Puget Sound Matters

Where is Puget Sound?

The original definition of Puget Sound was assigned by Captain George Vancouver of the Royal Navy in 1792 as all the waters south of Tacoma. Vancouver is best known for his exploration of North America, including the Pacific coast along present-day Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. He named Puget Sound for Lieutenant Peter Puget who explored the southern end. Today the most common definition of Puget Sound is everything from Port Townsend southward, but some consider the waters surrounding the San Juan Islands up to the Canadian waters also part of the Puget Sound system. Puget Sound proper consists of four interconnected basins: The Main Basin is the largest and stretches from Admiralty Inlet to the Tacoma Narrows. The Southern Basin lies south of the Tacoma Narrows extending to the city of Olympia. The Whidbey Basin lies to the east of Whidbey Island and includes the Possession Sound, Port Susan, Saratoga Passage and Skagit Bay. The Hood Canal Basin is the smallest basin and is on the western side of the Sound. Puget Sound is a large estuary, a semi-enclosed body of water where freshwater from rivers and streams flows into the ocean mixing with the salt water. Estuaries are influenced by tides, but are protected from the full force of ocean waves, winds and storms. Estuaries support diverse and unique habitats which are among the most productive on Earth.