POULSBO — While the state Department of Ecology has given four local governments required tasks to improve water quality in Liberty Bay and its streams, officials want residents to know they can make a big difference.
Mindy Fohn of Kitsap County’s stormwater management program said residents, especially those that live on the bay, should figure out how to filter their property’s stormwater through soil. Stormwater is a conveyance, she said; it delivers the problems to Liberty Bay.
Stuart Whitford of the Kitsap Public Health District encourages residents to take a look at their septic systems, and talk to their neighbors if they notice problems.
Ecology recently released its TMDL study results and implementation plan to the public, charging the county and the City of Poulsbo as the primary leaders to improve Liberty Bay’s water quality.
TMDL stands for total maximum daily load, the maximum input of a pollutant that still allows a water body to meet Ecology standards. Ecology tested for fecal coliform bacteria, which is related to E. coli. Trevor Swanson, an Ecology biologist, said testing for fecal coliform indicates other dangerous organisms can be present.
Fecal coliform causes problems for salmon and shellfish, and poses a threat to human health. Liberty Bay has been closed to shellfish harvesting since 1991.
Ecology conducted the study in 2008-09, so the results of that study do not reflect Liberty Bay’s current quality state. In 2009, Ecology gave Kitsap Health District a grant for its Water Pollution Identification & Correction Program, or PIC. Kitsap Health officials followed up on Ecology’s testing sites every year since then and found the sources of many problems.
Liberty Bay met Ecology’s water quality standards in 2012. But the streams that feed into Liberty Bay — which have a higher bacteria standard than marine water — are not meeting Ecology standards.
“The tributaries are not meeting standards,” said Sally Lawrence, the water cleanup lead for Skagit and Kitsap watersheds in Ecology. “As long as those are carrying too much bacteria it puts Liberty Bay at risk.”
She said the TMDL study is really a progress report for Liberty Bay.
“The TMDL told us where the problem locations were in the watershed,” Lawrence said.
The two main sources of contaminants are failing septic systems and animal waste, often from an agricultural area. Whitford said they have conducted 844 inspections since 2009, the majority of which the property owner is cooperative. Whitford said education is key, “to prevent problems from occurring in the first place.”
Only one stream met water-quality standards in 2010. Now, five are consistently meeting standards, and four have improved considerably since 2010. Ecology and Kitsap Health identified a few streams as a high priority: the south fork of Dogfish Creek, Poulsbo Creek, Big and Little Scandia creeks, Bjorgen Creek, Lemolo Creek, and a stream on the Liberty Shores Assisted Living property.
The county and the city have the same stormwater permit that spells out their responsibilities. The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) is a five-year permit with five components: public education and outreach, public involvement and participation, illicit discharge detection and elimination, controlling runoff from new development or redevelopment, and pollution prevention and maintenance operations.
Poulsbo Public Works Director Barry Loveless told the City Council last week that the city’s stormwater fund is depleted and the city needs to raise stormwater utility rates in order to meet the permit’s requirements.
Mayor Becky Erickson said, “We will have a conversation about storm water utility rates, hopefully coming to some fair standard but with the understanding that we are facing substantial regulatory requirements that we must satisfy.”
Lawrence praised the city’s work on the Anderson Parkway retrofit, which yielded raingardens to filter polluted stormwater enroute to the bay.
“The [city’s] proactive approach to stormwater management has absolutely contributed to water-quality improvements in Liberty Bay,” Erickson said.
Ecology recommended planning departments develop incentives for stormwater retention on new development, and avoid developing in high-risk areas.
The county and the city are supported by other districts around Liberty Bay — the state Department of Transportation must assist with spills and drainage notification, and Naval Base Kitsap at Keyport monitors and samples two streams, coordinating with the county.
Ecology has also collaborated with the Suquamish Tribe; Liberty Bay is a part of the Tribe’s usual and accustomed fishing area. Rich Brooks, environmental program manager said Suquamish has conducted its own sampling, and results of late are encouraging for some parts of the bay to be open to shellfish harvesting again.
Environmental officials say all of us can improve water quality — by checking septic systems, disposing of pet waste in the garbage, managing waste properly while boating (dumping gray water is illegal), washing cars only at a car wash, and installing raingardens.
“Without a clean Liberty Bay, we don’t have the quality of life we demand in our community,” Erickson said.
Ecology’s TMDL plan will be submitted by this fall to the EPA for approval. The public can submit comments until April 15.
View the report at www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/tmdl/LibertyBay, or at Poulsbo, Silverdale and Kingston libraries.
Comments and technical questions should be directed to Sally Lawrence, Department of Ecology, 3190 160th Ave. SE, Bellevue, 98008-5452. (425) 649-7036. Email sally.lawrence@ecy.wa.gov.
