PORTAGE BAY SHELLFISH PROTECTION DISTRICT
ADVISORY COMMITTEE SUMMARY

Scheduled For:

October 23, 2002

Time:

10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon

Place:

Ferndale Public Library, 2222 Main Street, Ferndale, WA

ZIp File of 2002 Summaries

AGENDA

1.

10:00

Public Comment Period

2.

10:05

Review Agenda and Previous Meeting Summary

3.

10:10

TMDL Quarterly Agency Updates

4.

11:50

New Business

5.

11:55

Next Meeting’s Agenda

MEETING ATTENDANCE

Portage Bay Advisory Committee

Others

 

Chris Woodward

Mark Henderson – Department of Ecologys

 

Bas Scholten

Hilary Culverwell – Puget Sound Action Team

 

 

George Boggs – Whatcom Conservation District

 

 

Mike Cochrane – Northwest Indian College

 

 

Courtney Sterkel – Anvil Corporation

 

 

Sharon Roy – Whatcom County Council

 

 

Edward Halasz – Whatcom Co. Health Dept.

 

 

Kasey Ignac – City of Lynden

 

 

Amilyn Stillings- Whatcom County Water Resources

 

DOCUMENTS DISTRIBUTED

MEETING CONTENTS

1. Public Comment Period

Hilary Culverwell introduced herself to the Advisory Committee (AC) and mentioned that she will be taking over Stewart Glasoe’s role as the Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team representative to Whatcom County.

2.Review Previous Meeting Summary and Meeting Agenda

9/25/02 Meeting Summary
Meeting attendees reviewed the meeting summary. There were no suggested revisions.

Meeting Agenda
Attendees reviewed the agenda and Chris Woodward added an agenda item for a City of Ferndale update following the quarterly updates.

3. Discuss High Fecal Coliform Counts in August

Northwest Indian College (NWIC)
Mike Cochrane reported the results of the 3rd quarter water quality sampling to AC members, mentioning that these are almost identical to last quarter’s results. Both Fishtrap and Tenmile Creeks recorded higher TMDL results than the last quarter, but Mike reported most sites were under the TMDL goal.

One AC member raised the question of Department of Ecology (DOE) following up on incidents where unusual fecal results are recorded like in Tenmile. Mike was uncertain about DOE’s procedure for dealing with these high samples, but he noted that they are notified of every high count.

Another member raised the question of whether or not there was sampling on Fishtrap near the border on the same day that Mike saw high counts at the mouth of Fishtrap Creek to attempt to track down the source. Mike noted that these two locations of Fishtrap were not sampled on the same day because the sampling is done by only one person, due to staffing limitations. Currently, the sampling is split up between main stem and tributary sampling to be most time efficient. This also means that upper watershed sampling on the tributaries is not necessarily sampled on the same day as the tributary mouths where they enter the main stem. One member suggested that the sampling sites be separated so that each creek will be measured in its entirety on the same day.

Staff from Lummi Natural Resources are currently beginning work on a drift cell study of Bellingham Bay to examine circulation patterns to get a better understanding of water movement and holding times, as a way to track down fecal coliform (FC) sources.

One AC member requested that this project information be forwarded to Don Lennartson (Department of Health), possibly as part of the quarterly report as this is a project that the AC is interested in becoming involved with.

Mike also noted that the Northwest Indian College Web site is near completion and NWIC sampling results will be available over the Web. He also noted that the USGS will begin a new project examining stream flow and will be establishing 20 new flow gauge stations in the area.

Department of Health
In lieu of Don Lennartson being available to attend this month’s meeting, Ami Stillings supplied the group with the latest set of marine water sampling results through September. She noted that two out of four of the sampling stations in the restricted area currently do not meet NSSP standards and a third meets but is at a threatened status (>30). Prior to the high counts in August, three of the four stations were meeting the standards.

Whatcom Conservation District
George Boggs of the Whatcom CD mentioned that the Department of Agriculture awarded the Conservation District and the Agriculture Preservation Committee with a grant to begin a comprehensive irrigation district management plan. This project will involve the entities setting performance goals, including fecal standards, for Bertrand and Tenmile Creeks.

George also mentioned that the law firm of Gordon, Thomas, and Honeywell (who are also part of the Governor’s Water Team) expressed significant concern for the high fecal counts in August and September. They are currently working with the EPA for funding for a dye test on the fair grounds and mentioned that the AC inform them with any other support that was needed in order to reopen Portage Bay. One member mentioned a need for a response team and action plan to deal with incidents like the one in August.

George notified AC members that Lummi Nation would be applying to the EPA to make the Nooksack one of twenty watersheds in the nation to run pilots for water quality initiatives. If approved, grant money would continue to be available for:

The draft of this document is being circulated and George added that it emphasizes the importance of reopening the shellfish beds and recognizes the efforts of this committee to achieve this goal.

George also expressed concern for the enforcement of the manure ordinance. George mentioned that he received an anonymous tip that five Whatcom County farmers have been illegally spreading liquid manure on corn stubble. George suggested that the AC committee contact the County about enforcing these laws on a more consistent basis, especially expressing the need to get out and monitor what activities are occurring in the watershed.

George also mentioned that the DOE is proposing to drop the Dairy Inspection Program for the upcoming fiscal year. The funding for the Dairy Planners for the Conservation District is also uncertain. Both programs are currently funded through 6/30/2003. Several AC members suggested writing letters to the appropriate legislative groups regarding the committee’s support for these kinds of programs in relation to the reopening of Portage Bay shellfish beds.

One AC member inquired about the Conservation District’s efforts in Fishtrap Creek and AC members were informed that the District is planning to begin a Fishtrap Stream Team like the Bertrand Stream Team. Chris thought there might be funding available through Water Resources to help kick-off the Stream Team.

George also informed the group that 60 dairy farms have certification, which means they are currently implementing their nutrient management plans. All 205 farms will need to be certified, implementing their plans, by December 31, 2003. Less than 10% of dairies are getting notices of corrections, letters of violation, etc.

Department of Ecology
Mark Henderson mentioned that he and Ami Stillings met with the Systems and Operations Supervisor for the City of Lynden, Scott Cheldalin, to discuss the details of a dye study at the Lynden Fairgrounds. The next step involves writing up a proposal for funding this study to present to the city before the project can begin.

Mark also mentioned that the County Health Department did not send out any of the usual 1250 brochures to remind residents to have their septic tanks pumped and the five completed on-site inspections is half of the County’s goal for the quarter.

The County’s loan program for septic system repairs is being phased out, partially due to lack of significant use by the community, but also in part due to a court not upholding a lien County Health had on a loan that was not paid off. The court discharged the loan and Health is concerned about this type of thing happening again as it was a significant loss of money for the County.

Whatcom County Health Department
Ed Halasz gave AC members an update from the Health Department. As part of the follow-up to the high counts seen in August, Ed checked out the various campgrounds and RV parks along the lower portions of the Nooksack. The following is a summary of his findings:

Ed is following up with Curt Mayberry to see how his system is handling the chemical toilet waste. Mayberry has informed Ed that he has documentation that the chemicals he uses in his port-a-potties are septic-system friendly.

Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team (PSAT)
Hilary Culverwell, the new PSAT liaison for the northern sound, Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish Counties, introduced herself to the committee and provided a brief update on some of the upcoming activities the committee might be interested in knowing about.

4. City of Ferndale Update

Chris informed AC members that she would meet with the City of Ferndale on 10/24/02 to discuss the high fecal counts in Portage Bay back in August. Chris and Ami compiled a list of questions to cover during the meeting, including the following items in relation to Ferndale’s water quality:

Miscellaneous Business
Chris mentioned that a formal resignation letter would be sent to Sherman Polinder so that his position in the committee can be filled.

One AC member asked if the Puget Sound Action Team (PSAT) had a documented set of procedures for dealing with high fecal counts so that this committee had a foundation to work from while developing their action plan.

5. Next Meeting’s Agenda