The report provides a synthesis of information describing the geographic extent and severity of estuarine contamination in Sinclair and Dyes Inlets within Puget Sound in Washington State. Summaries of existing data are provided for chemical contamination of sediment and biota, microbial contamination, eutrophication and contaminant sources. Original, summarized, tabulated, and mapped data are presented. The objective of the Data Summaries and Problem Identification report is to provide a mechanism for comprehensively evaluating pollution problems in the more urbanized embayments and for providing a basis for prioritizing corrective actions. A decision making framework is presented for evaluating and prioritizing both sub-areas and specific contaminant sources. The decision making framework includes: a review and quality assurance check of all available environmental data; analyses of spatial and temporal trends of chemical, microbial, and eutrophic contamination; a limited ranking of the problem areas; and identification of data gaps and provision of recommendations for improved characterization of specific pollution sources.

At head of title: Puget Sound Estuary Program. PB90-206533 "This document was prepared by Tetra Tech, Inc., for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region X, Office of Puget Sound under the Sinclair and Dyes Inlets Action Program work assignment of U.S. EPA Contract No. 68-02-4341."--Preface.