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WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
Natural Resources Committee
September 21, 1999
The meeting was called to order at 9:32 a.m. by Committee Chair Connie
Hoag in the Council Chambers, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington.
Also Present: Absent:
Kathy Sutter None
Tom Brown
OTHER BUSINESS
RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO AMEND THE
ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT IN CONSIDERATION OF THE SAFETY OF ALL
CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES (AB99 -365)
Hoag read the resolution approved by Walla Walla County.
Sutter stated she would support the resolution and wanted to expand it to
include other items of legislation that have to do with public safety, which may be
experiencing trouble because of the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Brown suggested carrying it further to include other matters of public health
and safety, not just transportation issues.
Hoag recommended, 'CBE IT HEREBY RESOLVED... effects of transperta
proposed projects on threatened...." She suggested Sutter create a draft resolution
to bring forward at the next Natural Resources meeting on September 28.
LETTER TO GOVERNOR LOCKE FROM TOM COWAN, NORTHWEST STRAITS
COMMISSION, REQUESTING THAT THE GOVERNOR DELIVER THE KEYNOTE
ADDRESS AT THE MARINE RESOURCE COMMITTEE TRAINING CONFERENCE
(AB99 -158B)
Hoag stated the Northwest Straits Commission is putting together a training
conference that will include all the committees from the different areas. They
would like Governor Locke to be the keynote speaker. If the Natural Resources
Committee is in favor of that request, then Cowan asks that they sign the letter.
Brown stated he did not support Governor Locke and will not sign the letter.
Sutter stated this is going to be a meeting of all of the Marine Resource
Committees. It is appropriate for the Governor to be there to become more
informed on salmon issues. It should be brought before the full Council for
consideration. She so moved.
Natural Resources Committee, 9/21/99, Page 1
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Motion to bring forward to Council carried 2 -1 with Brown opposed.
Hoag stated she wanted the committee to consider a resolution amending
resolution 99 -023, establishing a Whatcom County Marine Resources
Committee as provided for under the Northwest Straights Commission
(AB99- 158B). The organizing meeting was held recently. When established, the
intent was to include commercial and sport fishers. The committee found out there
isn't a single commercial fisher on the committee.
Sutter questioned whether one applied.
Hoag stated they didn't, but they need to be at the table.
Sutter stated the committee members should make sure the fishers are
aware of it, but the council can't force the fishers to be at the table.
Hoag suggested changing the language to require the presence of a
commercial fisher and a sport fisher. That would ensure those two representations
are at the table.
Sutter questioned what would happen if no one volunteered.
Hoag stated she didn't think that would happen. She knew of commercial
fishermen who may be willing to participate.
Robin Dexter, commercial fisherman, stated he could provide a handful of
names of people that may be interested.
Hoag stated there is an extra representative with scientific expertise, and the
committee may recommend including an extra person with a scientific background.
It is important to have strong scientific expertise on the committee.
Hoag stated she would bring forward to the next committee meeting a
resolution to amend the resolution that formed the committee.
COMMITTEE DISCUSSION
1. UPDATE ON DRAYTON HARBOR SHELLFISH PROTECTION DISTRICT
(AB99 -091)
Chris Woodward, Drayton Harbor Shellfish Protection District Coordinator,
distributed the progress report from the Northwest Indian College and the Drayton
Harbor Shellfish Protection District Progress Report dated September 21, 1999 (on
file). Sea -K Fish Processors, a source of potential problems, had a pump in the
sump area that showed high levels of fecal coliform bacteria growth. That pump
has been replaced. It had been damaged due to power outages and had not been
working properly. They sealed the pump area. The Department of Ecology (DOE)
suggested they install a chlorinator spray system or a bank of ultraviolet (UV) lights
Natural Resources Committee, 9/21/99, Page 2
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in that area to reduce the fecal colonies before it is put into the wastewater stream.
The Port of Bellingham might have some stake or responsibility, since they are the
landlord. Blueprints of the area around the marina will be provided by DOE so they
will be able to see where all the sewage lines are hooked up.
Hoag questioned whether Sea -K Fish Processing has to engage in DOE's
suggestion to install the chlorinator spray system or a bank of ultraviolet (UV)
lights. Woodward stated it is a suggestion, but it is not positive they will do it. This
would be in lieu of hooking up their processed water to the sewage treatment plant.
Hoag asked if DOE knows why the fecal counts are high. Woodward stated
one assumption is the bird manure.
Julie Hirsch, Drayton Harbor Shellfish Protection District Data Management
Consultant, stated they took the first sample on Friday since the pump was
replaced.
Woodward stated the State Department of Health (DOH) officially
downgraded the rest of Drayton Harbor to prohibited status. The pollution sources
identified by the DOH sanitary survey were the two marinas near the mouth of
Drayton Harbor, sewage from the City of Blaine sewage collection system,
processed wastewater discharges from seafood processors on Marine Drive, runoff
contamination associated with stormwater events, farm management practices in
the Dakota and California Creek watersheds, pollution entering the harbor from
Semiahmoo Bay, birds and waterfowl, and marine mammals. She liked the idea
the fish processors are taking a serious stand. One problem they encountered was
that they asked DOE to follow up on the (Toxics Reduction Engineer Exchange)
TREE agreement that the council supported for the fish processing area. It is a
total environmental audit that goes through the entire building and their paperwork
to determine what needs to be fixed. If there are problems, they will work on how
they are going to solve those problems. They can't get information from DOE about
where the status of that agreement is. It was a good faith effort for the fish
processors to initiate an agreement with DOE.
Hoag stated they continue to get very high counts in that area.
Sutter asked if the audit helps them to pinpoint problems or is for the
purpose of sanctioning regulatory penalties. Woodward stated it is to find out the
problems and determine the solutions. The Port also agreed to support it.
Hoag suggested the committee send another letter to DOE.
Brown asked if it the study requires funding from DOE. Woodward stated
there are no funding problems. It is funded by DOE. No money needs to change
hands.
Brown stated DOE funds it, so it might be a budgeting problem. Woodward
stated DOE was very excited because it would be the first fish processor who they
would be able to audit.
Hoag suggested a letter asking about the status of the agreement.
The committee concurred.
Natural Resources Committee, 9/21/99, Page 3
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Woodward stated the citizen's group created a priority of projects regarding
the marina area. Data shows that the water quality in the Blaine marina area
continues to be in very large amounts above what it should be. Those are
continuous results. As a priority project, the advisory group created a project to go
to the City of Blaine, Port of Bellingham, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
and DOE to follow through on testing the integrity of all the sewer lines in the
marina area, from the railroad tracks to lift station #1. All businesses in the area
are still hooked up to the old clay line, not the new fiberglass line.
Brown stated a past problem was that they only required one sewer line to
be installed. He believed it was difficult to shut off the sewer line for testing. There
is not a holding capacity. He questioned whether that was a problem and how that
could be resolved. Woodward stated they could do testing in the evening hours
when the businesses are closed. They need to determine the integrity of all the
lines. The old clay line is where they feel the problem may be. This was an issue
at Blaine City Council meetings long ago, and was never resolved. They need to
start on a project or else they won't see any water quality changes in the harbor.
They can test as much as they want, but until they start doing investigative work
and getting the problems solved, they are not going to see anything change.
Woodward stated DOE proposed to use the $9,000 fine levied against the
City of Blaine to go toward testing the sewer line. She created a letter of
recommendation for contributing matching funds from the County. The City of
Blaine and the Port should also be involved. When they get to the point of fixing
things, the City and Port will need to put forth the manpower or funds to fix it. DOE
has not decided to use the $9,000 yet.
Sutter stated the committee should also include in their letter to the DOE a
request to use that money. She asked how much is being done to explore the
pollution contribution that may be coming from Canada. Woodward stated there
haven't been any studies of that done by Canada or people in the State of
Washington. They have a tide information book that says there are few days in
which the tide comes into Drayton Harbor.
Sutter asked if that would take into account time and distance. She also
asked if that indicates there is not a problem. Woodward stated it is an indication
but not an absolute.
Sutter suggested working jointly with Canadian jurisdictions. Woodward
stated they have already begun that process and have been in contact with people
in Canada.
Sutter suggested the Council of Governments (COG) draft a letter to some of
the governmental agencies in Canada requesting their cooperation, if needed.
Hoag stated the information indicated it might be Blaine's sewer that they
are dealing with, if they are looking at a source outside the Harbor's mouth. They
repeatedly get high numbers in the marina.
Woodward stated it needs more investigation. They propose to work with
Western Washington University graduate students to do a study.
Natural Resources Committee, 9/21/99, Page 4
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Brown stated that two years ago a gentleman was on the committee who
was a farmer and a fisherman and had a lot of wisdom. Everything he predicted
has so far come true. This gentleman's knowledge of water and tides will come into
bearing. Brown stated he was hesitant to keep funding things until they know for
sure the major sources of the pollution.
Hoag stated that is what they are zeroing in on. They don't know the
sources. This study will provide that information.
Woodward stated DOH did a circulation study in the harbor. The water from
the marina moved directly over Mr. Menzie's shellfish beds.
Hirsch stated she wanted to answer questions about finding out about
potential impacts from Canada. The Port added two stations in Semiahmoo Bay,
one in the path of the incoming tide. That was a part of the water quality
certification requirement for the Blaine moorage expansion project.
Michael Cochrane, Northwest Indian College (NWIC), stated he has done
supplemental sampling in the marina. He went with the Port and took duplicate
samples. He hadn't seen the Port's results, but his results were very high in the
marina area. Testing was done on an incoming tide. They picked up two stations
on the outside that are indicative of the incoming water. The counts were low. The
new station J was at 710, which was off the crab fishing dock at the mouth of the
harbor.
Hoag asked where stations L and M are located. Cochrane stated they are at
the border at the buoy that marks the international boundary.
Brown asked about the depth of the samples. Cochrane stated they were
surface samples.
Hoag asked if the new sampling locations are on the maps that they were
given. Woodward stated it is not on the GIS map, but on another map.
Hoag asked if stations J or L would pick up the information if there was
something coming around the spit. Cochrane stated that information would not be
picked up at those stations.
(Clerk's Note: End of tape one, side A.)
Cochrane stated station J might pick up that information. DOH did a
hydrographic study assuming that there was a total upset in the Blaine sewer
treatment plant. He showed that, even a total upset of a million fecal coliform per
one hundred milliliters (ml), there wouldn't be a significant increase in fecal
coliform at the mouth of the harbor because of the dilution on an incoming tide.
Hoag stated because they don't have the sources positively identified, she
would rather see data than modeling. She asked if they could begin testing that
side of the spit. Cochrane stated that would not be unreasonable. They could
switch station L over to that area.
Hoag stated she didn't want to drop a station, but wanted to add one station.
Cochrane stated they could ask the Port of Bellingham to add the station.
Natural Resources Committee, 9/21/99, Page 5
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Brenner asked if water coming from the border would have had enough
agitation to not show up completely on the surface. Cochrane stated fecal die off
faster when exposed to sunlight. Also, they tend to adhere to small particles, such
as silts. Primarily the reason they do surface sampling is because they are lighter
and would float.
Brenner asked if stations L and M would capture all areas of water from
Canada. Cochrane stated those stations are for all water coming into the harbor on
a floodtide. He'd seen the results of the stormwater monitoring they are doing on
the beaches at White Rock, British Columbia (B.C.), which is the only data he'd
seen for that area. By and large, they have significant counts off the beaches
during storm events, but given the flows that are pushing those counts and the
amount of water that dilutes the counts, he didn't see the cause of the water
quality pollution coming from across the border.
Sutter stated all the reports give a nod to the effect from wildlife. She
questioned whether they could get an estimate of how much they are actually
contributing. Cochrane stated no one has tried to isolate different wildlife
populations to establish fecal coliform impacts for those sources. That would be a
very intensive effort.
Sutter stated that might provide an indication of whether they should do
more studies. Cochrane stated if they did that study and assumed a worse -case
scenario, then they would be assuming everything washed off the top of the
roosting areas gets washed into the water, which would predict a rainfall event.
What they have are high counts during times of no rainfall. They have data
establishing high counts during dry weather conditions.
Brown stated the City of Seattle had to close areas that were contaminated
from seals and other marine mammals.
Hoag stated there has been discussion at the Drayton Harbor Committee
about this. This is a flyway. At the times when there are thousands of birds there,
they don't see any higher counts than when there are fewer birds. The stations in
which they are picking up higher counts are not areas where there are typically
animals.
Woodward stated DOH did some sampling on the seal haul out.
Hirsch stated she was asked by the citizen's committee to do monthly
updates of DOH information. Informal sampling was done off the breakwaters
when large numbers of wildlife were observed. She had that data on cormorants
and seals that were hauled up. The data showed that the number of fecal coliform
on the last 30 sampling dates by the DOH. The Semiahmoo breakwater showed
low numbers when sampled. It was a small data set and there was no control of
any other variables.
Hoag asked if the water would be coming toward or going away from the
breakwater. Hirsch stated she would need to look at the data points and whether
there was any rain on these occasions.
Natural Resources Committee, 9/21/99, Page 6
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Brenner stated last summer was dry. It might have been that the rainfall
didn't have a lot to do with it. She asked for an explanation of when the
breakwater was used by seals and birds. Hirsch stated Don Lennartson of DOH did
the sampling. He counted and documented the number of animals and birds using
the docks.
Hoag asked if they would go over the matrix. Woodward stated they would
finish the data management information, then move on to the matrix.
Hirsch presented the data management portion of the progress report. She
is a consultant to Wizards Environmental for the data management tasks. One task
is to develop a coordinated water quality- monitoring plan incorporating existing
work plans by January 2000. The existing plans she obtained from all the different
agencies have been reviewed. They have been trying to coordinate with other
projects that might overlap with theirs. One is the watershed management effort.
They have initiated contact with that effort. She went through their scope of work
and hopes to work more closely with that effort. The Drayton Harbor data
management work group has provided input. Their coordinated monitoring plan is
approximately halfway done. It is to develop a long -term framework for looking at
the problem. The data management subcommittee will begin in October in
preparation of the monitoring plan for Portage Bay. Facilitation of the data
management subcommittee has been productive. They have scoped for the
existing work plan and sampling. They have also created ideas for prioritization
and future monitoring. They plan development of a database for existing and
future water quality data by April of 2000. There are data collection matrices that
outline all the agencies at all levels that collect water quality monitoring data in
Drayton Harbor. They are making an effort to exchange data with Canada. Those
matrices are updated regularly. She converted a lot of the data from hardcopy to
spreadsheet format. Some of the communications and conversion has taken longer
than they thought. They have been preparing maps and reports due June 1, 2000
that summarize water quality data. The committee requested information on where
the sampling was done. They created the GIS maps showing that information, and
revisions are being done. The monthly update of DOH information is an interim
water quality assessment until June 2000, when they will have the actual report.
There was an opportunity for a unified education effort. She wanted to ensure they
had something going for this round of Public Involvement and Education (PIE)
grants. Education is geared toward behavior changes of people such as boat
owners and pet owners. The Conservation District will submit that proposal. They
have put in a request for funding to the County Health Department for the
development of that concept. They need a positive action that the agencies could
feel good about.
Woodward stated Hirsch has done a lot of work on the PIE project. The
agencies are agreeing on the project for both Portage Bay and Drayton Harbor
Shellfish Protection Districts. The Conservation District has the draft PIE report.
Hoag asked about the data and a map of the harbor with the DOE sampling
sites. The second map has DOH sampling site 18 at the same location as station J.
She asked where they could look at the results of DOH samples taken. Hirsch
stated it is in the packet of information she provided. Stations nine and ten are no
longer being sampled.
Natural Resources Committee, 9/21/99, Page 7
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Hoag asked why they would drop station nine, which received very large
counts.
Brenner questioned the location of stations nine and ten. Hirsch stated she
would have to check an old map.
Hoag asked the meaning of the minimum amounts and maximum amounts,
and the geomean. Hirsch stated station eight at the 90th percentile means it is
quite high. It is at least one magnitude higher than the standard, which is 43. It is
in the hundreds rather than the tens.
Brown asked why stations three, four, and five look like they have the same
readings, but the geomeans are off. Hirsch stated the geometric mean is an
average of the last 30 samples. Because of the nature of bacteriological data, a
geometric mean is used, and tends to flatten out results.
Hoag asked if it translated into showing which stations are consistently
higher, even though the highs and lows shown are the same. Hirsch stated that
was correct.
Hoag asked if any readings on the chart are located in the marina. Hirsch
stated the ones for the marina are on the next page. The order of magnitude is
when something is 120 instead of 12, or 1,200 instead of 12. It is regarding the
tens, hundreds, or thousands.
Hoag asked if the ambient monitoring update is on data in the open harbor
and within the marina. Hirsch stated the DOH has a standard random sampling
protocol and a certain number of stations they test all the time. The stations inside
the marina are extra monitoring they do called restoration monitoring. It is the
same testing method. There are two different sets of data used for different
purposes. It is the same test on the same day. Within the marina, there are no
shellfish beds, they don't know if they are looking at the standard to see whether or
not there would be a contribution to the decline in water quality over the shellfish
beds. The actual standard must be met in the samples taken over the shellfish
beds in the harbor.
Brown stated he was trying to find a contribution. Sometimes they need to
test toward the bottom to find a site that tests high and would show a break in a
pipe, for example.
Hoag stated included in the packet is a copy of the sanitary survey from the
GO] W
Brenner stated the survey talks about agricultural waste and Nooksack
Salmon Enhancement Association's (NSEA) action to fence off three miles of stream
bank along California and Dakota Creeks. She asked about the total amount of
farmland and whether it was farmland that was fenced off. Woodward guessed that
they fenced off streams and creeks that livestock had access to.
Brenner asked about the percentage of streams and creeks that are now
fenced, in which animals would readily have access. Woodward stated DOE just
finished their inspections of all dairies. That issue would be covered in the
individual farm plans.
Natural Resources Committee, 9/21/99, Page 8
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Sutter stated the farm plans only apply to dairies. There are farms other
than dairies in the creeks.
Hoag stated the data showed repeatedly that the counts coming from these
creeks and rivers are not anywhere near high enough to account for the pollution.
Brenner stated she only wanted to know how the three miles of stream bank
fit into the situation.
Woodward stated there was only one dairy the DOE fined when they did the
inspections.
Hoag stated the incoming tide is when they are having the high counts. If
the creeks were causing a problem, it should show on the ebb tide.
Brenner stated she didn't believe the dairies were the problem. She asked
about the replacement of on -site sewage systems (OSS). Woodward stated they
installed alternative systems.
Brenner stated her concern was they don't have control over sources such as
wild animals and birds. She asked what is next.
Woodward stated that is why they want to move into the implementation
stage. She called a meeting with EPA to discuss what happens next. One thing
they need to be clear about is that there is not one source that may contribute
more than other sources. If there is, they won't find out until they start doing the
investigative report.
Brenner stated things are getting worse when everyone is trying to improve
things.
Hoag stated there are some things that have been fixed, but the problem has
not been resolved. They have focused on the marina and the contribution coming
in from outside the mouth. There are very high numbers at the marina. Now they
are shifting focus to other things, such as doing smoke and dye testing for leaking
sewer pipes around the marina.
Brenner stated it doesn't sound like the pollution is coming from outside the
harbor.
Woodward stated there is a difference between "outside" and Canada.
Hoag stated there is a Blaine sewer treatment outfall near the mouth of the
harbor. The Toxics Reduction Engineer Exchange (TREE) study is important
because they've been told that fish - processing water does not contain fecal
coliform, but every time the fish processing area is tested, the results are off the
scale. They need to find out what is going on in that area, and that is where the
committee is proceeding. They are trying to get testing and camera work done to
find out where the high numbers are coming from.
Woodward stated the fish processor outfall is outside the mouth of the
harbor. It is the old sewage treatment line.
Natural Resources Committee, 9/21/99, Page 9
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Sutter asked if they have a prioritized project list. Woodward stated they do.
It is attachment two. They would like to start with sewage lines.
Brown stated he hoped they don't have the EPA come in and make
regulations when they don't know what the problems are caused by. Woodward
stated the meeting with EPA is strictly informational for them. Dave Ragsdale will
be sitting in on the meeting. He told her he may not even say anything. He just
wants to hear what people say.
Brenner was concerned they keep focusing on things such as OSS and
agriculture, which contribute. However, there may be some contribution from a big
contributor they haven't figured out yet. Woodward stated that is why they want to
start looking at the lines.
Margaret Kardell, Drayton Harbor Shellfish Protection District Advisory
Committee, thanked the members for understanding that the DOH station 18 and
station J are the same site. She has been asking for more testing on the flow
coming in. There are few samples at site 18. The samples they have show very
low counts. Also, there may be a cause by the marina. Regarding the long -term
approach to this, the biggest problem is lack of responsibility. Cooperation with
DOE is poor. This pollution problem is going to go on. She suggested they choose
a main agency, such as the County Health Department, to care for the area and the
pollution problems long -term. Analysis has to be instantaneous to do any good,
however it takes months and years. They don't have anyone who is responsible.
The Port has not inspected the pipes under the marina section. No one is
responsible for fixing the broken pipes. Agencies are working separately. They
should think long -term about appointing a responsible agency.
Brown stated they are looking at the seafood processors as a source. He
questioned if the seafood processing is producing as much as they were. Kardell
stated they have statistics about their workdays. They don't have basic information
and statistics. The City of Blaine engineer had asked for flow meters to monitor
what is coming into the various lines.
Brenner asked about the central agency. Kardell stated that at the moment
the advisory group is the central group.
Woodward stated Barry Hill was under the impression the shellfish districts
would be under the umbrella of the Watershed Resource Inventory Area (WRIA)
#1, when the districts are done with their work.
Brenner asked if the County Health Department is helping financially to check
out the pipes.
Hoag moved to send a letter to the Port of Bellingham requesting additional
sampling at the mouth of the Semiahmoo spit, opposite of station J.
(Clerk's Note: End of tape one, side B.)
Sutter asked how close it would be to the Semiahmoo marina site.
Hoag stated that is inside the harbor. She wanted a site outside the harbor.
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Motion carried unanimously.
Woodward stated they are doing the monthly meetings and implementation
agency meetings. They are at the point in the program to look at projects and
getting responsible agencies in to fund and support what they are trying to do.
They put in for a project proposal with the County Health Department to match the
DOE funding of $9,000. The Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study is a while
away. She was not sure it would happen in Drayton Harbor.
Brenner asked about task five under objective one, and where the funding
will come from. Woodward stated they will understand more after their meeting
with the Health Department.
Sutter asked if the TMDL study would be done in 2000. Woodward stated
that is next year. It is on a five -year schedule.
Hoag stated they had asked it be done earlier and questioned whether it was
beneficial to do one in that location. Woodward stated it takes a year for setup, a
year for sampling, and a year for result evaluation. It is at least three years down
the road. They may be able to get this information without the TMDL study
because they will do the sampling and also provide the location of the high -count
areas. The TMDL study is not going to get them any closer to finding solutions.
Brown asked if it would offer more testing than what is being done now.
Woodward stated it is still tested once per month. TMDL tests are once per month.
She didn't know if they need more at this point to get the solutions. She is not
going to wait three years.
Woodward stated the monitoring program is task two under objective two.
That is being done by Michael Cochrane. All of the information that County Health
has gathered is under objective three. They have done a great job cleaning up all
the failures that were identified.
Brenner asked the number of systems that have not been fixed. Woodward
stated there is one system that was not fixed. It is going to court.
Woodward stated the County Health Department has completed their matrix
plan. Nothing is being done by DOE on objective four regarding the control of
stormwater sources. The City of Blaine is developing a stormwater utility and there
are plans to include a monitoring component. The City of Blaine smoke tested the
lines. They found one large illicit connection that was acres in size. It was an
enormous contributor to the sewage problem. They sent out 40 correction notice
letters.
Brown asked about task one, objective five. Woodward stated the DNA
testing was complete, but inconclusive.
Hoag asked about whether task two, objective five referred to the impact or
the location. Woodward stated it referred to the location. The task is complete,
but they are not happy about it. They never saw the final report on that
information from the City or DOH. No one can find it.
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Woodward stated DOE just did their farm inspection program in Drayton
Harbor, so they are done with that task. She was unable to get an update on how
many dairies have been inspected in Drayton Harbor. It is an ongoing process.
Brenner asked why funding for items that are the major problems is not
there, while there is more than enough funding for the smaller sources. She asked
about a final report on the sewage line. Nothing has been completed regarding the
marina.
Hoag stated task four, objective seven, was regarding indications of major
violations, but nothing has occurred. They will add that complaint to the letter to
DOE.
Hirsch stated there is not enough motivation for some agencies to do these
activities.
Sutter asked if the EPA has enough teeth to motivate the DOE.
Hoag stated it might be beneficial to send a copy of the letter to the State
legislators.
Hoag asked for Cochrane's report.
Sutter asked about coordinated water sampling with State DOH that has not
been submitted. She asked if that was a DOE task. Woodward stated that was a
DOE and Port of Bellingham task.
Hoag stated that only said they would sample at the same time.
Woodward stated she received an e -mail from DOH that informed the Port of
when they would be doing their sampling.
Cochrane stated he normally does quarterly reports; this information is only
for July and August, as his quarter is up at the end of this month. He discussed his
report (on file). He didn't expect September's results to change significantly. Cain
Creek and the Cain Creek outfall still have high counts, but because of low flow, he
didn't expect they had much of an impact on the harbor. Most of Dakota Creek has
remained the same. Station DG went up, but the rise is an anomaly due to a one-
time event that created a count of approximately 1,000.
Hoag questioned whether that event resulted in a fine. Cochrane stated he
didn't think so. There was an event on August 16 where everything in the county
went high due to a large rainfall. The average jumped up because of that high
count. The average on D4 went down.
Woodward stated the violation Hoag referred to was in the spring, so it didn't
affect these numbers.
Cochrane stated the number one stations on all creeks are the stations at the
mouths of the creeks. This quarter, he took samples during tidal influence, so the
counts are low at the mouths, but they are indicative of what is coming out of the
creek. They are indicative of the immediate dilution that happens when the tidal
influence hits the mouth. They are almost within class A water quality standards in
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Dakota Creek and California Creek. Counts at station C3 were up. The counts are
normally high in that area.
Brown asked how often he tested. Cochrane stated he tests two to three
times per month.
Hoag asked if "N" designates nitrates. Cochrane stated it designates the
number of samples he took during the quarter.
Sutter asked if Western Washington University (WWU) is sampling at the
same stations, and she questioned their results. Cochrane stated he reviewed their
historical data in his preliminary report. They showed similar numbers in the same
magnitude. There are no inconsistencies between their testing and his testing.
Hoag asked about the spring violation, they are still going to see the
numbers rise every time it rains.
Bill Goff, Drayton Harbor Shellfish Protection District Advisory Committee,
stated the Cain Creek outfall is Blaine storm sewer discharge at the railroad tracks.
Sutter stated they have seen a decrease in counts.
Goff stated counts just went up again.
Cochrane stated it was down this quarter.
Hoag stated that this quarter all the tests were over 200. Last time, only
86% of the tests were over 200. Even though they didn't have as high of a spike,
they are consistently getting more high tests. Cochrane stated that was correct.
As far as the water quality standard goes, when they start discharging freshwater
into the marine water, there is a conflict of values. There is a freshwater class A
standard of what is coming out of the pipe, which is 100 with no more than 10
percent exceeding 200. When it hits marine water, class A marine water standards
apply, which are 14. It is an entire order of magnitude of difference.
ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 11:30 a.m.
Jill Nixon, Minutes Transcription
ATTEST:
Dana Brown - Davis, Council Clerk
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Connie Hoag, Committee Chair
Natural Resources Committee, 9/21/99, Page 13