Puget Sound is a deep inlet of the Pacific Ocean in Washington, extending south from the Strait of Juan de Fuca through Admiralty Inlet. It was explored and named by Captain George Vancouver for his aide, Peter Puget, in 1792.
The ninth Puget Sound Update, from the Puget Sound Action Team reports that:Puget Sound Action Team. 2007 Puget Sound Update: Ninth Report of the Puget Sound Ambient Monitoring Program. Olympia, Washington. 260 pp.
"Puget Sound has biological resources which include all of the living organisms which inhabit the marine waters and shorelines. These biological resources are plankton, invertebrates, fish, birds, mammals, and aquatic vegetation, including species that are either residential or migratory."
The abundance of creatures and foliage allowed for the native peoples of the area to thrive and prosper by harvesting it. Many of the problems of Puget Sound originated from explorers and trappers hunting and killing the indigenous species off of which the natives thrived and prospered. In the past 30 years there has been a large recession in the populations of the species which inhabit Puget Sound. The decrease has been seen in the populations of: forage fish, salmonids, bottom fish, marine birds, harbor porpoise and orcas. This decline is attributed to environmental issues in Puget Sound. Because of this population decline, there have been changes to the fishery practices, and an increase in petitioning to add species to the Endangered Species Act (ESA). There has also been an increase in recovery and management plans for many different area species.
The cause of these environmental issues are, toxic contamination, eutrophication (low oxygen due to excess nutrients), and near shore habitat changes. Puget Sound has been affected by urbanization and the toxic pollutants it produces. As a government document regarding this issue says, "A major contributor of these toxic pollutants entering the Sound is the stormwater that runs off our highways, roads, driveways, roofs, parking lots, disturbed soils, and other developed surfaces." They also talk about the loss of habitat. In the last 125 years, Puget Sound has lost or damaged 70 percent of their habitats including the salt marshes, eelgrass beds and the estuaries.
Puget Sound industry Puget Sound, Washington is a body of water lying east of Admiralty Inlet, through which ocean waters reach inland some from the Pacific Coast to complex and intricate system of channels, inlets, estuaries, embayments and islands. Industries in this area include aerospace, military, biotechnology, fishing, electronics, computers, forest products, marine industries, telecommunications, transportation and other commerce industries.
Due to improper storage methods for dangerous chemicals, such as arsenic, areas of soil and aquatic land in Puget Sound are being managed under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).
Standards for the storage and discharge of industry chemicals have improved, and Puget Sound remains vital to the industries that depend upon it, such as shipping ports.http://www.lhwmp.org/home/BHW/reg_review.aspx Ports in Washington are diverse. Governed as municipalities, the ports operate shipping terminals, marinas, docks, and associated infrastructure, such as roads, railroads and parks. The fastest-growing part of Washington ports is industrial development.
Urbanization and population The Puget Sound region has been rapidly growing. According to the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC), a board that plans for growth in the four central counties of the area (Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish and King counties), the combined population of these counties was nearly 3.4 million residents in 2003.
Times have changed since the 1970s, when a billboard in Seattle read "the last person to leave Seattle please turn out the lights".Montgomery (2003), p. 8 Between 1970 and 2000, the Puget Sound region's population increased by 1.3 million people. The 12-county Puget Sound region, including Seattle and Tacoma, has quadrupled to four million people since the 1950s, and the state predicts one million more residents by 2025. The PSRC predicts that between 2000 and 2020 the region will increase by 1.7 million people. Another change the region faces involves the demographics of its population. The segment of its population ages 65 and older is projected to increase by 150 percent, making up 17 percent of the total population by 2040.
The expansion of Microsoft and Boeing has spurred an economic growth in the area. This has major environmental implications, including pollution runoff and the altering of important shorelines. "One-third of Puget Sound shoreline has already been altered".Klinger, Terry, Assistant Professor, University of Washington, Lecture for Society and Oceans. 2005.
Under the Growth Management Act (GMA), local governments plan, coordinate and manage for growth in Washington, while protecting natural resources and public interests. The GMA requires local governments to develop long-term comprehensive plans for land uses in their jurisdictions. Plans must be coordinated with surrounding counties and be approved by a regional board. Finally, as part of the GMA, local governments must address sensitive fish and wildlife areas through Critical Area Ordinances (CAOs).
Hood Canal hypoxia Hood Canal is a fjord off Puget Sound. Hypoxia is a low-oxygen condition occurring in Hood Canal. One overriding factor of this is the underwater topography of the canal. While the shallowest part of the canal is its entrance, where the ledge, or sill, of the canal measures only 150 feet (46 m) deep, the deepest parts of the canal are more than 600 feet (180 m) deep. The Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program (HCDOP) and the United States Geological Service (USGS) are studying Hood Canal circulation, trying to model the tidal circulations and salinity distribution patterns between the canal and Admiralty Inlet. Other factors that, when combined with the constrictive shape, could also influence hypoxia in Hood Canal are:
Pacific Ocean marine water may be entering with a lower oxygen content than historically received. Marine water may be entering at a density lighter than needed to flush out Hood Canal quickly or effectively. Riverine freshwater input has changed—increased or decreased—altering the stratification (water) of Hood Canal marine life. Organic material input may have increased. Light input may have increased (algae growth increases with light, as well as organic nutrient input). Wind currents may have altered water column circulation (Atmospheric circulation).
The picture surrounding hypoxia in Hood Canal is complex; research models point to more than one contributing factor: Nutrient level. Nutrient level is a large issue due to the human impact. The supply of nutrients, primarily nitrates, to the euphotic zone is thought to impact levels of dissolved oxygen. Nutrients feed algae, which under the right conditions, "bloom" and then die and decompose; the entire process requires a large amount of oxygen. This decreases the oxygen in the water column, lowering the dissolved oxygen level.
There are both natural and man-made sources of nutrients. The primary natural source is in ocean water that flushes Hood Canal. Man-made sources include leaking septic systems, storm water runoff, agriculture and various other sources causing nutrient pollution. The presence of nutrients leads to algae growth, which consumes oxygen when the algae die and decompose, contributing to the low oxygen conditions in these waters.
Another factor mentioned by the HCDOP is the influence of the ocean water. The ocean water that enters Hood Canal is like most estuaries: fresh, warm water flows out at the surface and is replaced by cold, salty water at depth. The cold, salty ocean water that enters Hood Canal comes into Puget Sound from the open ocean and has not recently been in contact with the atmosphere. As a result, this water is initially somewhat depleted in oxygen.
Oxygen levels will fluctuate throughout the year; this is due to seasonal changes in nutrient availability, solar radiation, and water column stratification (layers of water of different density, temperature, and salinity). Low oxygen conditions are at their worst in the late summer, after several months of limited flushing and maximum plankton production near the surface. In some years, oxygen becomes sufficiently depleted that animals cannot survive. These kills may occur either locally or over a wide area.
Combined Sewage Overflow Combined sewage overflow (CSO) occurs often in the Puget Sound. CSO occur during rain storms when runoff combines with raw sewage, overflowing pipes and carrying pollutants, harmful pathogens, and excess nutrients directly into Puget Sound.ECY: Washington State Department of Ecology [Internet]. c1994-2014. [cited 2015 Feb 26 2015]. Available from: https://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/hq/rwh.html This is a threat to the biodiversity of marine wildlife as it degrades/damages the marine habitat.COB: City of Bellingham [Internet]. 2015. [cited 2015 March 6]. Available from: ftp://ftp.cob.org/council/packets/1996/09_sep/16/packets/16sep1996_AB12686.pdf Due to high amounts of excess nutrients and water disturbance, there are fewer number of benthic invertebrate species found near CSO outfalls. One of the nutrients found in excess amounts is Nitrogen, which can cause low oxygen level. Excess nitrogen can causes algae blooms which leads to low oxygen level which is dangerous for marine organism that need oxygen. Furthermore, at the outfall the output disturbs the soils, which makes the water more turbid. Turbid water can increase the number of pathogens in the water.USGS: U.S. Geological Survey’s [Internet]. c2015. [cited 2015 March 20]. Available from: https://water.usgs.gov/edu/turbidity.html Many fishes and shellfish can be affected by some pathogens that are naturally found in Puget Sound.Puget Sound Partnership [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2015 March 20]. Puget Sound Marine Waters: 2012 Overview. Available from: http://www.psp.wa.gov/downloads/psemp/PSmarinewaters_2012_overview.pdf High turbidity can decrease light penetration which can decrease food sources for fishes.Minnesota Pollution Control Agency [Internet]. c2015 [cited 2015 March 20]. Available from: https://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/view-document.html?gid=7854 If the turbidity is high enough it can kill fishes and/or affect reproduction and growth. Other pollutants carried by the runoff can have direct harm on many marine organisms and pollute the soils.Encyclopedia of Puget Sound [Internet]. c2012-2015. [cited 2015 March 5]. Available from: https://www.eopugetsound.org/science-review For example, heavy metal buildup can cause physiological and reproductive harm. For example, lead in river otters and spotted sandpiper affect their reproduction.Duwamish River and Elliott Bay Water Quality Assessment Team. 1999. King County Combined Sewer Over Flow Water Quality Assessment for the Duwamish River and Elliott Bay. Seattle (WA): King County Department of Natural Resources; Water Treatment Division & Water and Land Resources Division. Available from: https://your.kingcounty.gov/dnrp/library/wastewater/cso/docs/WQA/80165-LAYOUT.pdf Furthermore, build-up in pollutants has been found to affect fish growth. To reach standards stated in the Clean Water Act, Washington State must have a long-term CSO Control Plan so that 1 or fewer overflow events occur on average in a year.King County [Internet]. c2015 [cited 2015 Feb 19]. Available from: http://kingcounty.gov/environment/wastewater/CSO.aspx
King County: CSO Long-term Control Plan and Integrated Plan Alternative