this type of community engagement and accountability that is so important to overall ecosystem health.

Finally, a major effort to address the threats to salmon populations and habitats is the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan. This plan, developed in 2005, is led by the Puget Sound Partnership, a state agency that collaborates with federal, state, tribal and local partners. The Partnership works at both the local and level, and on broader protection and restoration efforts regionally. At the local level, experts in 16 different watersheds developed individual recovery goals, strategies, and priorities, which were int turn made into 16 chapters of the Recovery Plan. As mentioned in the introduction, the tribes of the Puget Sound region have long-standing ties to the waters. Treaties signed in the 1800s and reaffirmed by the Supreme Court in the 1970s grant tribes reserved fishing rights. Tribal involvement in Puget Sound recovery efforts is absolutely essential, and tribes of the region co-manage salmon recovery along with the State of Washington.

Conclusion

The Puget Sound is an extremely important marine estuary that is home to an enormous variety of wildlife, marine life, and human life. Native populations have lived for centuries in harmony with the lands and waters of the region, relying on the abundance of fish, wildlife and other natural resources. Increased populations, development, and expansion have significantly impacted the region. Everyday activities, including farming, building, commuting, daily consumption of goods and countless other human actions have led to a decrease in health and vitality of the Puget Sound waterways. Issues of toxins, bacteria and pollutants as well as threats to salmon populations and habitats are just a few of the challenges facing the region.

However, there are efforts underway already to address these.

As we discussed in our Winter School, it is absolutely necessary for there to be an interdisciplinary approach to tackling our ecological issues. In several of the presentations and panel discussions, the importance of including all stakeholders and involving communities, especially those native to the region, was discussed as a major component of any attempt to address ecological challenges. The success or failure of any conservation, restoration or revitalization effort depends on community involvement, as well as involvement of a wide range of actors, including federal, state, local, tribal and private entities. As is seen in the examples of the Puget Sound Vital Signs, the Action Agenda, and the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan, the emphasis on collaboration and collective effort is a major component of each effort. Particularly important is the collaboration with tribes in the region, whose histories and livelihoods are so tied to the land. While we have only discussed a few of the problems facing the region, and only a handful of the ways these issues are being addressed, it is encouraging to see so many projects and partnerships already underway that have collaboration and inclusion as cornerstones of their strategies. Recommendations for future projects and partnerships would be to continue to emphasize collaboration and multistakeholder engagement. Additionally, continued co-management and collaboration with regional tribes will be absolutely essential to any program success.

 

Sources

https://ecology.wa.gov/Water-Shorelines/Puget-Sound

https://vitalsigns.pugetsoundinfo.wa.gov/About

https://actionagenda.pugetsoundinfo.wa.gov/

https://www.epa.gov/puget-sound

https://www.pugetsoundstartshere.org/Facts.aspx

https://www.psp.wa.gov/salmon-recovery-overview.php

Puget Sound Factbook: 2015 Special Edition for the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound. Puget Sound

Institute at the University of Washington. 2015.