Other Nonpoint Sources Source Control Strategies

Nonpoint sources of pollution which do not fall into any of the four previous categories are considered in this section of the plan. Other nonpoint sources discussed include: boating and marinas, use of pesticides and fertilizers outside of agricultural or forested lands, household hazardous waste, illegal dumping, improper disposal of garbage and sewage from recreational vehicles, biosolids application, and leachate from contaminated sites, landfills, mines, gravel pits, and cemeteries.

Recreational boaters have told the Chehalis River Council that additional sanitary facilities and garbage cans are needed at public access sites in the Chehalis River Basin. Access points for boaters are not adequately developed to handle the high number of boats in the lower portion of the river between Montesano and inner Grays Harbor. As recreational use of this part of the river increases, human waste will increasingly affect water quality.

Fish and wildlife habitat are beneficial uses targeted for protection and enhancement in many of the source control strategies outlined in this plan. The Chehalis River Council believes that the need exists for coordination among agencies and local governments in the development of goals and standards for stream corridor management.

The use of pesticides can create water quality problems on agricultural and non-agricultural land. Some studies have indicated that urban and suburban users may apply pesticides and fertilizers at much higher rates than are recommended, presenting a threat to surface and ground water quality. In addition, some active ingredients that are restricted to licensed applicators for commercial and agricultural use are still available to unlicensed home and garden users. Herbicides are used along city and county roads throughout most of the basin. Use of pesticides and fertilizers in roadside and right of way management, mosquito abatement, and noxious weed control have the potential to impact agricultural and non-agricultural lands as well as both surface and ground water quality.

Some pesticides contain compounds that may make them hazardous to apply and dangerous to the environment if used incorrectly. However, information about the individual and cumulative effects of pesticides on water quality is insufficient to assess the extent of actual impairment resulting from pesticide use in the Chehalis River Basin.

Many Washington counties have instituted programs incorporating the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for maintenance of roadsides, parks and rights-of-way. There is currently no formal mechanism in the Chehalis River Basin to assess the impacts of pesticide use or to identify best management practices and establish a means for their implementation.

In most cases, the use of pesticides in urban areas is the responsibility of the individual homeowner. Licensing for citizens' home use of pesticides is not practical nor enforceable, so public education about safe practices needs to target as wide an audience as possible and to repeat important principles of proper pesticide use, application, and disposal options for pesticides.

Other Nonpoint Sources Goals

Significantly reduce or eliminate nonpoint source pollution resulting from the handling and disposal of household hazardous waste, pesticides and fertilizer.

Reduce illegal dumping.

Reduce improper disposal of garbage and sewage from boats and recreational vehicles.

Ensure that contaminated sites are recognized and leachate is monitored, collected and treated properly.

Recommend adequate plan review, inspections, enforcement of existing regulations addressing pesticides, landfills, mines, gravel pits, biosolids disposal, contaminated sites, and hazardous household substances, and development of new regulations when needed.

Other Nonpoint Sources Recommendations

Issue: - Little attention has been paid to the sizable contributions to the hazardous waste stream from individual households and businesses too small to be regulated under hazardous waste statutes. Many consumers in the Chehalis River Basin think little about throwing away old paint cans, pesticides, auto fluids, or leftover cleaning supplies. Public awareness of household hazardous wastes must be heightened, the amount of waste reduced, and waste must be handled safely before being recycled or disposed of properly.

• 1. - County public services departments should pursue development of facilities for the collection of household hazardous waste, including oil and other automotive hazardous wastes. These efforts should be coordinated with local and/or state agencies solid waste management efforts.
  
• 2. - County public services and solid waste management programs should expand curbside recycling services and improve recycling programs for plastics, or develop such programs where none exist.
  
• 3. - Lists of relatively benign household chemicals for use in the home and yard have been prepared by the Washington Department of Ecology and many solid waste utilities. These lists should be made more widely available to interested individuals.
  

Issue: - Illegal dumping and disposal of solid waste and garbage is a basin-wide problem. In addition, abandoned landfills and dumps have potential to contaminate ground and surface water.

• 4. - County public services and water quality offices should work with the Washington Department of Ecology in identification and implementation of solutions to illegal solid waste disposal practices.
  
• 5. - A base fee for garbage regardless of use of the service, and free or reduced rates for economically disadvantaged families would help prevent illegal dumping. Transfer site availability and operating hours must continue to meet customer demand.
  
• 6. - Agencies and entities responsible for recreational access sites in the Chehalis River Basin should ensure that adequate sanitary facilities and garbage cans exist where trails establish public access to the river and on recreational lands in the Chehalis River Basin where recreational activities have the potential to adversely impact water quality.
  

Issue: - A goal of no-net-loss of fisheries habitat should be sought, with enhancement and rehabilitation of habitat encouraged.

• 7. - Indian tribes, the Washington State Departments of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Ecology, the Fish and Wildlife Service, conservation districts, and the Soil Conservation Service should coordinate with the counties and cities in the Chehalis River Basin to establish a common set of goals and regulations for stream corridor management. The Lewis County Streambank Committee is a good example of this type of interagency coordination.
  

Issue: - Pesticides are used along city and county roads throughout most of the basin and on urban landscapes. Some pesticides contain compounds that may make them hazardous to apply and dangerous to the environment if used incorrectly.

• 8. - Agencies should incorporate the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for maintenance of roadsides, parks, facilities, and rights of way.
  
• 9. - Local and state agencies and the Chehalis River Council should encourage the use of IPM by property owners and the public through the gathering and dissemination of information on IPM programs.
  
• 10. - Agencies should consider implementing public notification programs regarding the application of roadside chemicals.
  

Issue: - The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) requires that all licensed pesticide applicators be recertified every 5 years. Pesticide applicators are required to take 40 credit hours of pesticide education for this recertification, except private applicators who are required to take 20 hours. WSDA determines which courses are approved for credit, but does not specify mandatory course work to be covered. Some of the classes offered are designed and taught by chemical companies to prescribe the uses of new products and may not fully address environmentally sound practices or nonchemical alternatives. Pesticide education could also help keep applicators up to date on new technologies and regulations relating to pesticide application and Integrated Pest Management.

• 11. - WSDA should consider requiring that a certain number of the required credit hours should cover environmentally sound practices and nonchemical alternatives. This would ensure that applicators are aware of the dangers of pesticide use, both to themselves and the environment.
  

Issue: - Runoff or leachate from biosolids application, landfills, gravel pits, cemeteries, mines, and underground storage tanks can enter and contaminate surface and ground water.

• 12. - Regulations governing biosolids application should be followed to protect human health and the environment, and public education on biosolids should be promoted.
  
• 13. - Landfills should continue to be monitored for leachate impacts on water quality. Old and abandoned dump sites should be identified, and ground and surface waters adjacent to the dumps should be tested for contamination. Results should be compiled and made available for public review.
  
• 14. - Gravel pits, cemeteries, and mines should be carefully monitored for compliance with water quality regulations. The public should be notified by the Washington Department of Ecology of violations and potential problems. Potential locations should be reviewed to avoid starting operations in critical aquifer areas.
  
• 15. - Underground storage tanks, primarily fuel tanks, should be identified and monitored for leakage which may impact surface and ground water quality.