Dissolved Oxygen in Marine Waters

By 2020, human-related contributions of nitrogen do not result in

more than 0.2 mg/L reductions in dissolved oxygen levels anywhere

in Puget Sound.

Eelgrass

Eelgrass extent in 2020 is 120 percent of area measured in the 2000-

2008 baseline period

Estuaries

By 2020, all Chinook natal river deltas meet 10-year salmon recovery

goals (or 10 percent of restoration need as proxy for river deltas

lacking quantitative acreage goals in salmon recovery plans) and

7,380 quality acres are restored basin-wide, which is 20 percent of

restoration need.

Floodplains

By 2020, 15 percent of degraded floodplain areas are restored or

floodplain projects to achieve that outcome are underway across

Puget Sound and there is no additional loss of floodplain function in

any Puget Sound watershed relative to a 2011 baseline.

Freshwater Water Quality

• By 2020, at least 50 percent of all monitoring stations with

suitable data have Freshwater Water Quality Index scores of 80

or higher.

• By 2020, achieve a decrease in the number of impaired waters

(303(d) list) in Puget Sound freshwaters.

Puget Sound Ecosystem Recovery Targets

Management of On-Site Sewage Systems

• By 2020, all on-site sewage systems in marine recovery areas and

other areas with equivalent enhanced operation and maintenance

programs are inventoried, 95 percent are current with inspections,

and all failed systems are fixed

• Designations of marine recovery areas or designation of other areas

with equivalent enhanced operation and maintenance are expanded

to 90 percent of marine shorelines not primarily served by sewers.

Marine Sediment Quality

By 2020, all Puget Sound regions and bays achieve the following: Chem-

istry measures reflect “minimum exposure” (i.e., mSQS is <0.1 and the

SCI is >93.3), Sediment Quality Triad Index (SQTI) scores reflect “unim-

pacted” conditions (i.e., SQTI values >83), and no measurements exceed

the Sediment Quality Standards chemical criteria set in the Washington

State sediment management standards.

Orcas

By 2020, achieve an end of year census of southern resident killer

whales of 95 individuals, which would represent a 1 percent annual

average growth rate from 2010 to 2020.

Photo Credits: Left: Flickr - Neil Banas Right: Flickr - Camknows

The Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership Council has adopted the following ecosystem recovery targets, which describe

desired future conditions of human health and well-being, species and food webs, habitats, water quantity, and water

quality. These targets are policy statements that reflect the region’s commitments to and expectations for recovery, or

a trajectory toward recovery, by 2020 based on scientific understandings of the ecosystem. Although targets are not

regulatory, they are designed to guide the work of all organizations and people living in the Puget Sound region.

Updated 7/20/2011

Toxics in Fish

By 2020, toxics in fish are below threshold levels. Target is achieved if

each of the following conditions is observed in monitoring results from

2019 or 2020:

• Bioaccumulative toxics – 95 percent of samples meet the following

thresholds:

» Concentrations of PCBs and PBDEs in Puget Sound herring,

English sole, salmon and steelhead are below adverse effects

thresholds (e.g., 2,400 ng PCB/g lipid and 1,400 ng PBDE/g

lipid).

» Concentrations of PCBs and other biocumulative toxics in Puget

Sound herring, English sole, salmon, and steelhead are below

human-health screening levels (e.g., Department of Health

screening levels for recreational or subsistence consump-

tion rates, currently 33 ng PCB/g and 10 ng PCB/g fish tissue,

respectively for a non-cancer endpoint).

• PAHs and endocrine disrupting compounds – all samples meet the

following thresholds:

» English sole in Puget Sound exhibit no PAH-related liver

disease.

» English sole in Puget Sound exhibit no toxics-related reproduc-

tive impairment.

» PAHs in herring are below an effects threshold.

Insects in Small Streams

By 2020, 100 percent of Puget Sound lowland stream drainage areas

monitored with baseline B-IBI scores of 42-46 or better retain these

“excellent” scores and mean B-IBI scores of 30 Puget Sound lowland

drainage areas improve from “fair” to “good.”

Wild Chinook Salmon

By 2020, we stop the overall decline and start seeing improvements

in wild Chinook abundance in two to four populations in each biogeo-

graphic region.

Phone: 360.725.5444 | E-Mail: info@psp.wa.gov | www.psp.wa.gov

Pacific Herring

By 2020, achieve increased spawning biomass for each genetic grouping

to a minimum of:

» 5,000 tons for Cherry Point stock.

» 880 tons for Squaxin Pass stock.

» 13,500 tons for all other stocks combined.

Shellfish Beds

A net increase from 2007 to 2020 of 10,800 harvestable shellfish acres,

which includes 7,000 acres where harvest is currently prohibited.

Shoreline Armoring

From 2011 to 2020, the total amount of armoring removed is greater

than the total amount of new armoring in Puget Sound (total miles

removed> total miles added); feeder bluffs receive strategic attention for

removal of existing armoring and avoidance of new armoring; and soft

shore techniques are used for all new and replacement armoring unless

it is demonstrably infeasible.

Summer Stream Flows

By 2020, meet the following river-specific targets:

» Maintain stable or increasing flows in highly regulated rivers:

Nisqually, Cedar, Skokomish, Skagit, Green.

» Monitor low flow in the Elwha River after dam removal.

» Maintain stable flows in unregulated rivers that currently are

stable: Puyallup, Dungeness, Nooksack.

» Restore low flows to bring the Snohomish River from a weakly

decreasing trend to no trend.

» Restore low flows to bring the Deschutes River, North Fork Still-

aguamish River, and Issaquah Creek from a strongly decreasing

trend to a weakly decreasing trend.

Swimming Beaches

By 2020, all monitored Puget Sound beaches meet enterococcus standard.

About The Partnership

The Puget Sound Partnership (PSP) was created in 2007 by the Governor and Legislature to recover Puget Sound. The Partner-

ship is mandated to: 1) establish science-based recovery priorities, 2) manage performance toward recovery goals, 3) engage

and enable partners, and 4) advance priority actions (protection, restoration, and pollution prevention). PSP leads the regional

recovery effort for thousands of partners involved in the work – including statutory boards, state and federal agencies, tribes,

local government, citizen groups, businesses, non-governmental organizations, as well as Puget Sound’s 4.3 million residents.