ABSTRACT
Puget Sound is a fjord-like estuary in Washington State that is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Puget Sound is bordered by several urban, industrial areas that depend on deepwater port facilities, such as Elliott Bay (Seattle), Sinclair Inlet (Bremerton), and Commencement Bay (Tacoma). Sediments are transported into Puget Sound by 12 major river systems, including the Skagit, Snohomish, Duwamish, Puyallup, and Nisqually rivers on the eastern shore. Sediment contamination has received extensive study and evaluation in Puget Sound since about 1980. In the early 1980s several kinds of biological effects were documented in areas of sediment contamination in Puget Sound. Results of the studies of sediment contamination and biological effects led to increased regulatory and public awareness of the contaminated sediment problems in Puget Sound and to the formation of several programs to address those problems. The present Puget Sound Water Quality Authority (PSWQA) was established in 1985 by the Washington State legislature.
