Water Quality Committee Meeting

March 11, 2004

Kris Van Gorkom, Kelly Verd, Chrissy Wiseman, Lee Napier, Patrick Wiltzius, Kahle Jennings, Dave Rountry, Chanele Holbrook, Bob Amrine, Raman Iyer, Harry Pickernell, Dave Jarzynka and Terry Willis were present.

Willis welcomed the group and asked people to introduce themselves.

Coordinated Water Quality Monitoring Program

Jennings will begin working on this project next week. Thurston Conservation District needs to develop QAPP's for several projects. By working together (Ecology, TCD, and the WCQ) this project can benefit each organization.

Pilot Groundwater Assessment Program

Jennings continues to meet with certain stakeholders who have wells that could be used for sampling or may be willing to allow a test well on their property. He is negotiating with them to try and address their needs (such as monitoring beyond initial parameters) in an attempt to reach agreement on use of the wells for data collection.

Charles Pitz developed a Q & A/fact sheet for this project. His team is also contacting private homeowners (up to 40) to assess their willingness to sample their private drinking wells.

They are testing for items tied to health and general water characteristics, but not bacteria. The study is meant to collect ambient water quality monitoring data and provide a picture of today's ground water quality.

The monitoring will occur only this year in May and October. Jennings acknowledged this is limited, but that is one of the constraints associated with pilot programs. At the end of the monitoring, he hopes to have answers such as how much monitoring is necessary and how easily the monitoring site accessed.

Review and Ranking of the Water Quality Applications

Project sponsors presented an overview of each project briefly described below and answered questions. At the end of the presentations, the individual results of Committee members who ranked projects were combined into a final priority ranked list.

Chehalis Basin Education Consortium Project -Tom Hulst and Kathy Jacobson presented this project to the reviewers. The project, if funded, will enhance two existing riparian/water quality projects. One of the projects is the Centralia wastewater treatment plant site that is currently undergoing restoration by the City and the Chehalis River Land Trust. ESD could help with this project by providing additional volunteers (students and adults) to help with the riparian planting. They would also have access to the site for water quality monitoring. This February, ESD asked for volunteers to help with planting and over 150 students participated. The other part of this project is restoration work and staff for the Grays Harbor College model watershed site.

Chehalis Regional Water Reclamation Facility -Patrick Wiltzius presented this project to the reviewers. Phase I and design of this project are complete. They are currently seeking money for construction. The funding requested for this project will assist with hybrid poplar tree, WWTP relocation and pumping stations upgrades.

Upper Chehalis TMDL BMP Implementation - Kris Van Gorkom presented this project to the reviewers. The project, if funded, will allow pre and post best management practices evaluations, assistance to landowner to implement conservations plans, preparation of additional conservation plans, further riparian assessment for the Upper Chehalis and public outreach.

Dillenbaugh Creek Water Quality Improvement - Bob Amrine presented this project to the reviewers. This project includes three streams (Dillenbaugh, Berwick, and Dilly Twig Creeks) of the Dillenbaugh sub basin. Part of the scope for this project would be to identify problematic areas (such as failing septic systems and livestock access) and funding sources to resolve water quality problems. Other components include education and outreach, monitoring for pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and total dissolved solids, data, and furthering habitat assessment work funded through the SRFB.

For next meeting the group will continue discussing the Water Quality Coordinated Plan, the TMDL recommendations and the groundwater assessment. Willis encouraged anyone with projects to add their items to the agenda.

The next meeting is April 8, 2004.

This page created and maintained by Chehalis River Council
Send comments or questions to the: Chehalis River Council