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Feb. 17, 2008
External article, Seattle P-I
Stormwater runoff ranked No. 1 Puget Sound pollution problem
Feb. 7, 2008
Sewer improvement project gets under way near Alki Beach Park
Jan. 16, 2008
State grant through Puget Sound Initiative helps King County businesses eliminate pollution
Dec. 28, 2007
External article, Seattle Times
Urban streams in sad shape, report finds
Dec. 27, 2007
External article, Seattle P-I
Fixed city creeks are still foul
Salmon are back, but the water is far from pristine, report says
Dec. 12, 2007
External article, Seattle P-I
No Duwamish debacle in Elliott Bay
Work on removal of toxic materials going well
Dec. 12, 2007
External article, Seattle P-I
Worst contamination from Harbor Island Superfund site will go to landfill
Dec. 12, 2007
External article, Seattle P-I
Hylebos oil spill happened during fuel transfer
Nov. 30, 2007
External article, Seattle PI
Runoff called top pollutant in the Sound
Findings prove what many suspected, and may change priorities in cleanup
 Environmental Indicators for Marine Habitat in King County, WA
 Spot the spawners this fall!
Nov. 13, 2007
External article, Seattle P-I
Returning urban salmon provide a thrill and a lesson
Oct 10, 2007
King County throws a community party to mark end of Boeing Creek Park construction
Sept. 6, 2007
Washington Dept. of Ecology
Cleanup planned for contaminated area on Elliott Bay
July 26, 2007
Get ‘wild’ on the beach - ecology walk, Aug. 11
July 11, 2007
Wastewater treatment utility earns prestigious national awards for environmental protection
July 2, 2007
External Article, Seattle P-I
State committed to saving the Sound
May 31, 2007
Your idea to protect Puget Sound could win $55,000 from King County
May 30, 2007
Draft rules to protect King County shorelines available for review at public meetings, June 5, 6, 7
May 8, 2007
External Article, Seattle P-I
Gregoire signs measure intended to help restore 'sick' Puget Sound
May 8, 2007
External Article, Seattle Times
Ruckelshaus named to lead Puget Sound cleanup
May 8, 2007
External Article, Seattle Times
Puget Sound steelhead declared "threatened"
May 7, 2007
Executive Sims' statement on steelhead listing
May 2, 2007
King County's Wastemobile coming to Shoreline May 11-13
Jan. 24, 2007
Community
open house on Jan. 31 to focus on Brightwater construction
at Point Wells
Jan. 5, 2007
King
County installs temporary surface sewer line near Luther Burbank
Park
Dec. 13, 2006
External Link, Seattle Times
Puget
Sound plan: $12 billion over 13 years
Dec. 12, 2006
King
County watersheds get $1.5 million from state for salmon habitat
conservation, restoration
Dec. 8, 2006
King
County honors winners of 'Radical Salmon' design competition
Oct. 11, 2006
External Article, Seattle P-I
Low-impact
methods have high impact on ecosystems
Rain barrels, green roofs play
a key role in saving orcas
Oct. 11, 2006
External Article, Seattle P-I
Toxic
stormwater is one of the Sound's biggest threats
Knowledge goes only so far in
controlling polluted runoff
Oct 10, 2006
External Link, Seattle P-I
A
rising tide of chemicals and sewage
Modern chemical is now found at
the top of the food chain
Oct. 9, 2006
Investing
in the "infrastructure of our future"
Sims proposes upgrades, repairs
to roads, wastewater and solid waste systems
Aug. 11, 2006
All of King County closed to shellfish harvesting
Life-threatening marine biotoxins
found in north and south county
May 5, 2006
King
County completes Lincoln Park sewer line construction a month
ahead of schedule
National
Clean Beaches Week (external link)
June 29 - July 5, 2006
March. 15, 2006
External Link, Seattle P-I
A big push to clean up Sound
$80 million goal would start with
new parks
» Archived
News and announcements
» King County
Watersheds Map
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The 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 |
|
 Beyond the Beach:
Learn about the Nearshore Environment and what you can do to help protect it from damage.
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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 Programs
The goal of the Rural Forest Program is to encourage the business of forestry and to maintain the forest land base in King County.
Agriculture Program
This program brings together the County's previous efforts to preserve
prime agricultural soils with recent efforts to make agriculture
more environmentally friendly and future programs to encourage the
activity of agriculture.
Basin
Steward Program
A summary of the Water and Land Resources Basin Steward Program,
with contact info on the Basin Stewards. |
