Puget Sound Marine Monitoring
Authoritative source for water quality monitoring data, scientific studies, and marine restoration projects in Central Puget Sound waters of King County.
Marine Monitoring Reports: 1997, 1998, 1999 -2000, 2001, 2002-2003, 2004

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.

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

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.

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.

Brightwater plant siting decision
A 114-acre site next to Route 9 near Woodinville is the site for the new Brightwater Treatment Plant to serve sewer customers in north King and south Snohomish counties for at least the next 50 years.
» News: Route 9 site chosen for Brightwater Treatment Plant

Puget Sound Marine Life Photos
View a photo collection of marine plants and animals including pictures of Puget Sound fish, invertebrates, and algae.

King County Climate Change Plan
How King County seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to projected climate change impacts, and embed mitigation and adaptation into county policy decisions. The plan incorporates issues, goals and actions related to coastal areas.

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.

Shoreline Master Program
Learn about King County's program to protect shorelines on Puget Sound, large lakes and major rivers.

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.

Ask a Beach Naturalist next Summer (external link)
Beach Naturalists can tell you what seastars eat, why barnacles stand on their heads and how moon snails lay their eggs. They know their beach and can help you enjoy it without harming it. Children are especially welcome!

Sea Star Identification Key
Identify common Intertidal "starfish" of Puget Sound.

Juvenile Salmonid Composition, Timing, Distribution, and Diet in Marine Nearshore Waters of Central Puget Sound in 2001-2002
Scientific report essential for protecting Puget Sound salmon from extinction and to recover depleted salmon stocks.

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.

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

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

State of the Nearshore Report
It's no surprise that human impacts have caused big trouble for the marine shoreline environment in King County, but a new first-of-its-kind report released September 5, 2001 is helping to crystallize the extent of the problem.

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.

Central Puget Sound Watershed
Info in King County about Puget Sound and the creek drainages that drain directly to it.

Environmental Laboratory
Collects samples from marine waters, lakes, rivers, biosolids application sites, industries and wastewater treatment plants, and analyzes samples in one of several labs including trace metals, organics, conventionals, microbiology and aquatic toxicology labs.

2000 King County Water Quality Report (368 kb Acrobat file)
Report includes an appraisal of water quality in Puget Sound focusing on locations around treatment plants and combined sewer overflow outfalls.

Fish passage improves at the Chittenden Locks in Ballard
All ocean-bound fish from the greater Lake Washington drainage swim past the locks to reach Puget Sound. Find out what changes are making the locks safer for these young anadromous fish.

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

Combined Sewer Overflow Water Quality Assessment:
Duwamish River and Elliott Bay

Ask a Beach Naturalist next Summer
Beach Naturalists will be on their beaches on low tide days next summer, available to teach about the wonders of local Puget Sound beaches.

Beyond the Beach: Learn about the Nearshore Environment and what you can do to help protect it from damage.

Learn about the Puget Sound Nearshore Environment from this illustrated presentation:

For questions about the Department of Natural Resources and Parks Website, please contact Fred Bentler, webmaster.

Updated: Sept. 15, 2008

Other Natural Resources & Parks Topics

King County Watersheds Map

King County Environmental Links