Welcome to Skagit County

April 24th, 2012

May 2012 declared Puget Sound Starts Here Month

SKAGIT COUNTY -On Tuesday, April 17, 2012, the Skagit County Board of Commissioners proclaimed May 2012 as "Puget Sound Starts Here Month"

This proclamation will help draw attention to the issue of local and regional water quality, and that our Puget Sound is in trouble. We can make many modest changes that will add up to a net positive result of preventing pollution from entering the Puget Sound via stormwater.

The message behind the "Puget Sound Starts Here" campaign is that "here" is where we live. It's our backyard. It's our driveway. It's our neighborhood. It's our home. But what we do here is having a serious impact on our local waterways and ultimately Puget Sound. Our actions pollute local waterways with yard chemicals, oil, grease, soap, and bacteria from pet waste and septic systems. When rainfall is not absorbed by the ground, it flows over roads, sidewalks, driveways and yards and it picks up these pollutants. This contaminated stormwater goes down storm drains and into ditches, emptying directly into streams, rivers, lakes and ending up in Puget Sound. Approximately 75% of the pollution in Puget Sound comes from stormwater runoff that starts in our neighborhoods.

Puget Sound Starts Here Events
Residents are invited to events around the Puget Sound to learn how they can support the effort to protect Puget Sound.

Hit a home run during Puget Sound Starts Here Night with the Seattle Mariners at 6:10 p.m. Saturday, May 5, at Safeco Field. Visit www.mariners.com/pugetsound to purchase discount tickets.

For a full list of activities throughout the Puget Sound area, visit www.PugetSoundStartsHere.org.

Simple actions you can take
If each of the 4.5 million people living in the 12 counties that make up the Puget Sound region makes even one small change, the combined efforts will have a tremendous positive impact.

Never dump anything - liquid or solid - into a storm drain or drainage ditch.

Fix auto leaks right away and take any used fluids to a recycling center.

Take your car to a commercial car wash instead of washing it in your driveway.

Pick up pet waste regularly - in your yard and on walks - and put it in the trash.

Use natural yard products like compost and mulch. If you use chemical pesticides and fertilizers, follow the directions and use them sparingly.

Store and dispose of household chemicals according to the instructions on the label.

Landscape your yard with native plants and trees that will soak up more rain and slow the flow of runoff.