Legacy of the Past; Challenge for the Future

When Europeans arrived in Puget Sound they found a rich abundance of resources that had sustained native populations for thousands of years.

New levels of technology allowed exploitation of these resources at a level that was far higher than ever before, and in a few decades almost all the forests had been cut, some species of animals had been harvested to the point of extinction, and many other populations of animals were in severe decline.

Puget Sound and other waterways were also used as places to dump waste. One of the most difficult legacies of our technological society is the toxic chemical burden it has dumped into our air and waters.

Puget Soundkeeper Alliance tries to eliminate toxic chemicals from our waste streams by focusing on regulations that limit their discharge by many sources:

• Industries
  
• Publically-owned sewage treatment facilities
• Stormwater drainage systems
• Boatyards and shipyards
• Boats and marinas

The Problem:

"Marine life is disappearing from Puget Sound, and fast" (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, October 9, 2006)
"Peter Lang and his buddies like to go diving by Blake Island, just across Puget Sound from West Seattle, where they can scoop up delectable Dungeness crabs. But when they showed up last spring, the lush meadows of eelgrass where crab like to hide were nearly gone..." (more)

"Puget Sound Environmental Issues" (Wikipedia)
"The environmental health of Puget Sound has a diverse and complex history. This article discusses many aspects of Puget Sound, Washington, and how this part of the west coast has a long, involved relationship with its marine and freshwater ecosystems..." (more)

Puget Sound struggles against tide of toxins: The Olympian July 7, 2007, by John Dodge

Brief History of Puget Sound Conservation Efforts (Puget Sound Action Team)

Pollution in Puget Sound

TOXICS IN PUGET SOUND (pdf)
REVIEW AND ANALYSIS TO SUPPORT TOXIC CONTROLS
APRIL 2006
by Scott Redman, Anne Criss, John Dohrmann, Ron Shultz

Status, Trends and Effects of Toxic Contaminants in the Puget Sound Environment: Recommendations- by EVS Consultants for the Puget Sound Action Team, 2003 (pdf)

"Toxic Contaminants in Puget Sound" (John Dohrmann, Technical and Policy Specialist, Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team)
"The industrial history of Puget Sound is only 150 years old. By measuring chemical concentrations from sediment layers in cores, scientists have shown that the concentrations of toxic chemicals in sediments follow the history of discharges..." (pdf)

Historical Pollution: A saga of neglect and unintended consequences

Logging and Siltation

The first major impact by Europeans on the Puget Sound environment was through logging. In 1853, Henry Yesler built the first steam driven mill on Puget Sound; by 1883, William Renton noted that nearly all the timber contiguous to Puget Sound had been removed.

Pulp Mills

The first pulp mills in Puget Sound in the 1920's had devastating effects on the shellfish industry in southern Puget Sound. It was said that it was not necessary to use copper-based paint on boats in areas with pulp mill discharges, for nothing would grow there.

Industrial pollution

State permits for wastewater discharges were not required until 1955. Pulp mills and other industrial dischargers began treating their discharges by the early 1960s.

Modern Sources of Pollution

Point Source Pollution

Point source pollution comes mainly from industrial discharges and sewage treatment plants. Though these facilities are required to have permits to discharge into public waters, a very large amount of toxic materials still enter Puget Sound, other waterways, and our state's air. Here is a link to the state's toxic releases, by industry, for 2005, the latest year available (Learn more...)

"Nonpoint source" pollution

 Nonpoint source pollution is the polluted runoff from the landscape that runs into Puget Sound after a rainfall. It contains oil and grease, pesticides, industrial chemicals, and many other things that can harm Puget Sound. The Environmental Protection Agency has made nonpoint source pollution a priority. (more...)