South Sound Water Restoration is focused on becoming a valuable community organization focused on identifying new and old pollution contributors to Ocean Acidification in and around Puget sound as our population grows. We aim to address past and future pollution issues due to population increases over time that have plagued lower Puget Sound’s Budd Inlet. Our research of the area shows our beautiful Inlet has been closed for shellfish human consumption of any kind for over 40yrs due to pollution problems. Studies have also shown that pollution leading to Ocean Acidification is the same pollutants that prevent our lush native shellfish populations from being consumed. The same Studies have also shown that shellfish populations such as Oysters, Clams, and Muscles are the best and only natural ways to filter Nitrogen pollutants from the water which directly contribute to Ocean Acidification.
SSWR owner/chairman has donated 200 acres of land to conduct Aquaculture farm/study to help aid in future efforts by all local, state, federal agencies and organizations in this area to join arms to study increasing levels and future effects of nutrient pollution and do our part in preserving our environment for future generations. With our land, SSWRP’s goal is to simply be good stewards of the environment and play OUR part in the reduction of Ocean Acidification so that one day previously flourishing areas of beautiful budd inlets natural shellfish beds can be shared for human consumption for many future generations and beyond.
We will focus on two main contributors to Ocean Acidification. We believe in the “Keep It Simple Stupid” methods of identifying and treating such contributors. One of the Largest contributors to Nitrates we believe to be in wastewater, septic, and runoff into our local streams and rivers which end up in our Puget Sound.
Nitrates being a known problem for Ocean Acidification, we have identified that additional septic treatment would play a big role in preventing very high concentrated levels of nutrients from human waste from entering waste-water treatment facilities (which in most cases are not equipped to handle such high concentrated levels of human waste ESP during high water runoff season)
Our First Goal is to use our land to treat & study the Nitrogen levels in our area by partnering with colleges, state & federal agencies, and other organizations by way of restoring historic oyster beds on our land while open a study program in oyster aquaculture to study and measure the effects in budd inlet.
Our second goal is to provide local residents with septic treatment that would offset the influx from local wastewater treatment facilities in Lewis / Thurston & Pierce Counties.