Stormwater Threats and Clean Water Solutions for Puget Sound Salmonids

The proposed scientific research project will assess the impacts of toxic stormwater runoff on Pacific salmonids and their habitats in urban and urbanizing watersheds of Puget Sound. Moreover, the effectiveness of pollution reduction technologies (i.e., green stormwater infrastructure) as a strategy to improve water quality and enhance salmon survival in freshwater spawning and rearing habitats will be evaluated. This project will scientifically determine the extent to which ongoing changes in human population growth, coastal development, land cover change, climate change, stormwater runoff, and degraded water quality may undermine efforts to effectively conserve and recover salmon and other living aquatic resources. Furthermore, the project will identify solutions-oriented strategies to mitigate toxic runoff and promote ecological resiliency in Puget Sound.