National Park Service

Assessment of Coastal Water Resources and Watershed Conditions at Olympic National Park, Washington (Natural Resource Report Nps / Nrpc / Wrd / Nrtr?2008/068) National Park Service

The purpose of this report is to provide a better understanding of the coastal water resources and watershed conditions within the coastal strip of Olympic National Park (OLYM). To accomplish this task we review the existing literature and summarize what is known about the current condition of the coastal water resources of the coastal strip and the degree to which they may be affected by natural and anthropogenic factors. As a result, this report provides both a status report on water resource conditions as well as an assessment of the present state of knowledge pertaining to known environmental indicators and stressors. We further identify information gaps, topics where data are sparse and inadequate to fully assess resource condition, and make recommendations to fill information gaps necessary to support resource management. While the focus of this effort is on coastal resources within the coastal strip of OLYM, watershed conditions and surface and groundwater in the adjacent watersheds are also considered to a limited extent.