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Washington legislators mount assault on growth management
(The Urbanist | Blog)
…More than a half-dozen bills have been proposed seeking
to either repeal the Growth Management Act (GMA) or severely hamper its
effectiveness at protecting natural and rural lands while focusing healthy
urban growth patterns in cities and unincorporated urban areas across the
state.... Put another way, the GMA serves to ensure that cities, counties,
regions, and the state have a coordinated way to allocate public resources and
services, to preserve critical and environmentally important areas, to retain
natural and agricultural resources, to realize economic vitality across
industry sectors and regions, and to provide people with quality housing
options.
To read more >>
Competing bills target, affirm high court water decision
(Bellingham Herald | Associated Press)
Some lawmakers are taking aim at a recent Washington
Supreme Court decision that put the onus on counties to determine whether water
is legally available in certain rural areas before they issue building permits.
One bill sponsored by Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, amends parts of the state
law at the heart of the ruling, known as the Hirst decision. County officials,
builders, business and farm groups are among supporting the measure, while
environmental groups and tribes oppose it. A competing bill sponsored by Sen.
John McCoy, D-Tulalip, supports the court decision and sets up a program to
help counties find ways to meet the requirements.
To read more >>
Ballast water bill could allow invasive species to enter
Puget Sound (Kitsap Sun | Watching Our Water Ways blog)
Invasive species from San Francisco Bay — known as the
most infested waterway in the country — would have an open door for entry into
Puget Sound under a bill moving through Congress. You may have heard this line
before. I posted the same warning last summer, when the Vessel Incidental
Discharge Act, or VIDA, was attached to the “must-pass” National Defense
Authorization Act. (Water Ways, July 16). Opponents fought back and were able
to strip VIDA from the bill before final passage. Now, with Republicans in
control of both houses of Congress and an anti-regulatory atmosphere in place,
the bill’s passage seems more likely this time — to the detriment of Puget
Sound, the Great Lakes and other waterways.
To read more >>
Quagga mussels a threat to irrigators, lawmaker warns
(Capital Press)
Quagga mussels clog irrigation systems and are
approaching the Pacific Northwest, warns a Washington state senator, who has
proposed a tax on ships to fund a battle against the invasive species.
Shippers, ports and marine terminal operators oppose the new fee, arguing large
vessels are unlikely to introduce invasive species and that another tax will
make Washington ports less attractive to companies.... Along with clogging
pipes and screens, the mussels upset the ecosystem.
To read more >>
PSCWA lobbying for carwash sales tax exemption (Carwash Online)
According to the Puget Sound Car Wash Association (PSCWA)
website, the association is lobbying for a state retail sales tax exemption for
all carwashes in Washington state. The reason for this sales tax exemption, the
article stated, is that water quality is the largest environmental issue facing
the Puget Sound, according to the EPA and DOE, and estimates claim that 75
percent of all pollution entering the Puget Sound comes from untreated runoff
in residential neighborhoods, with a significant contributor to these
pollutants being driveway washing.
To read more >>
Larsen calls on Congress to end orca captivity once and
for all (SanJuanIslander.com )
Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) is once again cosponsoring the
Orca Responsibility and Care Advancement (ORCA) Act, a bill that aims to end
the captivity of orca whales once and for all. The ORCA Act would permanently
end orca captivity across the United States and prohibit orca breeding, the
wild capture of orcas, and the import or export of orcas for purposes of public
display.
To read more >>
See also:
Wash. congressman backs bill banning orca captivity
(SeattlePI)
Lawmaker wants chemicals stripped from fast-food wrappers
(KOMO News)
Fast food may not be the healthiest choice, but now
there's a concern that the packaging it comes in may be worse than the actual
meal. A new study says the wrapper that holds a burger or
covers french fries could be loaded with unhealthy chemicals.... Rep. Joan
McBride, D-Kirkland, wants to rewrite the recipe on food wrappers.
To read more >>
Seattle Iron and Metals Corp.fined $64000 for polluting
Duwamish River (West Seattle Herald)
The Washington Department of Ecology has fined Seattle
Iron and Metals Corp. $64,000 for discharging stormwater with excessive levels
of several pollutants into the Duwamish River in Seattle…. The monitoring
showed excessive concentrations of zinc, copper, lead, petroleum compounds,
ammonia, and fine particles above the limits set in the permit. The pollutants
are byproducts of converting old cars and appliances to usable metals. They can
be toxic to fish and other aquatic and marine life.
To read more >>
Groups to sue Navy over pollution from aircraft carrier
(King 5 News)
Several groups have issued an intent to sue the Navy over
claims that an old aircraft carrier is polluting Puget Sound around the
Bremerton base. Through the American flag on Puget Soundkeeper's boat, it's
easy to see what they've been staring at so closely for the last few weeks.
To read more >>
Pile-driving begins for Navy pier project at Ediz Hook
(Peninsula Daily News)
Pile-driving began Wednesday on the Navy’s $25.6 million
pier project on Ediz Hook. Not that city residents, going about their business
downtown on the other side of Port Angeles Harbor, would know it….While the
project, which faces the city shoreline, also will include louder impact
pile-driving, a quiet clatter issued Wednesday from the vibratory APE 200
hammer during a frigid visit to the worksite. The 13,000-pound driver being
used for the project pushes out 170 tons of drive force at up to 1,650
vibrations per minute while hanging from a crane and balanced on the
18-inch-diameter end of a 97-foot steel pile being inched into the harbor
floor.
To read more >>
Lift cable snaps, boat slips at Port Townsend marina
(Peninsula Daily News)
A cable snapped on a Port of Port Townsend boat lift
while it was lowering a boat into the Boat Haven Marina, causing minor property
damage and a small fuel spill in the marina….Hydraulic fluid from the lift
spilled into the marina. Slade said it was a minor spill. “There’s a sheen and
we’re not sure how much but those don’t hold a lot of fluid,” Slade said.
To read more >>
Mistrial for man who broke into pipeline facility in name
of climate change (Skagit Valley Herald)
The jury deliberating the case of Kenneth Ward failed to
reach a verdict, and a mistrial was declared Wednesday in Skagit County
Superior Court. Ward, 60, of Corbett, Oregon, was on trial for felony burglary
and sabotage charges for trying to shut off an oil pipeline Oct. 11 at a Kinder
Morgan facility west of Burlington. He said while testifying that he targeted
the pipeline in an attempt to raise awareness about climate change, and he
hoped to inspire a transition off fossil fuels.
To read more >>
See also:
Jury selected in trial of man charged with breaking into
pipeline facility (Skagit Valley Herald)
Jury Fails to Convict ‘Valve Turner’ Ken Ward, Who Faced
30 Years for Climate Disobedience (Seattle Weekly)
Jury convicts Break Free PNW protestors (Skagit Valley
Herald)
A jury found four people guilty of trespassing Friday for
blocking BNSF Railway tracks during the Break Free PNW protest in May. Each was
convicted of second-degree criminal trespass, which is a misdemeanor, in Skagit
County District Court. Each was sentenced to 12 months of probation, fined $250
and required to do eight hours of community service work in Skagit County,
Prosecuting Attorney Rich Weyrich said.
To read more >>
Whatcom berry farmer appeals $102K in fines for illegal
water use (Bellingham Herald)
A Whatcom County farmer accused of illegally watering his
raspberries and failing to submit records on water use has appealed fines
totaling $102,000. Gurjant “George” Sandhu’s case will go before the state
Pollution Control Hearings Board on Oct. 24-26. The Washington state Department
of Ecology fined Sandhu, doing business as Crystalview Raspberry Farm, on Dec.
16 for separate violations on two farms he operates in Whatcom County.
To read more >>
EPA covers toxic tar seep under Eagle Harbor (Kitsap Sun)
The hidden danger lurking under Eagle Harbor is being put
back in its cage. Acres of industrial tar and other contaminants safely buried
under sand and gravel 30 years ago had recently started to ooze out, putting a
largely recovered harbor’s health at risk. In response, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency is leading a $3 million effort to patch the sediment cap and
add a new layer of rock to make sure it stays put.
To read more >>
Volunteers report trees illegally cut at Indian Island
County Park (Peninsula Daily News)
Jefferson County
officials and volunteers have found trees illegally cut and taken from Indian
Island County Park in Port Hadlock and are searching for the tree thieves. “By
the looks of it, it’s just one person or a small group of people taking Douglas
fir and madrone for firewood,” Matt Tyler, Jefferson County Parks and
Recreation manager, said in a news release.
To read more >>
Snake River dams examined after decades of lawsuits (King
5 News)
Scientists and power providers are scrutinizing the Snake
River dams to see just how damaging they are for wild fish, in accordance with
a federal judge’s orders. For the first time in about a decade, the public has
a chance to weigh in on the future of the dams. It’s an issue that’s captivated
the attention of former Idaho Fish and Game biologist, Steve Pettit. He spent
years fishing the Clearwater River on his lunch breaks, so if anyone’s watched
the waters change over 40 years, Petit says he has. “It’s pathetic. Can’t buy a
fish,” he said. Pettit blames a bad memory that’s stuck like a persistent
nightmare. He was there in 1975 when the Lower Granite dam held back the Snake
River for the first time.
To read more >>
Town holds public hearing on plastic bag ban (Journal of
the San Juans)
San Juan County passed an ordinance to ban single-use,
carryout plastic bags, last November, but it didn’t include the Town of Friday
Harbor. “There’s county code and then there’s the town,” said Town Clerk Amy
Taylor to The Journal. “Sometimes they overlap and sometimes they don’t.”… Two
changes were made to the town ordinance draft by council; the start date of the
ban was changed from April 1 to May 1 to coincide with the county’s adoption
and retailers were given additional time to use already purchased non-complying
bags until out of stock.
To read more >>
Sinking boat near Kingston to be hauled off soon (Kitsap
Sun)
The Olympic, the historic fishing vessel languishing in
Appletree Cove, has one more trip to make. That journey likely will be the last
of its century-long life. The 58-foot vessel foundered in the cove in early
December after it broke anchor and winds pushed it into shallow water. When the
Olympic struck ground, it tipped and water poured into the vessel. It has since
sat partially submerged in the cove, leaching fluids. The state Department of
Natural Resources has launched an effort to clean up the boat through its
Derelict Vessel Removal Program.
To read more >>
Nature Conservancy transferring property to Skagit Land
Trust (Skagit Valley Herald)
The Skagit Land Trust will soon take ownership of more
land in east Skagit County. The Nature Conservancy will transfer nine
conservation sites totaling about 1,000 acres to the land trust for continued
protection. The sites are east of Concrete along the Skagit, Cascade, Sauk and
Suiattle rivers, as well as along Illabot Creek.
To read more >>
More studies underway for Barnaby Reach project (Skagit
Valley Herald)
A new chapter is beginning this year for a fish habitat
restoration project at Barnaby Reach, an area that includes several streams and
sloughs in the upper Skagit River watershed. The Skagit River System
Cooperative, which is managing the proposed project for The Nature Conservancy,
state Department of Fish & Wildlife and Seattle City Light, has hired a
team of consultants to collect additional data about the way water moves
through the area.... The cooperative has applied for Floodplains by Design
grant money to help pay for the additional studies. Floodplains by Design is a
state program that supports projects designed to improve habitat and reduce
flood risks. Whether the grant money is awarded will depend on the Legislature’s
budget.
To read more >>
Compromise preserves 25 acres at Wallace Falls from
logging (Everett Herald)
Snohomish County’s top elected leaders endorsed a
compromise Wednesday that aims to safeguard trail systems at the popular
Wallace Falls State Park, while providing timber revenue to local governments.
Contention over the patch of state woodland northeast of Gold Bar known as the Singletary
sale has been ongoing for almost a decade. The Department of Natural Resources
land was set to go to auction Feb. 22. It would have included 187 acres of
second-growth forest.
To read more >>
Clallam County trust lands panel delivers final report
(Peninsula Daily News)
After 14 months of research, discussion and debate, the
Clallam County Trust Lands Advisory Committee has delivered a final report to
the three county commissioners. The report reaffirms a Nov. 18 committee
recommendation that commissioners not seek reconveyance of 92,500 acres of
state-managed forest trust lands in Clallam County.
To read more >>
Plunge into frosty Lake Stevens to raise money for salmon
(Everett Herald)
A certain type of commitment was on display on the shores
of Snohomish County’s largest lake. At Lundeen Park on a 38-degree day in
January, 18 people plunged into waters where ice had formed in places. They did
it for Sound Salmon Solutions, a nonprofit focused on improving fish habitat
and teaching people about water quality.
To read more >>
Event encourages environmental education, advocacy
(Skagit Valley Herald)
Educators and students of all ages gathered Thursday at
La Conner’s Maple Hall for Storming the Sound, a day of discussions about the
importance of environmental education in the Salish Sea region. Speakers
stressed the importance of continuing environmental science, education and
advocacy work during the presidency of Donald Trump.
To read more >>
See also:
Local environmentalists share concern over Trump
presidency (Skagit Valley Herald)
Substance in crude oil harms fish hearts, could affect
humans as well (Phys.org)
Research from Stanford University's Hopkins Marine
Station has identified a substance in oil that's to blame for the
cardiotoxicity seen in fish exposed to crude oil spills. More than a hazard for
marine life exposed to oil, the contaminant this team identified is abundant in
air pollution and could pose a global threat to human health. The pollutant at
the center of this finding, phenanthrene, is a type of polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbon (PAH). Due to widespread use of petroleum, PAHs are also found in land-based
stormwater runoff, contaminated soil from defunct industrial sites and air
pollution.
To read more >>
Microplastics found in supermarket fish, shellfish (CBC
News)
Tiny pieces of plastic are making their way into fish and
shellfish found at the supermarket, a new study has shown. The findings are
part of a report prepared for the International Maritime Organization, the UN
agency responsible for preventing marine pollution. It's not yet been
established what effect these tiny particles of plastic will have on the humans
who consume them, the report says.
To read more >>
Invasive oyster drills react differently to predators
than natives (Kitsap Sun | Watching Our Water Ways blog)
Invasive saltwater snails, including dreaded oyster
drills, seem to be far more leery of predators than native snails under certain
conditions, according to a new study by Emily Grason, whose research earned her
a doctoral degree from the University of Washington. Why non-native snails in
Puget Sound would run and hide while native species stand their ground remains
an open question, but the difference in behavior might provide an opportunity
to better control the invasive species.
To read more >>
Study: Predators might play major role in chinook
declines (Kitsap Sun)
Seals and sea lions are taking a major bite out of the
threatened chinook salmon population in Puget Sound, and the competition for
food could be having repercussions for endangered Southern Resident killer
whales, according to a new study. Seals and sea lions are eating about 1.4
million pounds of Puget Sound chinook each year — about nine times more than
they were eating in 1970, according to the report, published online this month
in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.
To read more >>
See also:
Hungry Salish Sea seals and sea lions devouring resident
orcas' favourite food (Vancouver Sun)
Sea Lions Move Into Home
(Key Peninsula News)
The invasion began in mid-December. Between 60 and 100
were first observed in Delano Bay on the east side of Penrose State Park. They
moved into Mayo Cove and followed the food into Von Geldern Cove in Home. The
arrival of the California sea lions was accompanied by hundreds of seagulls
circling above them as they fed, eager to pick up any scraps. The size of this
group of sea lions so far south in the Puget Sound was an unusual phenomenon.
To read more >>
Snakes That Swim with Salmon (Hakai Magazine)
Snakes have a long-held reputation for being sneaky. And
garter snakes on the Cowichan River in southeastern Vancouver Island, British
Columbia, have taken their slippery ways to new and surprising lengths. Last
spring, when Tim Kulchyski, a field biologist with the Cowichan Tribes, reached
into a trap that allows researchers to count fish, he came out with a garter
snake instead of the chinook and coho smolts he was expecting. And there wasn’t
just one. “I probably pulled out a dozen over three weeks,” he says. “Some were
pretty big. They were bloated—so healthy it was ridiculous.”
To read more >>
Saving wild salmon: Snake River dams examined after
decades of lawsuits (King 5 News)
Scientists and power providers are scrutinizing the Snake
River dams to see just how damaging they are for wild fish, in accordance with
a federal judge’s orders. For the first time in about a decade, the public has
a chance to weigh in on the future of the dams.
To read more >>
Back-to-back Central Kitsap sewage spills worst in years (Kitsap Sun)
One of Kitsap’s largest sewage spills in years, plus a second smaller spill a day later, has polluted a Central Kitsap creek and forced the closure of waterways between Silverdale and Bremerton. The first spill occurred Sunday from a Kitsap County Public Works pump station under construction on Conifer Drive near the Kitsap County Fairgrounds. The spill released 90,000 gallons of sewage. ... Sewage polluted a 2-mile stretch of the creek before flowing out its mouth near Tracyton, contaminating Dyes Inlet and the Port Washington Narrows.
To read more >>
Dairy farmers tackle water quality challenges (Capital
Press)
Using an innovative online tool to schedule late winter
and early spring manure applications, Terry and Troy Lenssen of Lenssen Dairy
in Lynden, Wash., can give soil microbes a chance to convert slurry nutrients
into plant-available forms before spring growth starts in earnest, while also
protecting local waterways from runoff of nutrients and bacteria. The
Application Risk Management tool — known by the acronym ARM — developed by the
Whatcom Conservation District uses a complex formula to analyze local weather
forecasts, soil type, crop density, water table depth and other variables to
determine whether the risks of runoff or leaching are low enough to permit a
manure application. ARM protects more than the creek and the commercial
shellfish beds downstream — it protects the Lenssens’ bottom line.
To read more >>
WSDA fines two dairies in water pollution cases (Capital
Press)
Two Western Washington dairies have been fined $8,000
apiece for discharging manure into a ditch or creek, according to the state
Department of Agriculture. The penalties against Valley View Dairy of Mount
Vernon and the Lloyd Winterberg Dairy of Lynden were finalized Jan. 12...
According to WSDA, a department inspector flew over Valley View Dairy on Oct.
19 and saw manure moving off saturated fields and into Nookachamps Creek. The
creek flows into the Skagit River.
To read more >>
Car Tires a Source of Marine Microplastics (Marine Executive)
Microplastics - tiny pieces of plastic or fibers increasingly
found in the oceans - have been found in a variety of commercial fish and
shellfish, including samples purchased from retail outlets, according to a new
study. One previously unrecognized source of secondary microplastics
highlighted is debris from vehicle tires. The emission of rubber particle dust
(mainly <80 micrometers) from tire wear may be a major source of
microparticle contamination in the sea. Part of the dust flies as particulate
matter into the air, the rest lands directly on the road or adjoining land and
from there a proportion will enter surface waters or drains. An unknown
proportion will be carried to the sea.
To read more >>
Air station chemical plume reaches Oak Harbor groundwater
(Everett Herald)
A mile-long plume of a chemical that’s a likely
carcinogen has migrated in groundwater from a contaminated site at Naval Air
Station Whidbey Island to within Oak Harbor city limits. No drinking water
wells are in imminent danger since the residents in the area are all hooked up
to city water, which is piped in from the Skagit River.
To read more >>
Never mind the lungs. Air pollution can scramble your
brain (The Olympian)
The air you breathe does more than affect your lungs. A
new study published this week found that older women exposed to air polluted by
vehicle exhaust and other damaging particles are almost twice as likely to
develop dementia. Others who carried a specific gene were almost four times
likelier to develop loss of memory and reasoning skills.
To read more >>
Dr. Wood: Recycle fluorescent lighting to protect family,
environment (The Olympian)
In Washington, all mercury-containing lights must be
recycled. Many people use compact fluorescent light bulbs, or CFLs, in their
home, and they contain mercury. CFLs are safe to handle and use, but when they
are broken, the mercury vaporizes into room-temperature air. Mercury can impair
neurological development in children and infants, and is toxic to adults.
To read more >>
Rain doesn’t dampen spirits at Arlington-Stillaguamish
eagle fest (Everett Herald)
... The stump is a popular spot for eagles and peregrine
falcons, said Pera, a member of the Skagit Audubon Society. He and other
volunteers brought their equipment and expertise to a bird-watching tour of the
Nature Conservancy’s Port Susan Bay Preserve at the end of Boe Road near
Stanwood. The tour was one of dozens of events happening Friday and Saturday as
part of the 10th annual Arlington-Stillaguamish Eagle Festival.
To read more >>
Thrifty Thurston Rediscovers Wildlife at Nisqually
National Wildlife Refuge (ThurstonTalk )
On the northern edge of Thurston County, where the
Nisqually River mixes with the Puget Sound, one of our region’s natural wonders
sits, waiting for you to come back and visit. Now, as winter winds down and
spring slowly approaches, it’s a great time to head to the Nisqually
National Wildlife Refuge and witness the birding paradise.
To read more >>
County seeks public input on Whidbey trail system
(Whidbey News Times)
Residents who like to explore Whidbey’s wonders “with
their hands and feet” are encouraged to help improve and expand recreational
opportunities. An update on the 2006 Non-Motorized Trails Plan will be
presented at several locations this week and public involvement is key, said
Brian Wood, transportation planner with Island County Public Works.... An
ambitious goal of building a biking and walking trail along the entire length
of Whidbey Island from the Deception Pass bridge to Clinton’s ferry dock, known
as “Bridge to Boat,” is part of the non-motorized trail system concept.
To read more >>
Lake Serene is flooding again, and there’s no quick fix
(Everett Herald)
When Debbie Bly-Olsen and her husband, Ryan, moved into
their lakefront home during the dry month of June, there was no sign of what
lay ahead. Like many others drawn to Lake Serene, they would soon find
themselves too close for comfort to the beautiful aquatic landscape. Last
month, the lake level rose to submerge docks, inundate back yards and threaten
basements.... Bhend, who has owned his home for nearly 40 years, said problems
with lake levels have gotten worse of late. He blames it on urban development
to all sides. County officials, in his view, should have done a better job
managing the added storm runoff from all the new roofs, driveways and other
developed surfaces.
To read more >>
How is the Puget Sound ecosystem doing?
The 2015 State of the Sound reports on the current state of the ecosystem and the status of regional recovery actions. Learn more at www.psp.wa.gov/sos.
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