Local Government Decisions and the health of puget sound

How do the everyday decisions of local governments impact water quality, habitat, and the health of Puget Sound? With a focus on stormwater, land use and routine government operations, local officials will confidently be able to answer the question:

“As an elected official, what should I consider in my everyday decisions to advance recovery of the Sound?”

• How do local government activities impact the health and restoration of the Sound?
• What are examples of local government decisions that make a difference?
• Who are all the agencies working on these issues?

The Puget Sound Partnership, EPA, Department of Commerce, Washington State Association of Counties and Association of Washington Cities sponsored two workshops to help elected officials answer these questions.

During the Sound Choices workshop, participants:

• Heard from other elected officials and learned the questions to ask
• Learned the downstream impacts of weekly decisions
• Found out how to make sound choices that are good for your community, make economic sense AND protect Puget Sound.

The first Sound Choices workshop took place May 29, in Seattle.

Videos of the sessions:

Presentations:

Workshop materials included:
Sound Choices workshop flyer
Workshop Agenda
Issues and solution overview
Links to resources
Scenario 1
Scenario 2
Implementation checklist

The second Sound Choices workshop took place in Wenatchee on June 24th, 2015, during the AWC Annual Conference

Presentations: