About Us

We are a University of Washington Tacoma research lab located at the Center for Urban Waters (CUW), located about two miles from the UW Tacoma campus. We are co-located with City of Tacoma Environmental Services and the Puget Sound Partnership. Being housed in one place allows our organizations to collaborate more easily and stay up-to-date with the projects and issues we are all working on. 

UW Tacoma scientists at CUW seek to understand and quantify the sources, pathways, and impacts of chemical pollutants in urban waterways. Highly sensitive analytical tools are used to measure contaminant levels, which can be combined with sophisticated computer models to track pollutant sources and transport in the Puget Sound region. UW students work side-by-side with Urban Waters colleagues, contributing to research teams while gaining valuable training and experience. Members of the Puget Sound Institute work to catalyze the collective actions of scientists, engineers and policymakers to restore and protect the Puget Sound ecosystem by synthesizing and integrating research findings into timely foundations for informed decisions.