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Budd Inlet
Portion of Puget Sound, in the state of Washington From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Budd Inlet is an inlet located at the southernmost end of Puget Sound in Thurston County, Washington, surrounded on three sides by the City of Olympia.[1][2]
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Etymology
Budd Inlet was named by Charles Wilkes during the United States Exploring Expedition, to honor Thomas A. Budd, who served as acting master of the Peacock and Vincennes.[3][4] A portion of the coast of Antarctica, Budd Coast, is also named for Thomas Budd.
History
Historically, the shores surrounding Budd Inlet were occupied by village sites of the Steh-Chass (or Stehchass), Lushootseed-speaking peoples who became part of the post-treaty Squaxin Island Tribe.
Around 1850, American settlers founded the city of Olympia at the southern end of Budd Inlet.[5]
Geography
Budd Inlet is 6.84 mi (11.01 km) long and has a maximum breadth of 1.86 mi (2.99 km). The southern end of Budd Inlet is divided into two channels – West Bay and East Bay – by a peninsula that was artificially broadened throughout the late 19th and early 20th century. The entrance to Budd Inlet is formed by two peninsulas: Cooper Point, and Boston Harbor, Washington.[6]
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The Deschutes River empties into West Bay just north of Tumwater Falls. The mudflats that existed here were dammed and submerged beneath Capitol Lake in 1949.
During c. 1909 – c. 1911, a deepwater shipping channel was dredged in East Bay to provide deep water access to the Port of Olympia, formed on November 7, 1922.[7]
Ecology
The inlet is contaminated from historical industrial activity (such as sawmills and plywood manufacturing) taking place in the area over the past century.[8] Inlet sediment samples were found to contain dioxins, dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pentachlorophenol, and metals such as mercury, arsenic, cadmium.[9]
On May 15, 2025, as a result of a biotoxin which produces Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning being detected, the inlet was closed to recreational shellfish harvesting.[10]
A significant cleanup and restoration project is currently underway, with construction estimated to begin in 2027.[2]
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See also
References
External links
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