WSU Extension Mason County provides outreach and educational resources for the communities we serve. Our research-based publications and workshops offer practical guidance for protecting natural resources associated with streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, estuaries and marine waters.
Learn About Our Water Resources
Washington’s Water
Here you’ll find WSU publications, training opportunities, partner information, research and programs and timely news on important water-related issues.
Watershed Management
Updates and information on water-related issues in Mason County.
What You Can Do to Protect Our Waters
Rain Gardens
Beautiful and functional, rain gardens are built to capture and filter runoff from impervious services (pavement, roofs, etc.). In these gardens, storm-water slowly infiltrates into the ground, – all the while being filtered by the gardens’ plants, bacteria and fungi – rather than running directly into nearby water bodies.
Septic Systems

Properly maintaining your septic system is one of the most important ways rural homeowners can protect local water bodies. Check out WSU extensions’ fact-sheets and videos and find contact info for local septic service providers.
Shoreline Living and the Shoreline Stewards Program
Resources to help residents living on our shorelines protect their neighboring water bodies.
Stormwater and Low Impact Development
Low impact development is the key to protecting the environment while growing our economies and communities.
Recent News
Close call, but Hood Canal may escape a major fish kill this fall, Kitsap Sun, September 7. 2016.
Solutions sought for fish-blocking Hood Canal bridge, Kitsap Sun, August 18, 2016.
Saving salmon in the wild – is chum the king?, WSU News, August 16, 2016.
The Blob That Cooked the Pacific, National Geographic Magazine, September 2016.
Groundwater contamination poses risk to Pacific Northwest ocean waters, study says, OregonLive, August 4, 2016.
Invasive stowaways threaten Puget Sound ecosystem, Encyclopedia of Puget Sound, August 2, 2016.
Hood Canal changes color from growth of white plankton, Kitsap Sun, July 31, 2016.
The proper use of crab pots means extra crabs for the dinner plate, Kitsap Sun, July 29, 2016.
Washington seeks federal protection for Puget Sound, Dept. of Ecology News Release, July 21, 2016.
Killer whale miscarriages linked to low food supply, Encyclopedia of Puget Sound, July 20, 2016.
Sea-Tac International Becomes First ‘Salmon-Safe’ Airport in the U.S., KPLU, June 28, 2016.
Olympia oysters fare better than Pacifics in acidified oceans, Kitsap Sun, June 25, 2016.
Green blacktop fights polluted water runoff, WSU News, June 7, 2016.
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