We must act now to save Puget Sound

Our views

• Published February 20, 2008

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But we've failed, too.

Stormwater runoff into the Sound is largely unchecked. Salmon runs are 10 percent of their historic levels. The magnificent black-and-white orcas that populate Puget Sound on their annual migration are among the most contaminated marine mammal populations in the world. And there are hundreds of acres of toxic hot spots that continue to contaminate the water.

New approach

Recognizing that failure, Gregoire and the Legislature created the Puget Sound Partnership in 2007 with an assignment to reverse the Sound's downward trends by 2020.

The stars are in alignment at the federal level, Dicks said, because the Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other environmental agencies desperately need a win. They've seen other natural treasures like the Everglades and Great Lakes succumb to pollution. The feds recognize that Puget Sound is not too far gone and that they can score a significant environmental victory if they can restore water quality.

Dicks and his agency staff members will, by Sept. 1, develop an action plan that divides the Sound into geographic areas, identifies the major sources of pollution in each and lists the contributory causes. They then will tailor individual strategies for each geographic area, and prioritize and pay for cleanup programs. The Puget Sound Partnership will measure successes and failures and file regular updates with Washington residents.

The plan is practical, rational and does not impose another level of bureaucracy. If Dicks and his staff do things right, they will have no problem convincing the public of the magnitude of the problem and at the same time instill in the public confidence that the state, in concert with the federal government, has developed a reasonable solution.

The stakes are huge. Blow this opportunity and Puget Sound could well be beyond rescue. That would be a tragedy of untold proportion.