1992 Puget Sound Update

The 1992 Puget Sound Update is the third annual report of the Puget Sound Ambient Monitoring Program (PSAMP). It reports the results of sampling undertaken in 1991, the most current year for which the data have under gone analysis and quality assurance tests. 

1992 Puget Sound Update report cover page
1992 Puget Sound Update report cover page

Summary

PSAMP is a comprehensive, long-term monitoring program designed to assess the health of Puget Sound, its resources, and the impact of human activities on both. The program is a coordinated effort among six state and two federal agencies to measure sediment and water quality, population levels and contaminant concentrations in fish, shellfish, marine mammals, and birds, and the amount and types of nearshore habitats within Puget Sound.

PSAMP monitors ambient, or background, conditions in Puget Sound to evaluate the cumulative effects of contamination and habitat degradation. PSAMP is not designed to assess the effects of specific dischargers and so does not measure some of the most contaminated sites, which are located at nearshore areas in close proximity to pollution sources. These areas are monitored by other programs. PSAMP complements these programs by evaluating the degree to which the cumulative effects of numerous pollution sources are transported away from their discharges, affecting offshore sediment and water quality.

The 1991 monitoring results provide further evidence of problems detected, in the first two years of PSAMP sampling, point to some new potential problem areas, and provide evidence of water quality improvements, particularly in the quality of fresh water entering Puget Sound.

Download the full report