Puget Soundkeeper

Puget Soundkeeper’s mission is to protect and enhance the waters of Puget Sound. We monitor Puget Sound water quality, help set strong policies and regulations that protect our waterways and our health, enforce environmental regulations, engage citizens and businesses in waterway cleanups and recovery projects, educate and involve the public in local water pollution issues, and partner with local and regional groups to advance solutions that protect Puget Sound. Monitoring and Enforcement: Soundkeeper actively patrols the waters of Puget Sound and monitors for pollution. We also enforce the Clean Water Act through legal action. The Clean Water Act of 1972 grants individuals and communities the power to sue under provisions of the Act to bring egregious polluters into compliance with the law. Soundkeeper has a nearly 100% success record in Clean Water Act cases and has filed over 170 cases. A 1993 settlement with the City of Bremerton is directly attributable to the Dyes Inlet shellfish beds reopening for the first time in 40 years. On average, Soundkeeper’s settlements control over 120 million gallons of stormwater annually. To date, Soundkeeper’s enforcement team has awarded over $7.4 million to third party restoration, education and water quality mitigation projects to heal the damage in the affected watershed and provide an incentive for future compliance. Soundkeeper does not receive any settlement money from Clean Water Act cases. Policy and Civic Engagement: We pursue the Clean Water Act’s goals through active engagement with business, government agencies and Puget Sound communities. Stewardship and Education: Soundkeeper is committed to stopping pollution at the source. We partner with businesses to help reduce pollution and host cleanup and education events to involve community members in caring for Puget Sound. Soundkeeper represents our members as we work to protect our shared waters. Become a member today at www.pugetsoundkeeper.org.