How wonderfully wet things are here beside the Salish sea. Whether it is a big fat raindrop dangling off your nose or the impressive volume of a king tide, water is all around us. What is extraordinary about the water here in Western Washington, and all over the globe, is that it is finite.

When you turn on your faucet, the water you drink is essentially the same water a salmon swam in, a seal splashed in, and a stegosaurus slurped up. Before you start worrying about dino germs, know that the water cycle is Nature’s way of allowing water to clean itself.

the water cycle

This is our planet’s way of recycling and reusing Earth’s water supply over and over again. Each molecule of water is made up of atoms — two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom to be exact — H2O. Water molecules tend to “stick” together at room temperature, forming drops of water. Because Earth lies within the “Goldilocks zone” in our solar system, Earth’s temperatures  allow water to exhibit all three phases of matter — solid (ice and snow), liquid (lakes, streams, oceans, and rain), and gas (water vapor).

So it doesn’t take much to cause a molecule of water to journey from one part of the water cycle to another part. As a cycle, there is no true beginning or end, but there are four main parts:

1. 1. Precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, hail)
   2. Accumulation (streams, rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans)
   3. Evaporation (water vapor)
   4. Condensation (clouds, dew)

Graphic courtesy of NASA

Anyone who has spent any time in the Pacific Northwest is familiar with precipitation, water that is falling from the sky. During the fall, winter, and spring, most of our precipitation comes in the form of liquid rain, but some of it falls as solid snow or hail.

Once the falling water reaches the earth, it accumulates as the snowpack in the Cascade and Olympic mountains, in lakes, rivers, or even in the ground. During the accumulation phase, water is available for people, plants, and animals to use. During the summer, the Salish Sea receives very little precipitation, so the plants and animals living here rely on the water that accumulated during the soggy seasons. As mountain snows begin to melt, drip by drip, tiny streams form among the alpine heather and begin their downward journey guided by gravity.

Some water seeps into the soil, giving a drink to the mountain blueberries, and some splashes down a boulder field, letting a hoary marmot quench its thirst. As those drops of water flow downstream, they join up with water drops from other mountain streams to form larger streams and rivers, eventually finding their way to the sea.

These rivers come to life with spring drizzles, and snowmelt fills them to the top of their banks. Salmon make their redds in these rivers, raccoons wash their paws, and hummingbirds sip the spray as rivers tumble over falls.

For many humans in the Pacific Northwest, our drinking water also comes from rivers — the Cedar, Tolt, Skagit, and Nooksack Rivers are a few.

Eventually, as these rivers get close to sea level, they widen and wander their way through farm fields or constructed channels to meet the Salish sea where freshwater and saltwater finally come together.

The Salish Sea is not the final destination, though. As the sun peeks out from behind the clouds, it calls the water molecules to it.

The molecules heat up under the sun’s energy and start to vibrate. When they get excited enough, they go through a phase change from liquid to gas. This is evaporation, when water vapor leaves the earth and rises into the atmosphere. Salts and pollutants are left behind as water evaporates: water’s way of cleaning itself.

The higher the water vapor rises, the colder it becomes. Water vapor does not like the cold. The water molecules find a dust particle to cling to, and through condensation, these tiny droplets collect into a cloud. From this cloud, water will once again fall as precipitation.

Each molecule of water goes on a unique journey. Some water molecules may stay locked away in an aquifer (a body of rock or sediment that contains slow-moving underground water) for thousands of years. Other water molecules in a river may hydrate a bear and then be released in the forest where a tree takes them in. No matter how long water stays in one part of the cycle, it will eventually continue on, relentlessly flowing toward the sea.

all connected

As water flows from the Cascade Mountains and the Olympic Mountains to the Salish sea, it collects things along its way. The faster the water flows, the more it can carry. A river at its peak flow can move rocks and logs, while water that settles into a pond drops its load into the depths.

Living organisms need water to survive. Unfortunately, not all of them have access to clean water. Left to its own devices, the water cycle, in partnership with plants, soil, and rocks, keeps the earth’s water pure. The problem arises when this system is tampered with.

On a hot summer day after finishing a run, you stick a glass under the tap, turn it on, and fill it up with refreshing water. Imagine that, instead, your glass of water is filled with bacteria, algae, and chemicals.

What once starts as pristine mountain water quickly picks up motor oil, dog poop, soap, pesticides, herbicides, and so much more. All of these nasties end up in the Salish sea, the life-giving water for millions of organisms. Although sewage from our homes receives some treatment in wastewater treatment plants before being released, rainwater and what it carries down a storm drain does not.

how you can help

The world’s water is a shared resource and the responsibility of keeping it clean falls on all our shoulders. A few simple actions you can get started with are:

1. Properly washing your car: Wash your car on the lawn, so soap does not go down the storm drain OR go to a carwash that properly handles the soapy water, such as Brown Bear or a Puget Sound Car Wash Association car wash.
2. Caring for your garden and lawn naturally: Instead of using chemical fertilizers and pesticides that run off with the rain, you can apply compost, which slowly releases nutrients into the soil where plants can use it. Check with your city, county, or conservation district for more tips on water-friendly gardening.
3. Pick up after your pets: Dog poo is full of bacteria, micro-organisms, and excess nutrients that are harmful to soil, humans and other animals. When it is left on the side of a trail, sidewalk, or on your lawn, the rain washes these pathogens and nutrients into storm drains and waterways.
4. Caring for your car: Be sure to have your vehicle regularly inspected to check for oil, coolant, and antifreeze leaks and get them fixed.
5. Reduce plastic use: Opt for reusable plastics and water bottles over single use plastics.

While these things are easy for individuals to do, they will not solve the greater clean water issue on their own. A big impact on water quality is land development. Forests and wetlands act as filters to clean water. When land is developed for agriculture, housing, or industry, those filtering properties are lost and new sources of pollution are introduced.

Taking small steps in our everyday life is beneficial but that alone will not ensure clean water for all living things. To make a bigger impact, continue to educate yourself, your friends, and family. You can learn more about caring for the Salish Sea from the Washington State Department of Ecology. Taking action by voting and being involved in policy-making will influence regulations governing care of water bodies and mitigation of land development.

Water connects plants, animals, and people locally, globally, and across time. It is easy for us to take our accessible clean water for granted, and when this happens, we end up abusing it. When we all make it our responsibility to keep the world’s water clean, everyone benefits.

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