In
the summer of 2001, Japanese oyster seed was planted by volunteers
from White Rock, B.C. to Bellingham on 2 acres of prime mudflat
in Drayton Harbor. These volunteer Farmers of the Tideflats tend
the beds three to four times a year and get involved in other projects
to help clean up pollution in Drayton Harbor. The oysters, 3/8”
long when planted, are now over 7” in length and growing “to
beat the band.” Blau Oyster Farm in Samish Bay has agreed
to purchase this crop in 2004 if water quality is adequately restored
in the harbor. Proceeds from the sale will support ongoing pollution
control efforts in the Drayton Harbor watershed.Our Partners:
Citizens and over twenty private and public groups.
Stormwater Monitoring 2001-2004
Stormwater
from both urban and rural areas can carry bacterial pollutants from
various sources into Drayton Harbor. This can degrade water quality
and make it unsafe to harvest shellfish. Numerous stormwater drains
from the eastern shoreline of Drayton Harbor have been sampled for
fecal coliform bacteria since July, 2001. Stormwater from these
drainages frequently violates freshwater standards for bacteria
and poses an ongoing threat to water quality in the harbor. The
objectives of this project are to identify individual drains which
contribute the greatest bacterial loading and to work with the City
of Blaine to install structures which will reduce bacteria levels
before stormwater is discharged into the harbor. Our Partners:
Citizens, Washington State Department of Health, City of Blaine,
Whatcom County Water ReSources, Pledge Program, Hirsch Consulting.
Educational Signage 2002
Numerous signs were posted in the commercial area of the Blaine
Marina, at the entrance to Drayton Harbor and the Semiahmoo Marina
and at a common anchorage area inside of Drayton Harbor. These signs
alert visiting boaters to the sensitive nature of Drayton Harbor
and the surrounding waters. Our Partners: Horizons
Foundation, Port of Bellingham, Whatcom County, Blaine Seafood Processors,
Semiahmoo Marina.
Tideflat Tours 2002
A
series of field tours were conducted to educate and inform decision-makers
in the community about shellfish restoration efforts in Drayton
Harbor. This program focused on the Blaine City Council and Planning
Commission, Whatcom County Council and Planning Commission, Whatcom
County Marine Resources Committee and the Drayton Harbor Shellfish
Protection District Citizen Advisory Committee. Through this program,
forty individuals directly experienced the rich resources of Drayton
Harbor. Our Partner: Whatcom County Water Resources.
Marine Drive Sewer Repair 2001-2003
Most
of Blaine’s sewage travels through a series of pipes and manholes
along Marine Drive before being pumped over to the wastewater treatment
plant on the Semiahmoo Spit. Funds were raised to videotape an older
portion of this system and to inspect numerous manholes for leaks.
Significant cracks that were detected in sewer pipes and manholes
were all repaired in the fall of 2001. In 2003, sewer lines were
dye-tested for detection of possible leaks to marine waters and
storm water runoff. No leaks were detected, thus eliminating this
potential source of bacterial pollution. Our Partners:
City of Blaine, Semiahmoo First Nation, Washington State Department
of Ecology, Whatcom County WRIA 1 Early Action Funds, Drayton Shellfish
Protection District, Puget Sound Action Team, The Russell Family
Foundation.
Wetlands for Water Quality 2001-2004
There
is quite a diversity of wetland types in the Drayton Harbor watershed.
The 1995 Watershed Action Plan and the 2001 Shellfish District Water
Recovery Plan both speak to the need to identify wetlands which
provide the important function of fecal coliform control. After
two years of investigation, Ecology, partnering with the local community,
has produced a report which identifies key areas for wetland restoration
and education projects in the Dakota and California Creek drainages.
Our Partners: Ecology’s Wetland Restoration Program,
Trillium Corporation, Whatcom County Planning, Whatcom Conservation
District.
Shuckin’ on the Spit 2002 –2004
The
Shuckin’ on the Spit festival has been held successfully for
two years running at Resort Semiahmoo. The goal of this festival
is to raise the community’s awareness of the rich marine resources
that we are blessed with in this area and to enjoy a great seafood
feed. It is a benefit for the Puget Sound Restoration Fund’s
Community Oyster Farm project. At the third annual Shuckin’
event, we hope to be dining on the finest oysters grown in the Puget
Sound, those from our own Drayton Harbor. Our Partners:
Resort Semiahmoo, Trillium Corporation, The Russell Family Foundation.
Blaine Marina Circulation Studies 2003
The
commercial portion of the Blaine Marina continues to have very high
concentrations of fecal coliform bacteria. We completed a series
of water circulation studies in and around this marina. As a result
of these and associated studies, The Washington State Department
of Health has made the determination that this area, though heavily
polluted by fecal coliform bacteria, does not pose a significant
threat to water quality at the Community Oyster Farm site. Our
Partners: Whatcom County Water Resources, Port of Bellingham,
Washington State Department of Health, The
Russell Family Foundation
In
the summer of 2001, Japanese oyster seed was planted by volunteers
from White Rock, B.C. to Bellingham on 2 acres of prime mudflat
in Drayton Harbor. These volunteer Farmers of the Tideflats tend
the beds three to four times a year and get involved in other projects
to help clean up pollution in Drayton Harbor. The oysters, 3/8”
long when planted, are now over 7” in length and growing “to
beat the band.” Blau Oyster Farm in Samish Bay has agreed
to purchase this crop in 2004 if water quality is adequately restored
in the harbor. Proceeds from the sale will support ongoing pollution
control efforts in the Drayton Harbor watershed.Our Partners:
Citizens and over twenty private and public groups.
Stormwater
from both urban and rural areas can carry bacterial pollutants from
various sources into Drayton Harbor. This can degrade water quality
and make it unsafe to harvest shellfish. Numerous stormwater drains
from the eastern shoreline of Drayton Harbor have been sampled for
fecal coliform bacteria since July, 2001. Stormwater from these
drainages frequently violates freshwater standards for bacteria
and poses an ongoing threat to water quality in the harbor. The
objectives of this project are to identify individual drains which
contribute the greatest bacterial loading and to work with the City
of Blaine to install structures which will reduce bacteria levels
before stormwater is discharged into the harbor. Our Partners:
Citizens, Washington State Department of Health, City of Blaine,
Whatcom County Water ReSources, Pledge Program, Hirsch Consulting.
A
series of field tours were conducted to educate and inform decision-makers
in the community about shellfish restoration efforts in Drayton
Harbor. This program focused on the Blaine City Council and Planning
Commission, Whatcom County Council and Planning Commission, Whatcom
County Marine Resources Committee and the Drayton Harbor Shellfish
Protection District Citizen Advisory Committee. Through this program,
forty individuals directly experienced the rich resources of Drayton
Harbor. Our Partner: Whatcom County Water Resources. 
Most
of Blaine’s sewage travels through a series of pipes and manholes
along Marine Drive before being pumped over to the wastewater treatment
plant on the Semiahmoo Spit. Funds were raised to videotape an older
portion of this system and to inspect numerous manholes for leaks.
Significant cracks that were detected in sewer pipes and manholes
were all repaired in the fall of 2001. In 2003, sewer lines were
dye-tested for detection of possible leaks to marine waters and
storm water runoff. No leaks were detected, thus eliminating this
potential source of bacterial pollution. Our Partners:
City of Blaine, Semiahmoo First Nation, Washington State Department
of Ecology, Whatcom County WRIA 1 Early Action Funds, Drayton Shellfish
Protection District, Puget Sound Action Team, The Russell Family
Foundation.
There
is quite a diversity of wetland types in the Drayton Harbor watershed.
The 1995 Watershed Action Plan and the 2001 Shellfish District Water
Recovery Plan both speak to the need to identify wetlands which
provide the important function of fecal coliform control. After
two years of investigation, Ecology, partnering with the local community,
has produced a report which identifies key areas for wetland restoration
and education projects in the Dakota and California Creek drainages.
Our Partners: Ecology’s Wetland Restoration Program,
Trillium Corporation, Whatcom County Planning, Whatcom Conservation
District.
The
Shuckin’ on the Spit festival has been held successfully for
two years running at Resort Semiahmoo. The goal of this festival
is to raise the community’s awareness of the rich marine resources
that we are blessed with in this area and to enjoy a great seafood
feed. It is a benefit for the Puget Sound Restoration Fund’s
Community Oyster Farm project. At the third annual Shuckin’
event, we hope to be dining on the finest oysters grown in the Puget
Sound, those from our own Drayton Harbor. Our Partners:
Resort Semiahmoo, Trillium Corporation, The Russell Family Foundation.
The
commercial portion of the Blaine Marina continues to have very high
concentrations of fecal coliform bacteria. We completed a series
of water circulation studies in and around this marina. As a result
of these and associated studies, The Washington State Department
of Health has made the determination that this area, though heavily
polluted by fecal coliform bacteria, does not pose a significant
threat to water quality at the Community Oyster Farm site. Our
Partners: Whatcom County Water Resources, Port of Bellingham,
Washington State Department of Health, The