West Sound Watersheds

An Abundance of Beaches and Streams

Each watershed in the region has its own unique personality – those characteristics that make it special to live in, for both the people and the wildlife who live here. 

The defining feature of the West Sound Watersheds is its shorelines – over 360 miles of shoreline.  These shores contain islands such as the Bainbridge and McNeil islands, and peninsulas such as the Key Peninsula and Gig Harbor peninsula. There are islands, bays, inlets and bluffs throughout the area.  The tide flats and rocky outcrops play host to an incredible bounty of wildlife.  For salmon, those shoreline areas are a vital nursery area for outgoing juvenile Chinook salmon from throughout Puget Sound.

Another important feature about this watershed is that it’s not just one watershed, but actually a series of nearly 120 watersheds. These small, independent watersheds are each drained by a small to medium-sized creek that flows directly into the Puget Sound.  This contrasts to other Puget Sound watersheds, such as the Green-Duwamish, that are characterized by a single large river that drains a large watershed. These smaller streams are great habitat for salmon such as chum, coho and steelhead.

The Challenges of Bulkheads, Ditches and Barriers

The development of this area has allowed the communities to flourish – but it has provided challenges to the fish and other habitat.

On the shorelines, bulkheads have proliferated. It is estimated that 56% of the shoreline in the area (PDF) is modified by bulkheads, roads, or other structures.  Bulkheads are hard for nearshore habitat in a number of ways.  First, they shorten the beach areas where the so-called forage fish (sand lance, surf smelt, and pacific herring) spawn.  These fish are the base of the foodweb, supporting salmon, Orcas and many other species.  Second, they limit the amount of wood and natural wrack that can be on the beach – which are areas where juvenile salmon can hide from predators and find food.

On the streams themselves, clearing the land for agriculture and development often meant straightening the streams, and cutting them off from off-channel and wetland areas that are vital for young salmon to grow and find food.  Other streams that naturally would have flowed into an estuary were disconnected from the tide.

There are also numerous roads and other barriers that partially or fully block salmon from returning back upstream to spawn. This means that even if there is good habitat upstream, the fish can’t get access it. Sometimes it’s because the water flowing through the pipe is flowing too fast, or because the angle is too steep.

With Community Support, Past Mistakes are Fixed

The communities of the West Sound Watersheds have been brought together with a passion for restoring the health of their fish. Through neighborhood groups, or the larger salmon recovery efforts of the West Sound Watershed Council, people are restoring the many ways that these watersheds need to function.

One area where the community has focused efforts is Chico Creek.  Chico Creek, with its tributaries, is the most productive salmon streams on the Kitsap Peninsula, supporting spawning and rearing populations of chum, coho, steelhead, and coastal cutthroat. This watershed includes 50 miles of stream channels (including tributary streams such as Kitsap Creek, Dickerson Creek, Lost Creek, and Wildcat Creek) and two large lakes (Kitsap Lake and Wildcat Lake).

The Kitsap Conservation District has worked on a number of backyard restoration projects throughout the watershed, and recently a project replaced a road with a bridge for better fish passage at Taylor road.

And right now, a fish passage barrier created by Hwy 3 is being prepared for construction.