An island connected to the mainland by dikes forms the northern border of our watershed. The peninsula that forms our western side is home to two large oil refineries which dock super tankers to process Alaskan crude oil. The entire Padilla Bay watershed is about 23,000 acres. About half the agriculture is commercial crops and the rest is in berries, pasture, or orchards. The commercial uses include a small regional airport and a county industrial park.
People are an integral part of the watershed.
The Salish peoples have lived in parts of the watershed for thousands of years. Spanish explorers named the bay in 1791. Since then, more and more immi grants have moved here developing industries in first logging, then farming, harvesting salmon, and mining up the valley. Today, major recreational uses include swimming, boating, shellfish harvest ing, hunting, bird watching, and picnicking. All of the sloughs that now enter the bay fail to meet one or more of the Washington State water quality standards.