Budd Inlet is Puget Sound's southernmost marine water body. It is also the receiving waterbody for the Deschutes River. The inlet is approximately 7 mi long, 1 mi wide at its mouth, and 2 mi wide near its center. At its head lie two small bays, West Bay and East Bay, divided by a peninsula. The city of Olympia lies adjacent to these two bays. A narrow shipping channel and a dredged turning basin for the Port of Olympia is located in West Bay.

The outer portion of the inlet (commonly described as areas north of Ellis Cove) is different in character and habitat condition from the inner portion as a result of the intensity of land use. Rural residential development, including shoreline development is common along the outer portion of the inlet; several bulkheads exist in this area, however, good forest cover also exists. In the inner basin nearer the urban core of Olympia, several marinas line the shoreline on either side of the Port peninsula. Much of the inner West Bay was the site of former lumber and wood products industries that is now vacated and undergoing urban redevelopment.

Most of the stream in inner Budd Inlet flow through Olympia's urban and suburban areas. As a result, significant portions of these streams are impacted by altered hydrology and sedimentation from stormwater runoff. Restoring the health of these urban streams will require not only the repair of the degraded physical habitat conditions, but also reducing stormwater inputs, which is extremely challenging for existing development.

Budd Inlet hosts a diverse run of salmonids in its short streams. Deschutes hatchery chinook frequently stray into various Budd Inlet streams making up the largest numbers of returning fish. The mixed stock coho are, however, most widely distributed among these streams (excluding native cutthroat). Fish surveys by the Washington Dept of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) unfortunately report low coho returns in past decades. Deschutes coho are found in Percival Creek and Black Lake Ditch. WDFW also has observed a small chum presence in Budd Inlet streams, but recognizes that these streams are not historically significant spawning areas for chum.

The marine shorelines are significant habitat for juvenile salmonids according to a recent study by the Squaxin Island Tribe and Herrera.

Description from the Salmon Habitat Protection and Restoration Plan for Water Resource Inventory Area 13, Deschutes. For more information see the previously stated document or the Salmon Habitat Limiting Factors Final Report Water Resource Inventory Area 13.



.