Background
The Department of Ecology (Ecology) and a local advisory group are working together to find solutions to the fecal coliform problems in the Chehalis/Grays Harbor watershed. An Ecology study has shown fecal coliform pollution in Grays Harbor and in the tributaries to the upper and lower harbor.
The tributaries include the Chehalis, Wishkah, Hoquiam, Humptulips, Wynoochee, and Satsop rivers, and the Elk and Johns rivers in the south harbor area. The technical study determined that bacteria levels must be reduced approximately 65 percent for the tributaries and harbor to meet state water quality standards.
The good news is that industrial sources of the bacteria pollution are small, according to Ecology's study. The study indicates that 96 percent of fecal coliform in the Grays Harbor watershed is coming from "nonpoint" pollution. Nonpoint pollution comes mostly from people and their activities. It is pollution that is not necessarily discharged through a pipe or an outfall (called "point source" pollution). Nonpoint pollution is sometimes invisible. It can result from failing home septic systems, urban storm drain discharges, animal-waste runoff from agricultural operations, or areas used by wildlife.
The fecal coliform bacteria problem
Fecal coliform bacteria in water is a threat to public health. People can be exposed to harmful bacteria through contact with the water while fishing, swimming or wading. In addition, consumption of shellfish contaminated with fecal coliform can cause health problems.
Shellfish growers in the outer harbor have had to deal with repeated temporary closures of harvest beds due to high levels of fecal coliform bacteria released in industrial wastewater. Ecology takes a strong interest in these kinds of industrial discharges and keeps track of permit violations that can lead to penalties. The shellfish closures caused by the discharges disrupt the commerce in the shellfish industry, impair the local image and local economy. Many residents believe that bacteria concentrations also degrade recreational and aesthetic values of the waters.
Federal law requires cleanup of polluted waters
The Clean Water Act requires states to identify waters that do not meet state standards, and to develop a cleanup plan targeted at pollution sources. Water cleanup plans, also called total maximum daily load (TMDL) studies, include an analysis of water quality sampling data and a strategy to limit pollution to meet state water quality standards.
The draft water cleanup plan, also called a summary implementation strategy (SIS), was recently completed for the Chehalis/Grays Harbor watershed. Since approximately 40
percent of the bacteria going into the harbor comes from the upper watershed; the SIS describes cleanup strategies for both the upper and lower watershed. The SIS is intended to complement, not duplicate, the work of others already underway. For example, the Chehalis Basin Partnership is a key umbrella organization with water quality objectives that the cleanup plan supports.
Cleaning up the watershed
The cleanup plan recommends an increased commitment to best management practices for livestock management and on-site sewage systems, and calls for urban stormwater controls by the cities of Aberdeen, Cosmopolis, and Hoquiam. The plan also calls for a 30 percent reduction of bacteria discharge in wastewater from the Weyerhaeuser pulp mill at Cosmopolis.
Improvements have already been made in reducing bacterial levels in the lower tributaries and harbor. This is happening through animal management practices, other non-point controls, and lower industrial discharges. The SIS also calls for an ongoing monitoring strategy to provide a more accurate picture of water quality conditions in the basin over time. The results garnered in the monitoring strategy will help better prioritize areas and strategies for cleanup.
It will take voluntary help from many who live and work in the community to clean up these waters for current and future generations.
Public comment invited
You are invited to comment on the draft study and cleanup plan. Comments will be taken until June 11.
You can review the complete draft Grays Harbor/Chehalis Fecal Coliform Bacteria TMDL Study, with appendices and time-lapsed animations of bacteria transport through Grays Harbor, on the Internet at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/eap/wrias/tmdl/ghfc/results.html
To view just the cleanup plan and synopsis of the TMDL report, go to:
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0110025.html
There are also hard copies available for review at the Timberland Libraries in Elma, Montesano, Aberdeen, Hoquiam, McCleary, Oakville, Centralia, and Chehalis.
Please submit written comments by June 11 to:
Dave Rountry, Department of Ecology
PO Box 47775, Olympia, WA 98504-7775
You can E-mail Rountry at drou461@ecy.wa.gov or phone him at (360) 407-6276.
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