Deer Lagoon |
| Description, size, location and components of the estuary |
Deer Lagoon estuary covers 950 acres and is located on the north end of Useless Bay in the southwest portion of Whidbey Island. It consists of freshwater marsh, open water lagoon, mudflats and salt marsh. Source of fresh water Four creeks drain into the lagoon and marshes. Lone Creek is ditched and pumped into the lagoon. |
Photo by Kathy Floyd, c. 2004 |
Plants Agropyron sp., Atriplex patula, Cytisus scoparius, Distichlis spicata, Grasses, pasture, Phalaris arundinacea, Rosa pisocarpa, Rubus procerus, Salicomia virginica, Scirpus acutus, Symphoricorpos albus, and Typha latifolia. Man made obstructions to the estuary There are parallel dikes on the east and west ends of the lagoon with emergent marsh on either side. There is a tidegate that allows little saltwater exchange so the marshes behind the dike are mostly fresh water. Ditching, dredging, shoreline armoring and the addition of residential communities on the beach berm have dramatically altered the shoreline of Deer Lagoon. Water from the Useless Bay Golf Course drains into the estuary and has altered the wetlands and streams that feed the lagoon. Description of the historic estuary Historically this was a large open water lagoon with an extensive salt marsh. ResourcesIsland County Estuarine Restoration Program Prepared by Sheldon & Associates, Inc., June 2001 Puget Sound Creosote Awareness project |
More Info
Whidbey Island Estuaries
- 1. Crescent Harbor Marsh
- 2. Crockett Lake
- 3. Cultus Bay
- 4. Deer Lagoon
- 5. Dugualla Lake
- 6. Freeland Park
- 7. Grasser's Lagoon
- 8. Greenbank Farm
- 9. Harrington Lagoon
- 10. Kennedy Lagoon
- 11. Lake Hancock
- 12. Maxwelton Estuary
- 13. Race Lagoon
- 14. Swantown Lake
Camano Island Estuaries
- 15. Arrowhead Point
- 16. Elger Bay
- 17. English Boom
- 18. Livingston Bay
- 19. Triangle Cove