Puget Sound Starts Here

The Problem Starts Here
“Here” is where each of us live. It’s our backyard. It’s our driveway. It’s our house. It’s our neighborhood. Here is everywhere in the Puget Sound region. But what we do here is having a serious impact on our local waterways and ultimately on Puget Sound.

Our actions on land pollute the Sound with yard chemicals, oil, grease, soap, and bacteria from pet waste and septic systems that are in disrepair. No matter where we live – from Bellingham to Olympia, Bremerton to Snoqualmie Pass, Seattle to Shelton – our daily actions are contaminating stormwater runoff with pollution. This untreated stormwater flows over roads and yards and into storm drains and ditches. It empties directly into streams, rivers and lakes and winds its way into Puget Sound – where it stays.

Puget Sound Starts Here is a partnership of regional governments dedicated to improving water quality in Puget Sound and our local lakes, rivers and streams. We are a consortium of 57 cities and counties – called STORM (Stormwater Outreach for Regional Municipalities), Washington State Puget Sound Partnership and Washington State Department of Ecology.