Watertype Assessment Project Summary
West Sound Watersheds Phase II

During the 2011-2013 water type field seasons, Wild Fish Conservancy crews performed water type assessments on 40 streams that flow directly into Puget Sound at the north end of the Kitsap Peninsula between Indianola, WA and Port Gamble, WA. Also included were Blackjack Creek near Port Orchard and portions of lower Chico Creek near Bremerton, WA (Figure 1). The survey encompassed 128 miles of streams.

WFC conducted water type surveys using the protocols and definitions provided in WAC 222-16-031 and Section 13 of the Forest Practices Board Manual. WFC collected data onlyon properties where permission to do so was granted. During this phase of the project WFC requested permission from property owners to access 1425 parcels. Of these, access for the WFC staff to perform the survey on their property was granted for 406 (28.5 percent) parcels.

WFC documented stream channel location and characteristics, fauna, riparian condition, and restoration opportunities via GPS and photographs. Wetted width, bankfull width, channel gradient, and other data were recorded at each GPS point and are visible, with photographs, by clicking on the points in the interactive map. We present more than 2,660 photographs (with associated channel condition descriptions) on the interactive web-based GIS.