Padilla Bay Reserve, Washington

Tidal Range

Puget Sound tides are mixed semi-diurnal. The two low and high tides are uneven, typically with a very low tide followed by a very high tide, followed by moderate tides. The extreme spring tide daily range in water level is about 12 feet.

River Flow

The Skagit River which formed the delta mud flats of Padilla Bay no longer enters the bay directly. Some freshwater from the Skagit now enters Padilla Bay from the south through the Swinomish Channel. Several small agricultural sloughs empty into the bay, draining the 23,000 acre watershed. The salinity of Padilla Bay hovers around 28 p.p.t. which matches the salinity found in the surrounding Puget Sound/Georgia Basin. The majority of freshwater in the Puget Sound/Georgia Basin comes from the Fraser River in Canada. The Fraser enters the Strait of Georgia about 50 miles north of Padilla Bay.

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