Protecting Wetlands under the Puget Sound Water Quality Management Plan

In 1985, the Washington State Legislature responded to growing concerns over the deterioration of water quality in certain parts of Puget Sound, the Northwest’s largest estuary, by creating the Puget Sound Water Quality Authority. The Authority, a seven-member board appointed by the governor, and its staff were directed to develop and adopt a Puget Sound water quality management plan for 1987 and to update the plan in 1988 and 1990.