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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNatural Resources January 23 20011 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL Natural Resources Committee January 23, 2001 The meeting was called to order at 9:30 a.m. by Committee Member Dan McShane in the Council Chambers, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington. Also Present: Absent: L. Ward Nelson None Connie Hoag SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS 1. ELECTION OF COMMITTEE CHAIR (AB2001 -023) Nelson moved to appoint McShane by acclamation. Motion carried unanimously. APPROVAL OF MINUTES APPROVAL OF MINUTES FOR THE FOLLOWING MEETINGS: NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE FOR OCTOBER 26 AND NOVEMBER 9, 1999 Nelson moved approval of the minutes. Motion carried unanimously. COMMITTEE DISCUSSION 1. PROGRESS REPORT FOR THE DRAYTON HARBOR SHELLFISH PROTECTION DISTRICT (AB2001 -034) Natural Resources Committee, 1/23/2001, Page 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 Chris Woodward, Drayton Harbor Shellfish Protection District Facilitator, stated her contract was up in December, but was renewed until May 31, 2001. She would work until the County hires a full -time person in the Water Resources Department. Hoag asked if Chris Woodward could apply for that position. Bruce Roll, Water Resources Manager, stated he is working through the hiring process with the Human Resources Division. It will be a union position and posted internally. If a qualified employee of the County does not fill the position, then it would be posted externally, and Ms. Woodward could apply. McShane appreciated the continuity of effort of the Water Resources Division and how it has been managed. Hoag appreciated Chris Woodward's work. She's made tremendous strides. Woodward discussed the executive summary. The Health and Human Services Department has implemented an operation and maintenance program for on -site septic systems. Discussions will begin in February to designate the Drayton Harbor watershed as an area of special concern. Also, Stuart Glasoe from the Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team would talk about the open house held in early December. It was a huge success. It was an educational opportunity for the public to see what's happened in Drayton Harbor for the past ten years. Over 200 people attended. Stuart Glasoe, Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team, stated there was a small amount of discretionary money for public information and education (PIE) activities to pay for some of the cost. Also, the Port provided the facility. The Restoration fund provided money for food. The Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association provided oysters. It was a great success. Everyone in this room and others deserve credit for the effort. It was well attended by people in the Drayton Harbor watershed, Birch Bay watershed, and Canadians from White Rock. It was a good example of what PIE is, which is taking that work into the community and drawing the community into the work. Other things can be done to reach out and involve the public. He thanked the Council for its support and the committee for pulling it off. He hopes it's a sign of things to come. Woodward stated she would update the Council on the project with the Georgia Basin Ecological Initiative Work Group, a cross boundary workshop on technical water quality between the U.S. and Canada. They will meet on February 1 in Canada for an all -day water quality technical workshop for information. It is the first step toward working cooperatively with Canada on coordinated water Natural Resources Committee, 1/23/2001, Page 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 quality issues that affect the Drayton Harbor /Semiahmoo Bay area. They are moving toward getting the information out so people can work cooperatively. McShane asked if there are any commercial shellfish beds in Semiahmoo Bay in Canada. Woodward stated there are not. Woodward stated the Northwest Indian College (NWIC) freshwater sampling program ended September 1 in the Drayton Harbor watershed. There is no funding to continue the water quality monitoring that has been done for the past two years. They would like to bring it back and get more funding to do that. Nelson asked how much it cost. Woodward stated she didn't know the cost for monitoring just the Drayton Harbor watershed. Nelson stated the monitoring had not demonstrated an influence from those creeks. Woodward stated the creeks are not a significant influence. Nelson asked if they want to continue the monitoring. Woodward stated they want more of a source identification monitoring. There are situations in certain areas in Cain Creek and Dakota Creek with hot spots. An example is like what they are doing with the border - monitoring project in Portage Bay. Woodward invited Julie Hirsch to present Drayton Harbor water quality summary. Julie Hirsch, consultant, stated part of the original contract with the Conservation District and the Whatcom County Health and Human Services Department was the water quality assessment using data generated by different agencies. The report was to pull that data together for a more comprehensive view. Information on all marine sampling stations include Port of Bellingham and state Department of Health (DOH) information. Eighty -two percent of the marine stations failed to meet the DOH estimated 90th percentile criteria for shellfish growing areas. Forty -four percent failed to meet the geometric mean criteria. Ninety -two percent had more than ten percent of the samples with fecal coliform counts greater than 43. That would represent the first part of the state class A marine water quality standards. For freshwater stations, which were encompassed by the NWIC data, 70 percent of the samples failed to meet the geographic mean. One hundred percent of the stations had more samples greater than 200 organisms more than ten percent of the time, which is the second part of the class A water quality standard. McShane stated he understood there could be a change in the class A water standard to stop using fecal coliform and use a more specific standard. Natural Resources Committee, 1/23/2001, Page 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 Mark Henderson, Department of Ecology (DOE), stated the water standards are proposed to change, although fecal coliform will still be the standard because it is the standard used by DOH. It will still be used as an indicator. Roll stated there is a proposal to adopt currently existing Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines for water quality recreational guidelines. It is important to separate the standards used to determine compliance with shellfish issues versus those used for other beneficial uses, such as recreational water. The proposal coming forward through to change the standard is related to people contacting disease by being exposed. They are separate standards not geared to shellfish, but human consumption and recreational activities. Hirsch stated her map shows data up to March 2000. Each station includes data for 30 data points, including and prior to March 2000. The circles on the map identify the geometric mean. The squares on the map identify the estimated 901h percentile. The third symbol identifies the percent of samples greater than 43. They looked at rainfall correlation with fecal coliform. The areas most affected by rainfall are stations 12, 3, and around the spit. Other stations didn't show much correlation with rainfall. Some of those areas have discharges during dry weather. There may be chronic sources that mask any rainfall effects. They also looked at tidal influence and found that stations in the western part of the harbor were most impacted during the flood tide. Stations in the eastern part of the harbor and at the mouth were most impacted by the ebb tide. Station eight was a toss up. It would be consistent with the theory of a source at the marina. During the flood tide, they might see effects as the pollution moves around and circulates in the west side of the harbor. It is a possible scenario. For every station, she looked at trends over time. Using all DOH data back to 1991, there is a significant increase in the estimated 90th percentile and geometric mean for station six. In most stations, there was a spike during the winter of 1999. There was an overflow in Blaine on December 15, which may correlate with the spike. One event can impact the DOH data set over a period of time for two years. Nelson questioned the geometric mean if they take out the data on the storm overflow event. Hirsch stated she didn't do that. The geometric mean would come down slightly, but not much. Geoff Menzies, Drayton Harbor Shellfish Protection District Advisory Committee member, stated the estimated 90th percentile statistic would be the one that would be impacted by an event like this. Hirsch stated they are above the standard. She guessed it would come down, but not enough. Natural Resources Committee, 1/23/2001, Page 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 She compiled the same information at the marina. Roll questioned whether similar data was collected during previous intervals in past years during storms, or if there has been more active data collection. Hirsch stated there has been more active data collection. Roll asked if more storm events have been monitored recently. Hirsch stated there is no specific effort to target storm events. Hirsch continued to state that, in the marina, the numbers are particularly high, especially at station E. The geometric mean is in the 90's, which is extremely high. It is near the area of leaks identified by the video inspection. Nelson asked if that is where a lot of the fish boat repairing is going on. Menzies it is the commercial part of the marina. Surface water quality at the marina in Blaine is much worse than Semiahmoo because there is no circulation. Nelson asked if they could punch a pipe through. Grant Stewart, City of Blaine Public Works Director, stated there is a tideflat. They would have to dig a channel. Woodward stated the Port is going to replace a breakwater with one that sits several feet off the bottom to try to improve the circulation in the marina. That will happen this summer. They still need to keep in mind that there is a source issue that they need to deal with. Hirsch continued to discuss the freshwater stations. The map represents the freshwater stations. The circles indicate the geometric mean. The squares indicate the percent of samples collected that exceeded 200 colony units. There are hot spots in Drayton Harbor watershed, including the Cain Creek outfall. That is the hottest spot. The geometric mean is over 300. Dakota Creek above Giles Road is a hot spot. It is a good candidate for source identification because the water quality improves above that location and gets worse below that location. The north forks of Dakota and California Creeks area also high. Those are areas that could be targeted. Cain Creek has high numbers, often above 1,000. She showed trends for Cain Creek. The data only goes to 1988. Cain Creek has gotten worse since that time. The geometric mean may be getting slightly worse. It is not a strongly increasing trend. The numbers are high. The concern for Cain Creek is that it is a Natural Resources Committee, 1/23/2001, Page 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 recreational water and there is a potential for contact, more than the shellfish impact. Cain Creek enters in the Semiahmoo Bay area. Hoag asked if the storm drain feeds into Cain Creek. Menzies stated it goes into Semiahmoo Bay. Hirsch stated Grant Stewart has been investigating it. Hoag asked what is at station E near the Blaine marina and at station 18. Hirsch stated those stations are close to some of the leaks identified in the video inspection. They are in the same vicinity. There hasn't been any cause and effect established. It is the fish processing area. Menzies stated above the station is lift station one, the main lift station, and the main pumping station that pumps sanitary sewage under the mouth of the harbor. There used to be another well that collected the waste coming from the processing area and ran it back to the lift station. There are manholes in the entire system tied to the sanitary sewer system. Hirsch stated the report cards are also in the packet of information. The updated data is on the report card. They have gotten improvement in station 8, outside of the marina, but the numbers are still very high. Nelson asked what the process is after the problems are found. Hirsch stated it depends on the circulation. Nelson asked if Samish Bay has been upgraded. Hirsch stated it could take two years to purge the bad data out of the data sets. Menzies stated that if they can do it in five to ten years, they are doing well. Some areas were downgraded, then upgraded, then downgraded again. Glasoe stated they are talking about the survivability, the time it takes to flush out and renew the good conditions after they've controlled all the sources. Nelson asked if they could ever anticipate reaching serviceability. Glasoe stated that if they control all the sources, they should see the recovery of water quality to those standards. The question is whether they can control the sources to that level. Nelson asked when they can identify all the sources. Natural Resources Committee, 1/23/2001, Page 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 McShane stated one particular source needs to be taken care of, but it is not easy. The video project did not show one big gaping hole, but they can focus on that problem. He asked about other locations where there have been shellfish closures that have recovered. Glasoe stated they've had successes that are directly attributable to source control. Nelson asked how many were of this size. Glasoe stated a few were of this size, but none of this complexity. They need to look at water sources and land uses to make it too complicated. Woodward stated they are eliminating sources one by one. The County Health and Human Services Department came in and fixed septics. DOE also did their dairy farm inspections. Those are all done. It takes time to eliminate the sources. The next project is this sewage pipeline. It has the potential to influence the water quality in the marina and in the harbor. Hoag asked if they saw a significant impact on the numbers when the septic tanks and farms were addressed. Woodward stated they saw a change. Instead of pollution occurring on one tide, it began to occur on another. There was a change in the influence. What's coming into the harbor is now the issue. Menzies stated the DOH sampling was not as intense during the late 1980's and early 1990's. The ebb tide was considered the adverse tide at that time. The focus was on farms and septics. When the closure went through in fall of 1994 and in 1995, it was clear that the adverse condition was on the flood tide. That change preceded the fixes in the septic system. Regarding dairies, there are 18 in the watershed. Nine do not have updated farm plans. Hirsch stated that in looking at data for Port stations, it looks like there were a couple of instances of spikes. On the whole, it doesn't appear that they are getting a great influence into Drayton Harbor from Semiahmoo Bay. Also, the adverse tide appears to be ebb tide, not flood tide. She cautioned that the data set is small. The Port just started collecting that data in 1999. There are new developments for the data management group. (Clerk's Note: End of tape one, side A.) Hirsch stated the Port of Bellingham and DOH have agreed to sample together. It will help in coordination and data quality. Also, there is a group of agencies to work on a Clean Water Centennial Grant for Pledge Program education that would target shellfish areas. Marinas would be targeted. There is another Natural Resources Committee, 1/23/2001, Page 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 pledge for small farms. She urged the Council to support those efforts. It would address groups that haven't been addressed. McShane asked if the funding is for PIE activities. Hirsch stated they didn't get PIE money. This is a different group. Woodward introduced Grant Stewart from the City of Blaine. Grant Stewart, Blaine Public Works Director, stated he was feeling better about the program response to fecal coliform problems. Little is known about fecal mortality rate. It's possible that the cloudy water in the Blaine marina might eliminate a mechanism to kill fecal bacteria. Low dissolved oxygen might affect the predators of these bacteria. A little spill might last longer in cloudy stagnant water. That view is different than an ongoing source problem. It is a condition of a lingering source that accumulates. There is some evidence that fecal stay with sediments. Re- suspension of sediments with changing tides might bear new information about the fecals. There is not funding out there to do more extensive scientific analysis. DOE's new effort for the total maximum daily load (TMDL) study ranks Drayton Harbor among the highest in the category for receiving waters that are a federally- impaired classification. Drayton Harbor will receive new focus and opportunities for funding. Perhaps those broader topics could be explored then. He's looking for a breakthrough from new information. He wonders daily what to do to solve the puzzle. Regarding Cain Creek, he was alarmed at the high fecal numbers in a drainage that discharges immediately adjacent to the Cain Creek pipe, a 60 -inch pipe. There is another 30 -inch pipe right next to it. He began working on the 30 -inch pipe because there is a more manageable amount of acreage in the drainage area. He sampled five locations up the pipe. They found one hot sample at a place where an open ditch dumps into the pipe system. There was evidence of yard waste and animal feces in the ditch. He looked for illegal trailers, illegal dumping, and failing septic systems. There are no easy leads. He will do more sampling and try to find the source. For the first year ever, Blaine has not had an overflow. They have had a low amount of rainfall, which plays a role. He invited the councilmembers to go to the lift station to see the storage station for overflows. There are inflatable bladder tanks and an elaborate piping system. He submitted a plan to DOE. They haven't tried it yet, but are ready to use it. They bought a large pump to fill the tanks. They've used the pump to de -water the excavation at the old treatment plant site to help the Lummi's do slope stabilization. The issues related to their plant are still evolving. They now have a working draft of a feasibility study to relocate the plant to a regional location with the Birch Bay Water and Sewer District. It is an expensive idea with many pipelines and pump stations. They are not near implementation, but postulating whether they can go there. There are some benefits for Drayton Harbor water quality, but it would possibly eliminate a harbor Natural Resources Committee, 1/23/2001, Page 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 crossing and the discharge from their wastewater treatment plan in a path to make it back to Drayton Harbor. This would bode well for fecal coliform and other parameters that are the focus of the TMDL impaired water body emphasis, which are ammonia and low dissolved oxygen. He refocused his staff to address the water quality and stormwater issues that will benefit the fecal coliform issue. He hired a compliance coordinator at the wastewater treatment plant. He reassigned a fraction of his street staff to do ditch and catch basin cleaning. There is more street sweeping activity as part of the new stormwater utility fee. They collect a fee of $4 per resident and $200 per new connection. The revenue goes to new capital construction to bring stormwater control to areas that are under - served and are also the areas that have high inflow and infiltration into the sanitary system. The catch basin cleaning will remove some fecal pet material that may be contributing to Cain Creek puzzle. They started collecting fees in March 2000. Other things are going on in Blaine. They are trying to replace the lift station and put in permanent equalization storage. He has engineering studies on how to pressure test the force main that goes under the harbor. He has a study on how to enhance the cathodic protection system that eliminates corrosion of the steel pipe. They have to find money to do work on lots of competing projects. He is seeking federal grant money from several funds. Hirsch asked if Mr. Stewart was able to get any idea on how folks were complying with the new pet waste ordinance. Stewart stated it has not been enforced to any great extent. The objective of the program is for the city to further develop its education efforts and expand the mutt mitts stations and disposal places. They have to educate the homeowners who put the pet waste in the drainage shed. He was opposed to hard enforcement without education and incentives. They need to go hand to hand or else they create enemies in the community instead of advocates. Blaine is committed to carrying out the goals of the Drayton Harbor Shellfish program. Hoag asked if Mr. Stewart investigated the claim that there is an interconnect between stormwater and sewer pipes in the Cain Creek area. Stewart stated he believes that this individual lacks credibility because of many of his other stories and observations that have not been true. He has not directed resources to look at that. Hoag stated she read something about the marina having a place where boats could empty their sewage. She questioned whether there are any live - aboards in that area and if there is a way of controlling recreational or commercial boats from emptying sewage into that area. Stewart stated he believed the Port installed additional pump -out stations and signs. The city changed the rate structure to provide incentive to the Port to create more stations instead of fewer stations. There are flow meters on the stations, but no way to correlate flow with Natural Resources Committee, 1/23/2001, Page 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 use. He's attempted to collect data from the border patrol to get a handle on what foreign ships come into the Blaine port and the shipping traffic for the larger boats. There was one past occurrence where the former director responded to a pipeline break in the harbor, but it was just a commercial boat dumping its bilge contents while going out of the harbor. There has been debate and dialogue around the state and country on how to deal with that source. He's talked to a pleasure cruise director on a huge cruise boat that has a population similar to Blaine. That is a huge aspect and cost of running a ship like that. There are international rules about where they can discharge in open waters. Their business is highly scrutinized and regulated. Hoag asked if there are live - aboards in the Blaine marina. Stewart stated there are. Hoag asked if there are rules for dumping. McShane stated that is a question for the Port of Bellingham. Stewart stated the Port responded that there is a conflict between what the Coast Guard can do and what health people can do, and there are no guidelines for doing onboard inspections. Hoag stated she didn't want to overlook potential sources. Woodward stated there is anywhere from six to nine live - aboards at this time. In the progress report, there is a task to increase the number of sanitation devices, including pump out stations and dump stations. Port staff asked the owner of each vessel to respond to a survey detailing the types of marine sanitation devices installed. The Port provides a lot of educational information and does signage that says the Blaine marina is a zero discharge area. Woodward introduced Mark Henderson, DOE, to discuss the TREE project and Blaine seafood processor permit. Henderson stated the Blaine Seafood Processor is due to have a new NPDES permit issued in a month or two. They have put it out for comment and received comment. One difference is a requirement for disinfection for their effluent. It hasn't been done in the past because seafood processors don't expect to see fecal coliform in effluent. It doesn't normally live in a fish's gut. However, they continue to have high counts in their effluent, so there will be a compliance schedule for a designed system. They could chlorinate then de- chlorinate or use ultraviolet (UV) light. There is a tight compliance time period to design a system, get the system approved by DOE, then install the system. Natural Resources Committee, 1/23/2001, Page 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 Nelson asked how much the system would cost. Stewart stated their flow is very small. Roll stated the chlorination system is the cheapest, then the UV system, then the ozone system. In terms of eradication, ozone is most effective. Chlorination is second. UV is not effective against all viruses. His comment back to DOE is to get an ozone treatment facility that would produce the kind of oxidation needed to eradicate the broad spectrum of pathogens. Nelson asked if it would be done like a small ozone treatment of effluent from all businesses in that area. Henderson stated it would be just for the Blaine seafood processors, a consortium of four processors. Nelson asked which processor does all the crabs. Menzies stated many of them do. Sea -K is probably the biggest. Roll stated ozone doesn't create by- products the way chlorination does, so there aren't the issues with chlorinated by- products being discharged. Ozone is a disinfectant that is activated, then gone. Nelson asked if there would be a transmission of bottom materials that have accumulated throughout the years through the species. Roll stated that in terms of fecal coliform and indicators derived, he was not aware of any literature that propagates long -term survival in marine sediments. There is some level of survival in terrestrial and non - saline environments. By -and- large, that does not happen in this kind of a climate. Nelson asked why there is fecal coliform in the effluent. Henderson stated they don't know. It could be a pest problem, such as with rats or birds. There is nothing concrete about that speculation. The Port has a best management program. Blaine seafood processor put in more traps. Blaine seafood processors repaired the outfall, which was plugged. The old outfall was plugged. They put in a new, four inch HPED pipe that is seamless plastic. It is anchored to the middle of Drayton Harbor. They don't operate that much. The fishing boats are smaller boats that are not ocean going boats. They are not processing a lot of bottom fish. Regarding the TREE program, it is a group of three engineers from Olympia in the program now, who get businesses to request their services to try to reduce the amount of waste stream that a business is putting out. They were anxious to work with the seafood processors. The seafood processors have been reducing the amount of water used. That group is not able to help the seafood processors because the water use is already reduced. They work with a potato processor in Natural Resources Committee, 1/23/2001, Page 11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 Eastern Washington, for example. The program came out of the hazardous waste toxic reduction program. Menzies stated there was a false report of an overflow that turned out to be an overflow of the fish processing waste stream. He questioned whether DOE was aware of the situation. Henderson stated he got a call. He talked to Sea -K Fish Processors. Four of the manhole covers in the area overflowed. He was told that the water didn't reach state waters. He had a Port representative look for verification, and was told that there was no evidence of water that reached the marina. He passed the information on to the NPDES permit manager for Sea -K Fish Processors. Menzies asked if there is a problem with the outfall. Henderson stated he was told that this happens when they have really high tides. There have been extremely high tides. That is what backed it up. He had to take the fish processor's word. Woodward introduced Geoff Menzies regarding the video survey. Also, there are requests of the Council from the advisory committee. The committee requested an official letter from the County Council to DOH for their sampling plan for 2001. The committee also requested a letter of support to the Nooksack Office DOE for the Drayton Harbor TMDL project. Drayton Harbor is third on the list. The DOE may pick five. They need a lot of letters of support to flood the DOE office. Nelson moved to recommend that Council write the letter of support for the TMDL study. McShane stated the letter is already written. He would make some edits. Nelson moved to also send a letter of support to DOH. Motion carried unanimously. Menzies thanked the Natural Resources Committee and Council for supporting the early action project proposal that came forward through the Public Utility District (PUD) and the efforts of the shellfish protection district and the Puget Sound Restoration Fund. Theirs is the first proposal going through the early action process. The request is for $11,000 to supplement expense to do repairs on the older Marine Drive line. It is a challenge going through the 18 caucus groups because there has to be consensus agreement. At the most recent Planning Unit meeting, the project cleared. The County Council also approved it. Now, the initiating governments are forwarding a letter to the City of Blaine. Hopefully, they Natural Resources Committee, 1/23/2001, Page 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 will request that Blaine make the repairs. Most of the opposition to the project is because it is Blaine's problem and Blaine must fix it. Most people recognize an opportunity to partner with others to solve the problem. He hoped it would go through. If it does and once Grant Stewart is convinced that the cost is accumulated to do the main repairs, then Mr. Stewart agreed to solicit bids, entertain bids, and then do work during the coming dry season. If done, the process will have taken two years. It is an important project that shows an on -the- ground effort. Roll thanked Menzies for bringing it through this process. They needed these test projects where the group can implement something. This is a good example of the group being able to ask important questions, see how it relates to the project, and agreeing that something needs to be done. A letter is being crafted. The tone is not to imply that it is Blaine's responsibility, but that they want to foster a timely, active response to the issue. He anticipated they will move forward in the next month. Funding has been identified. Menzies complimented Grant Stewart. Blaine has a lot of big- ticket items to tackle. Blaine is bringing a lot of match to this project. Blaine committed money and the value of time and staff. There was also a contribution from Semiahmoo First Nation. There is another new project. The challenge in Drayton Harbor has been to get broad community support. The Puget Sound Restoration Fund and other folks are thinking about a community oyster plan in Drayton Harbor. They have tentative initial support from DOH and the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to replant two acres of oysters. They want to involve ten to fifteen community members. This would be the first time that oysters have been planted on prohibited ground. The idea is to stir the community and get more folks involved. The County Health and Human Services Department deferred to the state for an opinion on the project. The project will cost $40,000 to $50,000 per year for three years. It is a good way for people to learn. It also provides a three -year timeline to involve folks in site selection, planning, taking measurements, thinning, and to educate people on the growth rate. They need to be realistic about this. They need to have a timeline. He wants people to see what can be produced. He hoped to have a community harvest and have an oyster feed for the community. He may ask for a letter of support when the project is more clearly defined. Nelson stated Menzies' vision for Drayton Harbor has always stayed the same. He expressed his appreciation. Shellfish impacts have been felt for many years. This is a great idea. When people fail to achieve their dreams, it is because there is no timeline. There can be a light at the end of the tunnel if there is a community will. Natural Resources Committee, 1/23/2001, Page 13 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 Hoag thanked Menzies for his efforts. She asked if there is a danger that people would harvest prematurely when the oysters are not safe. Menzies stated yes. They need to develop a surveillance plan to document the history of poaching. They have gone back ten years. It hasn't been an issue. They have to sell the DOH on a plan where there isn't premature harvesting. There may be growing techniques that can document any poaching. The project will produce about $20,000 when harvested. The money could go to projects. This would be administered by the Puget Sound Restoration Fund and they are getting a significant amount of in -kind support from Trillium for boat moorage and some housing for their people to be a part of this. The biggest hurdle is developing the plan to protect the public. Hoag asked the liability of funding a program that could be dangerous. Menzies stated the Puget Sound Restoration Fund would have to have liability insurance for that. The biggest problem with Drayton Harbor is the affect of non - point pollution. (Clerk's Note: End of tape one, side 8.) Menzies continued to state that there was an on -site septic issue that has affected this area. He was hopeful that by targeting the Marine Drive sewer and the processors, there would be improvements. They don't have documentation that the Semiahmoo Bay area has underground water quality problems. If they focus around the mouth of the harbor and make those repairs, he would hope to see improvements. The water quality data over the year shows that the 90th percentile is on the way down. The data shows that the last five or six samples have been better. They have not had any overflows in the Blaine system this year. The trend in the past year has been good. He hoped to maintain the trend. There is a correlation with rain events. Hoag asked what would happen if the water quality isn't what it should be at the end of three years and whether the shellfish could be purified. Menzies stated that was a good question. One of the key issues for the state is how to protect the public. The state wanted those contaminated shellfish to go into a landfill at the end of three years. He would not do that. They have to sell the state on a natural mortality. In Drayton Harbor, years four, five, and six of the oyster's life show the mortality for oysters. Eventually those oysters would die off, but there would have to be continued surveillance. If the eastern side of the bay was classified, then the two acres could be relayed across the harbor. It would be very expensive. There is a possibility that DOH would allow that to another area. There could be an arrangement with someone to take those oysters. Natural Resources Committee, 1/23/2001, Page 14 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Stewart stated there are several eastern states that have commercial depuration facilities. They harvest the oysters and put them in a tank with disinfectant. They've been running for a decade. They are disinfected by UV. Woodward thanked the Council for its continued support. ADJOURN The meeting adjourned at 11:10 a.m. Jill Nixon, Minutes Transcription ATTEST: Dana Brown - Davis, Council Clerk WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON Dan McShane, Committee Chair Natural Resources Committee, 1/23/2001, Page 15