Fecal Matters: Update on Sewage Spill near Les Davis Pier on Ruston Way, Tacoma, WA

BEACH Program Update








During the week of October 7, 2013, the City of
Tacoma and the BNSF Railroad Company cleaned the sewage spill causing high
bacteria in the water near the Les Davis Pier/Waterfront Dock Park on Ruston
Way in Tacoma. Water quality monitoring will continue until bacteria levels
decrease to background levels. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department still
recommend

Clean water on agricultural lands: The facts about Ecology’s watershed evaluation program

By Brook Beeler, Eastern Regional Office



Cattle are excluded from streams and provided off-stream water. The grass filter strip and large woody vegetation prevent pollutants
such as nutrients and fecal coliform bacteria from reaching the stream. The trees and shrubs also maintain cool water temperatures needed by fish.



Examples of site conditions pictured here known to contribute to

Fecal Matters: Closure Removed for Drayton Harbor near Blaine, WA.

BEACH Program Update

On October 25, 2013, the Whatcom County Health Department removed the closure for Drayton Harbor at California Creek after follow-up sampling was completed. The closure was issued October 18, 2013 due to a manure spill that discharged to the creek.

Visit the BEACH web site to find the latest results for these and other saltwater beaches: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/eap/

New tools for monitoring health of life at the bottom of Puget Sound

By Maggie Dutch, Senior Benthic Ecologist, Washington Department of Ecology




Up close and personal view of brittlestars taken by Maggie Dutch of Ecology's marine sediment monitoring program.

The sand and mud at the bottom of Puget Sound is home to a wide variety of microscopic
invertebrates that scientists refer to as the “benthos.”



Microscopic creatures support the food chain
These

Air Time: Tis the Season – for hazy skies, wood smoke, burn bans, tips on burning clean

By Joye Redfield-Wilder, communication manager, Central Regional Office

Tis the Season — the season for SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) or just as easily “SAQD (Seasonal Air Quality Disorder).” When temperatures drop, smoke will increase in many Washington communities as we begin nesting and fire up wood-burning devices to heat our homes.

When smoke combines with diesel emissions and other

Garden Talk: Food Bank Garden ends the year with a stunning harvest

By Kate Nagel, Food Bank Garden Coordinator 







Potatoes ready to be cleaned and delivered to the  
Thurston County Food Bank

Volunteers from the Department of Ecology and the community
brought in a harvest of almost 1,400 pounds of food during the Saturday, Oct. 5,
Garden Harvest. Included in the totals were 1,012 pounds of potatoes, 372
pounds of squash and eight pounds of beets.
This

Fecal Matters: Closure Issued for Drayton Harbor at California Creek near Blaine, WA.

BEACH Program Update

On October 18, 2013, the Whatcom County Health Department issued a closure for Drayton Harbor at California Creek. The closure was issued due to a manure spill that discharged to the creek. The public is to have no contact with the water until further notice.

Contact with fecal contaminated waters can result in gastroenteritis, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections, and

Let’s talk science: Columbia River holds strong as 2nd largest river in the U.S., if you measure right

By Brook Beeler, communication manager



I think those of us in the Northwest are pretty darn proud
of our mighty Columbia River. We boast about many of its facts. At its mouth on
the Pacific Ocean the river is known as “the graveyard of the Pacific.” Its scenic
gorge was scoured by the Great Missoula Floods. Famed Lewis and Clark explorers
camped along its banks among the region’s native

Fecal Matters: Hollywood Beach in Port Angleles, WA is Open for Water Contact Recreation

BEACH Program Update

Last week Clallam County Health & Human Services opened Hollywood Beach in Port Angeles, WA to water contact recreation. Additional marine water samples collected last week show bacteria concentrations have dropped to background levels. A swimming advisory was previously issued on October 4, 2013 due to a combined sewer overflow (CSO) near the beach. CSOs are a diluted

Public safety: Watch your step!

“Abandoned Wells: A Hidden Danger” Ecology video now on-line

by Lynne Geller, Water Resources Program



Abandoned well hidden under piece of plywood
Every year, across the state, people and animals fall into abandoned water wells. These falls usually result in injury, and sometimes death. There are thousands of these wells across the state. Most are leftover from Washington’s agricultural days

Fecal Matters: Water Contact Advisory at Hollywood Beach, Port Angeles, WA

BEACH Program Update

Yesterday, October 4, 2013, Clallam County Health & Human Services issued a water contact advisory at Hollywood Beach and all of Port Angeles Harbor. The public is warned to avoid water contact for the next seven days after heavy rains forced eight million gallons of stormwater and raw sewage to discharge into the harbor through a combined sewer overflow.

Contact with fecal

Fecal Matters: Update on Swimming Advisory Near Les Davis Pier at Waterfront Dock Park, Tacoma, WA

BEACH Program Update






Today, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department
decreased the advisory level near the Les Davis Pier/Waterfront Dock Park on
Ruston Way. The Health Department recommends that people avoid swimming or
wading during and for 48 hours following, a rain storm. The previous advisory
recommended avoiding swimming or wading at anytime. Counts of bacteria found in
the water

Veterans Serving and Protecting Washington's Environment

By Stephanie Jackson, WCC Veteran's & Project Coordinator






Since 2011, the Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) has hired veterans for conservation work throughout Washington. Our first all-veteran, all-star crew was hired through various fund sources, including Department of Natural Resources Jobs Now Act. Since that inaugural crew started, the WCC has expanded veteran positions on all crews