Water Quality Protection

Maintaining good water quality in Hood Canal is critical to the quality of life for our families, the environment and our local economy. Hood Canal isn’t just a body of water or a tourist attraction—it’s where we live, work, and play. It’s vital to work together to make our water cleaner and our environment healthier.

Swimmers, boaters and families that live here want and expect good water quality. Protecting shellfish beds from bacterial pollution is critical to our economy. Water quality is a high priority of the Integrated Watershed Plan, as it is imperative to each of the ecosystem focal components.

A number of HCCC’s activities advance water quality improvements in Hood Canal, including habitat restoration, addressing storm water runoff, and effective wastewater treatment that reduces bacterial contamination and nitrogen loading. In Hood Canal, where the majority of developed properties rely on on-site septic systems (OSS), it is very important that OSS are well designed, regularly inspected, and properly maintained to prevent septic pollution from reaching our waterways. We can all help to decrease pollution by limiting fertilizer use and managing pet and animal waste. We can help protect salmon and improve water quality by retaining natural vegetation along shorelines. Learn more about what you can do at OurHoodCanal.org ».