Budd Inlet

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Budd Inlet
View from ISS Expedition 71, Budd Inlet, Washington, June 20, 2024 (ISS071-E-207257) (cropped).jpg
View from ISS Expedition 71, June 2024
Budd Inlet
Budd Inlet
Budd Inlet
Budd Inlet
Location Thurston County, Washington
Coordinates 47°5′39″N122°54′48.7″W / 47.09417°N 122.913528°W / 47.09417; -122.913528
Type Inlet
Etymology Thomas A. Budd
Part of South Puget Sound
River sources Deschutes River
Ocean/sea sources Salish Sea
Max. length6.84 mi (11.01 km)
Max. width1.86 mi (2.99 km)
Average depth27 feet (8.2 m) [1]
Sections/sub-basinsWest Bay, East Bay
Settlements Olympia, Washington

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. [2] [3]

Contents

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. [4] [5] 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. [6]

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. [7]

Looking north over Olympia and Budd Inlet, 1893 Bird's-eye view of Olympia, capital of the State of Washington, overlooking the head of Puget Sound, 1893 (WASTATE 2194).jpg
Looking north over Olympia and Budd Inlet, 1893

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. [8]

Ecology

The inlet is contaminated from historical industrial activity (such as sawmills and plywood manufacturing) taking place in the area over the past century. [9] Inlet sediment samples were found to contain dioxins, dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pentachlorophenol, and metals such as mercury, arsenic, cadmium. [10]

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. [11]

A significant cleanup and restoration project is currently underway, with construction estimated to begin in 2027. [3]

Looking south towards East Bay, August 2018 East Bay, the SE lobe of Budd Inlet.jpg
Looking south towards East Bay, August 2018

See also

References

  1. ↑ Haring, Donald; Konovsky, John (July 1999). "Salmon Habitat Limiting Factors Final Report Water Resource Inventory Area 13". Salmon Recovery Portal. Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. pp. 11, 12. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Deschutes River watershed area: Budd Inlet". Washington State Department of Ecology . Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Budd Inlet Cleanup and Restoration". Port of Olympia. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
  4. ↑ Phillips, James W. (1971). Washington State Place Names . University of Washington Press. ISBN   0-295-95158-3.
  5. ↑ Crooks, Drew (December 16, 2012). "History Behind The Place Name: Budd Inlet". ThurstonTalk. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
  6. ↑ "History of Olympia, Washington". olympiawa.gov. July 27, 2012. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Google Maps". Google Maps.
  8. ↑ Riddle, Margaret (March 8, 2011). "Port of Olympia is formed by public vote on November 7, 1922". HistoryLink . Retrieved June 21, 2025.
  9. ↑ Branch, Harry (October 15, 2024). "Budd Inlet – You don't know what you've got till it's gone". Works in Progress. 35 (4).
  10. ↑ Smith, Sandy. "Budd Inlet Sediments". Cleanup and Tank Search. Washington State Department of Ecology . Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Budd Inlet Closed to Recreational Shellfish Harvesting Due to Biotoxin". Thurston County . May 15, 2025. Retrieved June 21, 2025.

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