April SSSS General Meeting: Why is Budd Bay so Sick? What is being done about it?

For those of us who have the pleasure to venture out into Budd Inlet in the spring and fall, we often find that the water is a baby-poop brown, there are no sea urchins of starfish clinging to pilings, and at times, there are thousands of jellyfish drifting with the tides.

How did Budd Inlet get this way? Why does it not seem to be getting any better? What plans are underway to improve it?

The April 14^th General Meeting will feature three professionals who understand why Budd Inlet is so polluted and who are taking steps to clean it up. Paris McClusky, Executive Director of the Puget Sound Estuarium, will provide a historical perspective and current status of water quality and marine life. Lisa Parks, Executive Services Director at the Port of Olympia, will share what the Port is doing to control pollutants on Port property and their plans for a major dredging operation to cleanup contaminated sediments.  Ben Watson of Department of Ecology’s Water Cleanup section will summarize the recently approved water quality cleanup plan for Budd Inlet that includes critical next steps, including removing the Capitol Lake dam.

Meeting Details

The meeting will be in-person at the Olympia Yacht Club located at 201 Simmons St. NW.     

Doors will open at 6:30 pm and the meeting will begin at 7:00 pm. The meeting is open to both members and non-members, so invite your crew, dock mates, neighbors, and others who are interested in sailing.

Non-OYC members may park in the parking lot on the corner of Simmons and 4th Ave, which is to the east of the Bayview parking lot.

We hope to see you there.