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2014 Spring | Natural Science & Restoration, Policy & Regulation

Waterkeepers as Impactful Citizen Enforcers of the Clean Water Act

Student(s):

Amy Hersh

Program or Department(s):

  • Program on the Environment
  • University of Washington

Site supervisor(s):

Katelyn Kinn

Partner(s):

  • Puget Soundkeeper Alliance

Faculty advisor(s):

Beth Bryant, School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, University of Washington

My project involved boat patrols of the Duwamish River and South Lake Union to report pollution incidents, as well as data collection, synthesis and analysis of stormwater discharge data. The data was connected to recent legal cases brought by Puget Soundkeeper against violators of the Clean Water Act. I evaluated how defendants responded to these cases to determine if Puget Soundkeeper is having a positive impact on local water bodies.