Puget Sound Sub-basins

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There have been various way to divide Puget Sound into various units over the years. Some boundaries are more distinct than others. Some methods mix political with oceanographic approaches--with political boundaries favoring a "land-centric" view that conflict with a "water-centric" view. There is no single system that seems to satisfy all needs. Instead of reporting all the different systems, this page is for describing the various intersections of these systems, knowing that different variations serve different purposes. Eventually we will shift to a spatial foundation, but for now we describe the sound in words. The PSNERP oceanic sub-basins are used to organize this information.

Sub-Basin	Notes on Usage
San Juan Islands	While this lumps the islands with the Whatcom mainland, it generally describes the influence of the Fraser river outflow, including the Nooksack Watershed and the Samish Watershed as well as the San Juan Islands. The greater San Juan basin includes San Juan County, Whatcom County, and part of Island County and Skagit County
Strait of Juan de Fuca	The boundary between Juan de Fuca and San Juan is a line in the water. Typically Juan de Fuca includes Port Townsend, Discovery Bay and Sequim Bay ecosystems. Where Juan de Fuca ends and North Central begins is defined by the shallower more protected waters of Admiralty Inlet. This system is mostly Clallam County with the northern part of Jefferson County. This area is frequently called the "North Olympic."
Whidbey Basin	While the northern extent of Whidbey is clearly marked by deception pass, the southern boundary with South Central is somewhat ambiguous, and marked by the Snohomish Delta. Island County has been frequently challenged by having their jurisdiction divided into three or four sub-basins, and so Whidbey Island is frequently defined as its own unit, reverting to the "land-centric" view for political continuity. Even if it excludes eastern Whidbey Island it still includes the large Skagit Watershed, Stillaguamish Watershed and Snohomish Watershed, The basin includes Skagit County, Snohomish County and Island County.
North Central Puget Sound	The boundary between North and South Central is fairly ambiguous. There is a sill which generally marks the boundary between the central basin and Juan de Fuca. This area is commonly called Admiralty Inlet. This basin has no large watersheds, and is located between Jefferson County, Island County, and the northern tip of Kitsap County
South Central Basin	The South Central Basin is often divided into the metropolitan East Sound and the sub-urbanizing West Sound, given the difference in governance, development, and economic power. The urban shoreline includes south Snohomish County, King County, and Pierce County, while West Sound is mostly Kitsap County, with a little Pierce County in the south and King County having jurisdiction over Vashon-Maury Island.
Hood Canal	Long skinny Hood canal has a distinct northern mouth and sill, and is consistently mapped as its own unit. Jefferson County lies to the west, Mason County to the South, and Kitsap County to the east.
South Puget Sound	The Tacoma Narrows clearly defines the transition to the shallow South Puget Sound. T

Other A category including the seven sub-basins used by the PSNERP study to divide Puget Sound and surrounding waters.

All Pages

The following pages are flagged with the Sub-basin category:

Place Pages Sorted by Sub-basin

Places in San Juan Islands

Places in Whidbey Basin

Places in East Sound

Places in South Puget Sound

Places in Hood Canal

Places in West Sound

Places in Strait of Juan de Fuca

Places Not in a Sub-basin Whidbey Basin Case Inlet Lopez Island Liberty Bay Salish Sea South Puget Sound Budd Inlet Ecosystem File:Ecosystem sites north thurston.png File:Ecosystem sites north jefferson.png File:Ecosystem sites port susan.png Discovery Bay Ecosystem Port Gamble Ecosystem Port Susan Bay Ecosystem Island County Stillaguamish River Dungeness River Henderson Inlet Ecosystem Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge Fisherman's Bay Teekalet Point Filucy Bay Ecosystem SPU 1008 Titlow Beach Port Townsend Ecosystem Piner Point West Neill Point East Broad Spit Drift Cell East Dyes Drift Cell Elwha Drift Cell East Nooksack Drift Cell Point Defiance Drift Cell West Camano Drift Cell Bangor Drift Cell Padilla Bay Lynch Cove Frye Cove Deer Lagoon Tahuya Estuary Sequalitchew Creek Estuary Pilchuck River Watershed Woods Creek Watershed Snow-Salmon Watershed Ecosystem Terrell Creek Watershed South Fork Nooksack Floodplain Lower Skykomish Floodplain Lower Stillaguamish Floodplain North Fork Nooksack Floodplain North Fork Stillaguamish Floodplain Tolt River Floodplain South Lummi Island Headlands SPU 2071 SPU 2086 SPU 7086 Skokomish Confluence Jimmycomelately Estuary Sammamish River Floodplain East Bay Newaukum Creek Watershed Thomas Creek Watershed Samish Island The Samish Watershed Deschutes Watershed Fishtrap Creek Watershed Nooksack River Watershed Mission Creek Watershed Snohomish Watershed San Juan Islands Skokomish River Hood Canal Jurisdictions The Megapolis Carkeek to Everett Beach System French Slough Floodplain and Watershed Snohomish Lord Hill Reach The Marshlands Burley Lagoon Ecosystem Big Beef Estuary Salt Creek Estuary Pysht River Estuary Clallam River Estuary Hoko River Estuary Skookum Inlet Chambers Creek Estuary Goldsborough Creek Estuary Chico Creek Estuary Salmon-Snow Coastal Inlet Salt Creek Watershed Pysht River Watershed Clallam River Watershed Hoko River Watershed Little Skookum Ecosystem Chambers Creek Watershed Goldsborough Creek Watershed Tahuya River Watershed Union River Watershed Chico Creek Watershed Jimmycomelately Watershed Dosewallips Watershed Duckabush Watershed Dungeness Watershed Green-Duwamish Watershed Elwha Watershed Hamma Hamma Watershed Nisqually River Watershed Puyallup-White Watershed Quilcene Bay Watershed Skagit Watershed Lower Snohomish River Floodplain Fidalgo Bay Ecosystem Cherry Point Driftcell Marshlands Drainage District Jim Creek Watershed South Fork Stillaguamish Floodplain Pilchuck Creek Watershed Port Angeles Harbor Sultan River Watershed Drayton Harbor Municipalities Deschutes River Watershed Scatter Creek Watershed East Sound Chehalis River Basin Green Cove Creek Watershed Decker Creek Watershed Strait of Juan de Fuca Clallam County Indian-Moxlie Creek Watershed Quilceda Watershed Grass Lakes Nature Reserve Sundberg Gravel Mine Butler Cove Watershed Marshall-Hansen Campus Schneider Creek Watershed Bear Creek Watershed West Bay Watersheds Northwest Olympia Watersheds Hardel Plywood Site Rendsland Creek Watershed Dewatto River Watershed Anderson Creek Watershed Seabeck Creek Watershed Big Beef Creek Watershed Tarboo Creek Watershed Shine Creek Watershed Admiralty Inlet Scatter Creek Farm and Conservancy Ebey Island Diking District 6 Birch Bay Ecosystem Dabob Bay Ecosystem Cowichan Watershed OUR ecovillage Reiner Farm Nisqually River Cooper Crest Community Forest Edmonds Marsh Ecosystem Lower Skagit West Sound South Whidbey Island Reiner Farm/Mother Garden Methow Valley Dungeness Delta Snohomish Delta Skagit Delta Quilcene Delta Puyallup Delta Hamma Hamma Delta Duwamish Delta Duckabush Delta Nisqually Delta Skokomish Delta Nooksack Delta Dosewallips Delta Stillaguamish Delta Deschutes Estuary Samish Delta Elwha Delta Cherry Creek Watershed Category:Salish Sea Totten Inlet Ecosystem Bainbridge Island