Washington Department of Ecology: Stories about Getting to Clean Water

Showing posts with label Stories about Getting to Clean Water. Show all posts

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Poulsbo Cleans up a Lot on Liberty Bay

By Diane Dent, Water Quality Stories Lead, Water Quality Program

Parking lot at Anderson Parkway near Liberty Bay after improvements.

Liberty Bay is an important waterway that supports commercial and recreational shellfish harvesting. For the city of Poulsbo, which sits at the top of Liberty Bay, it’s no wonder the people put the Anderson Parkway parking lot right next to the bay so folks can drive right up.

The Problem

The 2.1 acre Anderson Parkway is the single largest hard, non-porous surface in downtown Poulsbo. Rainwater lands on the Parkway, picks up pollution, and discharges untreated stormwater directly to Liberty Bay. The runoff from cars results in relatively high amounts of toxic contaminant loading to Liberty Bay.

Large portions of Poulsbo were developed over 100 years ago and have no stormwater treatment facilities. The city recognized that significant improvements could be achieved by retrofitting these developed areas, especially large paved areas near the water.

To find out how the city of Poulsbo dealt with the stormwater discharging into Liberty Bay, read this full story online, which was written by written by Joan Nolan, Ecology Northwest Regional Office.

Telling our success stories

Water quality success stories provide a wealth of information associated with novel project designs, funding ideas, and useful resource suggestions. Some are clear successes; others supply valuable lessons to help us grow in our understanding of water quality protection and restoration. Stories illustrate successes gained from cooperation among Washington’s citizens and organizations.

Read all of our Ecology's water quality success stories, and check out our complete catalog of stories.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Kittitas County Fairgrounds – Pollution Abated

By Diane Dent, Water Quality Stories Lead, Water Quality Program

The “before” photo: manure-laden wash-water draining into Wilson Creek. Photo credit: Terry Wittmeier

Introduction

Have you ever seen the cute 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) kids at the annual county fair,proudly showing off their well-groomed livestock? Ever wonder what they do to keep their animals so clean while at the fair? Unfortunately, at the Kittitas County Fairgrounds animal wash stations were draining directly into nearby Wilson Creek. But thanks to good work by staff from the city of Ellensburg’s stormwater utility and the Kittitas County Fairgrounds, the problem has been solved.

Problem

For many decades, storm drains have collected runoff water from the fairgrounds and discharged the untreated water to Wilson Creek. During the annual county fair and other livestock-related events, the livestock wash stations at the fairgrounds also discharged to these drains, causing stream pollution.This conflicts with the Wilson Creek Sub-basin Bacteria Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), the city’s Eastern Washington Phase II municipal stormwater permit, and its municipal stormwater permit. Adding to the challenge was the fact that Kittitas County owns and manages these fairgrounds, even though the fairgrounds are within Ellensburg’s city limits and discharge to the city’s municipal stormwater system.

To find out how Kittitas County and the city of Ellensberg resolved this dilemma,read the full story online.

Story written by Elaine Snouwaert Ecology Eastern Regional Office

Telling our success stories

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: A Pullman Partnership: Not Wishy-Washy about Preventing Stormwater Pollution

By Diane Dent, Water Quality Stories Lead, Water Quality Program

Soapy water flowing into a catch basin where the pump transfers it to the sanitary sewer. Photo credit: Pullman Stormwater Services.

Introduction

Each summer, charity car washes pop up at various locations around the cities and towns we live in. These car washes are set up with the best of intentions to raise money for many worthy causes. But what happens to all that grime and sudsy water flowing across the parking lot? If that dirty, sudsy water flows into a storm drain, there is a good chance it flows directly into a nearby stream. All the oils, fluids, and dirt on the cars can end up degrading the stream’s water quality, harming the fish and insects living there.

The situation

Under the Eastern Washington Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit, the city is required to eliminate illicit discharges to its stormwater system to ensure only rain goes down the drain. That sudsy carwash water running into a catch basin is an illicit discharge. But no city wants to shut down a charity carwash, so Pullman sought a solution that would allow the car washes to continue without dirty water entering nearby streams.

To find out how Pullman resolved this dilemma, read the full story online.

Story written by Elaine Snouwaert Ecology Eastern Regional Office.

Telling our success stories

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Shoreline’s Aurora Corridor Improvement

By Diane Dent, Water Quality Stories Lead, Water Quality Program

A raingarden swale along Shoreline’s Aurora Avenue improvement area.

Introduction

A three-mile stretch of Aurora Avenue (Highway 99) between North 145th Street and North 205th Street in Shoreline, Washington, had problems. Before the city began making improvements here much of the area lacked sidewalks, and the wide roadway transitioned directly into parking for businesses along both sides of the street. The Washington State Department of Transportation said this corridor was one of the most dangerous stretches of road in the state.

Problem

Prior to the improvement project buildings, roadways, and parking lots covered approximately 97 percent of the area in hardened surfaces. During storms or heavy rain events, stormwater runoff from these surfaces flowed directly into nearby waters with little to no water quality treatment.

Milestones and outcomes

The city installed a series of low impact development (LID) structures that will help reduce stormwater volume, reduce pollutants from discharging into nearby waters; save money; improve community aesthetics; and improve air quality while reducing the heat island effect.

Read this full story onlinefor more information.

Story written by Melisa Snoeberger, Ecology Northwest Regional Office.

Telling our success stories

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: New Tidegate for Batt Slough - Collaboration builds trust in the valley

By Diane Dent, Water Quality Stories Lead, Water Quality Program

Batt Slough prior to new tidegate installation.

Introduction

After a 1960 flood inundated over 8000 acres of prime agricultural land in the Snohomish River Valley, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation built a series of levees and gates to reduce flooding and manage the return flow of the flood water.

Concerns and complaints led the state Department of Ecology and the Marshlands Flood Control District (MFCD), a small public entity not normally in the public’s eye, into what could have been a tense relationship that instead became a partnership to meet MFCD goals and improve water quality and help salmon.

Problem

The underlying issue was a matter of trust. Ecology was concerned about the water quality in this predominantly agricultural area, including maintaining a natural fish population. The MFCD was leery of interacting with environmental agencies in general and Ecology in particular.

The specific issue was a failing flood gate on the Snohomish River about six miles upstream of Interstate 5. That gate served to drain Batt Slough, which is a remnant side channel that offers potential refuge habitat for migrating salmon. Batt Slough could provide about one mile of resting and refuge opportunities at a critical location. Significantly, the gate was not serving its original purpose of flood control.

To find out how the problem was resolved, read the full story online.

Story written by Bob Penhale, Ecology Northwest Regional Office

Telling our success stories

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Repairing Wave-Damaged Shoreline

Homeowner effort to save Newman Lake property has water quality and wildlife benefits

By Diane Dent, Water Quality Stories Lead, Water Quality Program

Introduction

Boat wakes may seem harmless to the boater and fun for the water skier. But they can be a nightmare for shoreline homeowners watching their property fall away into the water. A shoreline stabilization project on Newman Lake used natural materials to stabilize 120 feet of a homeowner’s property that was particularly affected by wake erosion. This project illustrates the importance of having committed lake homeowners working together to protect their shorelines, and also serves as a great demonstration of how property can be protected while enhancing the wildlife and water quality functions of shorelines.

Problem

Wake boat.

Like many lakes in eastern Washington, Newman Lake is experiencing an increased number of people living year-round along the shore, and in the summer increased boating traffic with corresponding waves. Many shorelines are being lost at an alarming rate due to increased boat traffic and the increased use of “wake boats.” In addition to property loss, unnatural rates of shoreline erosion have both wildlife and water quality impacts.

This project’s property has been owned by the same family for over 80 years and is located in the narrowest section of Newman Lake, making it particularly vulnerable to wake erosion.

Project goals

The project attempted to address both the cause and symptoms of increased shoreline erosion. Implementation took place in late summer of 2012 and to keep costs reasonable for the homeowners, the project used volunteer labor.

Story written by Dave Moore, Ecology Eastern Regional Office

Telling our success stories

Friday, April 12, 2013

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Understanding and Controlling Sea Lettuce in Dumas Bay

By Diane Dent, Water Quality Stories Lead, Water Quality Program

Map of Dumas Bay, King County, Washington.

Dumas Bay, near Federal Way in King County, is part of Puget Sound. Three streams drain into the urban 40-acre bay, which is part of the Puyallup-White watershed.

The problem

Residents living along Dumas Bay began to notice excessive amounts of macro algae, better known as sea lettuce, and a very strong odor in the air. Ecology performed inspections and soon determined they were being caused by the sea lettuce.

In 2007, Federal Way began consulting with Ecology about the problem, as well as working with the Departments of Fish and Wildlife, Natural Resources, and Health; Lake Haven Utility District, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, and local residents.

Federal Way's Surface Water Management (SWM) Division goals for this project included:

• Gaining an understanding of the causes of excess sea lettuce growth and its associated odor problem.

• Helping watershed residents understand the problem and what, if anything, they could do to alleviate it.

• Assessing the health risk posed by hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gases from the decomposing seaweed.

To find out the results of Federal Way's project, read this full story online.

Story written by Tricia Shoblom, Ecology Northwest Regional Office

Telling our success stories

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Stormwater Sleuths Solve the Mystery of the Putrid Pipe - Pullman’s hunt for the elusive, illicit discharge

By Diane Dent, Water Quality Stories Lead, Water Quality Program

Dye testing to determine illicit connection of a sanitary sewer to a stormwater outfall.
Photo credit: Pullman Stormwater Services

The illicit stormwater discharge often lurks out of sight under a city’s buildings and streets. The challenge for cities, regulated under the state’s Municipal Stormwater Permit, is to locate and eliminate this pollution source.

Problem

In every city across the nation, mistakes happen during construction. After all, when you are connecting pipes underground they all pretty much look the same. But it is important to make sure the drains from sinks and toilets lead to the sanitary sewer and not the stormwater sewer. A misconnection could mean raw sewage going directly to a stream without treatment. An illicit discharge is any discharge to a stormwater system that is not composed entirely of stormwater.

City crews working on an infrastructure replacement project in Pullman’s downtown business district noticed “suspicious material”. The obviously illicit connection was traced back to a historic office building. A true team effort of private contractors and public staff was required to fully unravel the mystery.

To learn more about this illicit discharge, read this full story online
Story written by Elaine Snouwaert, Ecology Eastern Regional Office

Telling our success stories

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Cottage Lake – Watershed Education Helps to Protect a Valuable Resource

By Diane Dent, Water Quality Stories Lead, Water Quality Program

Since the early 1970s, King County’s Cottage Lake has experienced algae blooms due to excessive amounts of phosphorus entering the lake. King County began monitoring the lake and its two inlet streams (Daniels Creek and Cottage Lake Creek) in 1993. As a result of King County’s year-long study, the Cottage Lake Management Plan was created. Data from the lake management plan aided development of the Cottage Lake Water Quality Cleanup Plan (formally known as a Total Maximum Daily Load study) for phosphorus in 2004, followed by the Cottage Lake Water Quality Implementation Plan in 2007.

The problem

Elevated levels of total phosphorus in the lake water led to increased occurrences of blue-green algae blooms. Excessive amounts of noxious weeds, such as White Water Lily and Purple Loosestrife, replaced many native plant species in the lake and its wetland areas. Friends of Cottage Lake (FOCL) spearheaded local efforts in the area to provide education and outreach to residents within the watershed through their website. Once the Cottage Lake Implementation Plan was complete, FOCL and King County worked in partnership to develop the Cottage Lake Total Phosphorus Reduction Plan Grant, provided by Ecology’s Centennial Grant Program.

Milestones and outcomes

King County continues to work in partnership with the FOCL to distribute educational materials and to keep residents interested in protecting Cottage Lake and its watershed. Overall, the response from residents living in the watershed has been positive. However, it has yet to be determined if projects conducted in the grant have influenced a reduction in total phosphorus in Cottage Lake and its inlet streams. Further monitoring and analysis of water quality data in the next few years will help to answer these questions.

Read this full story online.
Story written by Tricia Shoblom, Ecology Northwest Regional Office

Telling our success stories

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Clallam County - Educating Homeowners About Their Septic Systems

By Diane Dent, Water Quality Stories Lead, Water Quality Program

Did you know you are now required to have your septic system inspected every one to three years, depending on what type of system you have?

The problem

When your septic system fails, it’s expensive to repair and a health hazard to you, your family, and your pets. Runoff from a failing septic system can carry untreated sewage across your yard, onto your neighbor’s property, or into surface waters.

Project highlights

The ultimate goal of this project was to improve water quality by improving management of home onsite septic systems. As part of the project the county piloted a “Do It Yourself” (DIY) inspection training program in 2011. The project was successful in educating home on-site septic system owners in the Marine Recovery Area of the Dungeness watershed about the why, when, and how to conduct septic system maintenance.

To learn more about what the results of the project were, read this full story online.
Story written by Tammy Riddell, Ecology Southwest Regional Office

Telling our success stories

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Wheel-of-Water turns heads

By Diane Dent, Water Quality Stories Lead, Water Quality Program

Visitors of all ages like to take a turn at the wheel.

Ecology’s Northwest Region Water Quality (NWRO-WQ) staff is often invited to participate in educational events. They are also asked to reach both young and older members of the public. Through all these experiences, their continuing challenge is to engage our state residents with information to which they’ll give their attention—and hopefully act on. Both children and adults need to learn new ways of accomplishing day-to-day activities in a more environmentally-friendly way. At events that provide learning opportunities, Ecology NWRO staff needed something fun and informative for both adults and kids.

These problems led them to conceptualize a “Wheel of Fortune”-type of device to engage people at events that happen around Puget Sound each summer. The idea was to have something that caught the attention of adults and children and could be transported, set up, and operated by one staff member.

Find out what they did with the idea, read this full story online.
Story written by DouGlas Palenshus, Ecology Northwest Regional Office

Telling our success stories

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Why does Hansen Creek look like Normandy Beach?

By Diane Dent, Water Quality Stories Lead, Water Quality Program

Passersby on State Highway 20 above Sedro-Woolley wondered, “What are those acres and acres of jutting posts? Why does it look so much like Normandy Beach in World War II?” As it turns out it was “D-Day” for stream habitat degradation.

The problem

The Hansen Creek project area was originally a forested alluvial fan and wetland. It was cleared and used for farming as early as the 1940s. The site is currently used as a Skagit County park. Over time, this reach of Hansen Creek became a levied, straightened channel maintained by routine dredging. Hansen Creek would flow through the constricted channel and dump tons of sediment onto farms below, both clogging the creek and causing flooding to downstream farmers. Dredging harmed the stream environment and the salmon living in the creek. Five different species of anadromous salmon (fish that spend time in both fresh and sea waters) have been observed in the creek, including two Endangered Species Act species—Chinook and steelhead.

Project highlights

This project re-established natural landscape processes in the Hansen Creek basin. It restored over 140 acres and 17,000 lineal feet of stream, riparian, and floodplain habitat. The project enhanced in-stream habitat complexity, restored channel connection with the floodplain, and developed forested riparian floodplain and flow channels. Side channels provide rearing, foraging, and migration habitat for fish. This project is unique in the size of the floodplain restoration. A project site of this size changes the dynamic of restoration needs along the entire stream. Now, several years after establishing the log “beachhead” on the Hansen Creek floodplain on “D-Day” in July 2009, salmon and water quality “Allies” can celebrate the victory of improved stream channel, less sediment transport below Highway 20, and greatly improved salmon habitat.

Read this full story online
Story written by Joan Nolan, Ecology Northwest Regional Office

Telling our success stories

Water quality success stories provide a wealth of information associated with novel project designs, funding ideas, and useful resource suggestions. Some are clear successes; others supply valuable lessons to help us grow in our understanding of water quality protection and restoration. Stories illustrate successes gained from cooperation among Washington’s citizens and organizations.

Read all of Ecology's water quality success stories, and check out our complete catalog of stories to date.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Finding a solution to wine waste woes

By Scott Mallery, Water Quality Program, Eastern Region

Have you ever thought about where your wine comes from? What about the type of wastewater that comes from making wine? Or about what wine wastewater discharges can do to the land or a wastewater treatment plant? The Department of Ecology (Ecology), the Port of Mattawa, the Wahluke Winery, and J & S Crushing have not only thought about it but they’ve come up with a solution!

The problem

The wastewater discharge from a winery comes to the treatment plant in large amounts all at once. It contains large amounts of organic materials (sometimes called high “biochemical oxygen demand” or BOD) that overwhelms the treatment plant’s ability to treat the normal daily influx of residential wastewater. The wastewater also has low pH (or high acidity).

Mattawa’s special treatment plant for wine waste.

When a wastewater treatment plant receives wastewater with high BOD and low pH it can cause a treatment upset, which means the wastewater may not be treated to the proper level before it is discharged to the environment.

Applying the wastewater to land is an option, but there is a potential for the high BOD to cause metals in the soils, as well as other toxins attached to the soil particles, to leach out to the groundwater supply. Moreover, land application is only an option during the summer growing season when the soil conditions are right and there is an actively growing crop.

The project

The Wahluke Winery began its Mattawa operations in 2005, discharging wastewater to the city of Mattawa wastewater treatment plant. For the next two years, the city of Mattawa’s treatment plant experienced many treatment upsets, causing violations of the plant’s discharge permit. Eventually, the city of Mattawa and Ecology told Wahluke Winery it could no longer send its wastewater to the city’s treatment plant.

What was the solution? Click here to read the whole story.

Telling our success stories

Water quality success stories provide a wealth of information associated with novel project designs, funding ideas, and useful resource suggestions. Some are clear successes; others supply valuable lessons to help us grow in our understanding of water quality protection and restoration. Stories illustrate successes gained from cooperation among Washington’s citizens and organizations. Read all of our water quality success stories, and check out our catalog of stories.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Turbid runoff and the railroad — Cooperative solutions

By Ted Hamlin, Ecology Spokane Regional Office

This dirt road was sending muddy runoff into the Spokane River.

Finding and fixing direct discharges of stormwater into the Spokane River are constant and perplexing problems. There are dirt streets, alleys, parking lots, and access roads around the cities of Spokane and the Spokane Valley that contribute muddy water during each rain event or snow melt. When this happens, it can cause a stormwater water quality violation.

Urban Waters Initiative is working

Ecology’s Urban Waters Initiative is working to eliminate pollution that is getting into the Spokane River. One of the techniques we use is to conduct neighborhood sweeps, looking for businesses or land uses that may be potential sources. Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad’s dirt access road, leading from Madelia Street up a hill to its silos, turned out to be one source of muddy runoff. When it rained or snow melted at the site, water would run down the hill, picking up dirt and delivering it to a storm drain.

So at 310 N. Madelia Street, we had to figure out who was responsible for the turbid runoff.

BNSF stepped up as a responsible party and due to the work of the Urban Waters Initiative and collaboration with BSNF Railroad and the city of Spokane, the site now has a well thought-out stormwater management system that should eliminate runoff of turbid water.

Click here to read the full story.

Telling our success stories

Water quality success stories provide a wealth of information associated with novel project designs, funding ideas, and useful resource suggestions. Some are clear successes; others supply valuable lessons to help us grow in our understanding of water quality protection and restoration. Stories illustrate successes gained from cooperation among Washington’s citizens and organizations.

Read all of our water quality success stories, and check out our catalog of stories.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Baby white sturgeon released into Columbia River

By Marcie Mangold, Ecology’s Eastern Regional Office

This future fisherman helps release a baby white sturgeon.

On April 28, over 60 people formed a “human chain” to pass buckets containing baby sturgeon so they could release them into the Columbia River in Grant County. A truck transported the 10-month-old sturgeon from the hatchery to the ceremony site near Priest Rapids.

The fish release was part of a ceremony to celebrate the White Sturgeon Recovery Conservation Program effort. Rex Buck, Jr. and other Wanapum Tribal members blessed the fish at the event and spoke of their importance to Wanapum and Yakama Native American cultures. Other speakers at the event included Paul Ward and Donella Miller from the Yakama Nation, and Grant PUD’s Assistant Manager, Chuck Berrie and Senior Biologist, Mike Clement.

Each fish tagged

Each fish released contained a passive tag that biologists can use to identify the fish when they are caught. These tags allow the researchers to track their movements, growth, and survival within the river over the next 20+ years. About one percent of the total sturgeon released also contained a sonic tag that emits a signal that can tell the biologists specifically where they are located without the need to catch the fish. These tags will work for up to five years.

Dams are hard on sturgeon

Dams along the Columbia River Basin have reduced white sturgeon populations. White sturgeon in the middle and upper Columbia River now reside in human-controlled and impounded reservoirs between dams. While these populations are able to reproduce, the juvenile or larval fish have a poor survival rate in the natural river, which leads to population declines. Some researchers believe this is likely due to regulation of river flows; flooding of historical critical spawning and rearing habitats; and increased numbers of native and non-native predators due to habitat alteration, introduction of exotic species, and increased pollution.

Read this full story online.

Water quality success stories provide a wealth of information associated with novel project designs, funding ideas, and useful resource suggestions. Some are clear successes; others supply valuable lessons to help us grow in our understanding of water quality protection and restoration. Stories illustrate successes gained from cooperation among Washington’s citizens and organizations.

Read all of Ecology's water quality success stories, and check out our complete catalog of stories to date.