Puget Sound Sub-basins

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Salish Sea References

• Watershed Characterization Mapper
• The Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
• PRISM Project Search
• Washington Coastal Atlas
• WDFW's Salmonscape Map

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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 (for example, (Kitsap County and Kitsap Peninsula) compared to Hood Canal and West Sound). There is no single system that seems to satisfy all needs. Instead of reporting on each of the different ecological and political systems (including WRIAs, Counties, Lead Entities, Local Integrating Organizations), this page is for describing the various intersections of these systems, knowing that different variations serve different purposes. The PSNERP oceanic sub-basins are used to organize this discussion, as they offer a reasonable water-based starting point developed by an independent interdisciplinary science team. At the end we offer the convention being used by early authors on the wiki, and currently provided in the edit window.

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. A mainland landscape including areas North of Whidbey Basin, including Samish Bay requires some name. Including Samish in Whidbey Basin is contradictory, however the association with Skagit County is clear, and the Nooksack Watershed could be rightfully associated with an area called the Fraser Lowlands, even if across an international border.
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

Current Wiki Convention

The following "Places" are tagged with the sub-basin category, and are offered to wiki users as a system that is consistent with one or more approaches to dividing the landscape.

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 Admiralty Inlet Anderson Creek Watershed Bainbridge Island Bangor Drift Cell Bear Creek Watershed Big Beef Creek Watershed Big Beef Estuary Bioregions Birch Bay Ecosystem Broad Spit Drift Cell Budd Inlet Ecosystem Burley Lagoon Ecosystem Butler Cove Watershed Carkeek to Everett Beach System Case Inlet Catchment Scale Chambers Creek Estuary Chambers Creek Watershed Chehalis Basin Cherry Creek Watershed Cherry Point Driftcell Chico Creek Estuary Chico Creek Watershed Chimacum Creek Watershed Clallam County Clallam River Estuary Clallam River Watershed Columbia Basin Comox Coast Cooper Crest Community Forest Cortes Island Cowichan Watershed Dabob Bay Ecosystem Decker Creek Watershed Deer Lagoon Deschutes Estuary Deschutes River Preserve Deschutes Watershed Dewatto River Watershed Diking District 6 Discovery Bay Ecosystem Discovery Islands Dosewallips Delta Dosewallips Watershed Drayton Harbor Duckabush Delta Duckabush Watershed Dungeness Delta Dungeness River Dungeness Watershed Duwamish Delta East Bay East Dyes Drift Cell East Nooksack Drift Cell East Sound Ebey Island File:Ecosystem sites north jefferson.png File:Ecosystem sites north thurston.png File:Ecosystem sites port susan.png Edmonds Marsh Ecosystem Elwha Delta Elwha Drift Cell Elwha Watershed Fidalgo Bay Ecosystem Filucy Bay Ecosystem Fisherman's Bay Fishtrap Creek Watershed Fraser Lowlands French Slough Floodplain and Watershed Frye Cove Goldsborough Creek Estuary Goldsborough Creek Watershed Grass Lakes Nature Reserve Green Cove Creek Watershed Green-Duwamish Watershed Gulf Islands Hamma Hamma Delta Hamma Hamma Watershed Hardel Plywood Site Template:Headwater Headwaters Henderson Inlet Ecosystem Hoko River Estuary Hoko River Watershed Hood Canal Indian-Moxlie Creek Watershed Island County Jim Creek Watershed Jimmycomelately Estuary Jimmycomelately Watershed Landforms Liberty Bay Little Skookum Ecosystem Lopez Island Lower Columbia-Willamette Lower Skagit Lower Skykomish Floodplain Lower Snohomish River Floodplain Lower Stillaguamish Floodplain Lynch Cove Marshall-Hansen Campus Marshlands Drainage District Template:MasterPlace Methow Valley Mission Creek Watershed Neill Point East Newaukum Creek Watershed Nisqually Delta Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge Nisqually River Nisqually River Watershed Nooksack Delta Nooksack River Watershed North Fork Nooksack Floodplain North Fork Stillaguamish Floodplain Northwest Olympia Watersheds OUR ecovillage Padilla Bay Patch Scale Percival Creek Watershed Pilchuck Creek Watershed Pilchuck River Watershed Piner Point West Point Defiance Drift Cell Port Angeles Harbor Ecosystem Port Gamble Ecosystem Port Susan Bay Ecosystem Port Townsend Ecosystem Puyallup Delta Puyallup-White Watershed Pysht River Estuary Pysht River Watershed Quadra Island Qualicum Coast Quilceda Watershed Quilcene Bay Watershed Quilcene Delta Regions Reiner Farm Reiner Farm/Mother Garden Rendsland Creek Watershed River Deltas Saanich Category:Salish Sea Salish Sea Salmon-Snow Coastal Inlet Salt Creek Estuary Salt Creek Watershed Salt Spring Island Samish Delta Samish Island Sammamish River Floodplain San Juan Islands Scatter Creek Farm and Conservancy Scatter Creek Watershed Schneider Creek Watershed Seabeck Creek Watershed Sequalitchew Creek Estuary Shine Creek Watershed Sites Skagit Delta Skagit Watershed Skokomish Confluence Skokomish Delta Skokomish River Skookum Inlet Snohomish Delta Snohomish Lord Hill Reach Snohomish Watershed Snow-Salmon Watershed Ecosystem South Fork Nooksack Floodplain South Fork Stillaguamish Floodplain South Lummi Island Headlands South Puget Sound South Vancouver Island South Whidbey Island SPU 1008 SPU 2071 SPU 2086 SPU 7086 Squamish Squaxin Point North Drift Cell Stillaguamish Delta Stillaguamish River Strait of Juan de Fuca Sultan River Watershed Sundberg Gravel Mine Sunshine Coast Tahuya Estuary Tahuya River Watershed Tarboo Creek Watershed Teekalet Point Terrell Creek Watershed The Marshlands The Megapolis The Samish Watershed Thomas Creek Watershed Titlow Beach Tolt River Floodplain Totten Inlet Ecosystem Union River Watershed West Bay Watersheds West Camano Drift Cell West Sound Whidbey Basin Woods Creek Watershed

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