Central Puget Sound Watershed

The Central Puget Sound Watershed of King County includes those areas draining into small creeks that flow directly into Puget Sound, and includes Vashon-Maury Island. Other major river basins that ultimately drain from King County into Puget Sound include the Cedar River-Lake Washington watershed, the Sammamish watershed, the Snoqualmie-Skykomish watershed, the Green River watershed, and the White River watershed. "Puget Sound is the report card for its watershed."

Introduction to watersheds

Community Service Center
Information about the King County satellite office on Vashon - Maury Island in the Central Puget Sound Watershed.

Puget Sound Partnership (external link)
Public/private group working to develop an aggressive 15-year plan to solve Puget Sound’s most vexing problems.

Puget Sound marine topics
Find studies and plans related to the unique, productive, and diverse marine environment of Central Puget Sound along with news and resources, such as tide tables.

Nearshore and marine habitat

Puget Sound Shoreline Stewardship Guidebook
Provides info and contacts for residents of beach and bluff shorelines to learn about natural shoreline protection, manage runoff, use native plants, control aggressive non-native plants, and maintain septic systems in an ecologically friendly way.

Environmental Indicators for Marine Habitat
Learn about the condition of King County’s marine habitat (waters, shorelines and sediments), key influencing factors, King County actions, and how you can help.

Saltwater Shorelines, Life on the Edge Video Series
Watch a video that describes what affects Puget Sound beaches and their habitat, with ideas that beachgoers and shoreline property owners may like to apply to help preserve the quality of saltwater beaches and their ecosystems.

Shoreline Master Program
Learn about King County's program to protect shorelines, promote public access, and establish priorities for shoreline uses along Puget Sound, large lakes, and rivers.

Marine Shoreline Inventory Report
Inventory of selected shoreline habitat features that support juvenile salmonids, presented in part using high-resolution aerial photos with overlays that classify habitat types.

Beach Assessment Program
A report of volunteer marine life surveys conducted at King County beaches.

Inventory and Assessment of Current and Historic Beach Feeding Sources/Erosion and Accretion Areas for the Marine Shorelines of Water Resource Inventory Areas 8 and 9
This report examines an important part of the Puget Sound nearshore ecology: the erosion of bluffs and the transport of sediment to feed beaches. It evaluates where bluffs historically eroded, where the erosion occurs today, and evaluates the expected benefits of removing bulkheads in key areas to re-establish the vital process of sediment erosion-transport-deposition.

Coastal Areas breakout session results, King County Climate Change Conference
Review a summary report describing anticipated affects of global warming on coastal lands in Washington State with proposed adaptation strategies. Also, look up the coastal area session agenda, presentations, and speaker credentials and biographies.

State of the Nearshore Report
The first attempt to provide a comprehensive summary and an assessment of the state of our current knowledge of ecological processes and conditions, natural resources, and ecosystem health in nearshore portions of Water Resource Inventory Areas (WRIAs) 8 and 9.The intent of this report is to have, in one place, a summary of the nearshore ecosystem characteristics in WRIAs 8 and 9 that will serve as a foundation for future technical work and decision making.

Puget Sound Nearshore Environment
The Puget Sound Nearshore Environment. An illustrated presentation.	Beyond the Beach: Learn about the Nearshore Environment and what you can do to help protect it from damage.

Plans and Restoration Projects

Miller and Salmon Creek Basin Plan
Find out about this collaborative effort to solve surface water, drainage and erosion problems in these Puget Sound creek drainages located south of Seattle near SeaTac airport.

Prioritization of Marine Shorelines of WRIA 9 for Juvenile Salmonid Habitat Protection and Restoration
This report brings together biological and geological information to help prioritize where efforts can produce the best results for nearshore habitat improvement, using maps and photos to highlight high quality habitat that should be conserved and damaged habitat that should be restored. Published May 2006.

Elliot Bay Nearshore Substrate Enhancement
A status report on a project to restore nearshore habitat by placing cobble, quarry spall, pea gravel and oyster shell at sites near the Duwamish Head and Seacrest.

Local Salmon Recovery Needs You

Currently, local salmon recovery efforts are taking place in King County in response to the Endangered Species Act listing for Chinook salmon and bull trout. A local group of citizens, stakeholders, and scientists have developed long-term habitat recovery plans for the major watersheds in King County. We are now turning to carrying out the recommendations of these plans to improve the health of our watersheds for people and fish. Salmon habitat recovery information is available for the Cedar and Sammamish Rivers, Lake Washington, and from Seattle to Everett and the Green/Duwamish River, Soos Creek, Newaukum Creek, and Puget Sound cities south of Seattle. Watershed salmon plans, scientific resources, and an overview of the jurisdictions and citizens working together can be found at these pages. We also provide volunteer and grant opportunities.

Elliott Bay and downtown Seattle

Wastewater treatment system

History of King County's Regional Wastewater Treatment Utility
Read how our region worked to keep our lakes and Puget Sound clean and healthy, including the early days of sewage treatment and disposal in King County, the birth of Metro and development of regional facilities to process the waste produced by our metropolitan area.

West Point Treatment Plant
An overview of King County's West Point wastewater treatment plant on Puget Sound.

The Wastewater Treatment Division is working on major improvements to the sewage treatment system serving King and Snohomish Counties. The Brightwater project includes new treatment plant, its associated conveyance pipes, and an outfall to Puget Sound.

Combined Sewer Overflow Control Program
During heavy rainstorms, our combined sewers may exceed their capacity and the mixture of untreated sewage and stormwater is allowed to overflow into Puget Sound and other waters to keep it from backing up into homes and businesses. Learn how King County is working to improve our system to control overflows.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals in the environment
Learn about these natural and synthetic chemicals flushed daily into Puget Sound and discover what King County is doing to protect public health and the environment as the science and our understanding of endocrine disruptors develops.

Hidden Lake Pump Station Replacement and Sewer Improvement Project
Shoreline area project to replace an aging pumpstation and add underground storage of wastewater to reduce sewage overflows into Puget Sound.

Forestry services and information
Find landowner services, advice and help to promote sustainable forestry in King County.

Agriculture in King County, Washington
Find services and resources specifically for farmers in King County, Washington to help agriculture thrive but to minimize environmental damage through common-sense pollution protection and soil conservation.

Basin Steward Program
Look up your basin steward to get help on anything related to the health of lakes, streams or Puget Sound.