| A Healthy Birch Bay Begins With You |
| Stormwater Management and Shellfish Protection including BBWARM |
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If you need to report an environmental emergency - such as a hazardous material spill please call 1-800-258-5990 or 1-800-OILS-911.
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Why We CARE...
Birch Bay is the #1 beach in WA with 26,000 clammers for summer 2009. Potlatch was second with 21,000 and Dosewallaps was 3rd with 18,000 according to the 2009 shellfish statistics from WDFW.
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WHY BBWARM?
Stormwater affects erosion, pollution and groundwater
December 3, 2009. Lisa Stiffler, Sightline Daily
The runoff that streams across pavement and buildings carries with it a wallop of toxic chemicals that harm everything from tiny herring to the region's iconic orcas. Economically, the polluted rainwater is a burden on budgets from the local to the national levels. It threatens to make drinking water undrinkable, and shellfish unsafe to eat from BC's Georgia Basin (including urban locations well north of Victoria's notorious sewage outfalls) to the Puget Sound's southern reaches.
Stormwater is created when rain falling on roofs, pavement, and developed landscapes runs off these surfaces and into roadside gutters, creeks and rivers, and ultimately into the sea. The pollution it carries is harmful, but so is the sheer volume of water cascading off these impervious surfaces. The torrent scours creeks, washing away small gravel, insects, and salmon eggs. It erodes stream banks. It triggers landslides.
In a natural landscape, trees, plants, and a healthy layer of soil helps the water soak deeply into the ground where it can replenish groundwater that's drained by wells. When the rain races off in stormwater, that groundwater recharge doesn't happen and wells risk running dry.
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| BBWARM - Birch Bay Watershed & Aquatic Resource Management District |
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The 2010 BBWARM Budget as approved by the Whatcom County Council on Dec. 8, 2009. Funding for capital projects for 2010 will come later.
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2010 Budget-AB2009-451 |
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BBWARM District Supplemental Budget Request and Logic Model: Informing BBWARM Workplan 2009-2010 discussed June 16, 2009.
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Workplan & Budget |
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This is a link to an article about pollutants found in Drayton Harbor. We wonder if Birch Bay is similarly affected? Hopefully this kind of testing will occur in the near future within the Birch Bay watershed.
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| Commercial Shellfish Closure at the Mouth of Terrell Creek |
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Some introductory remarks from Steve Hood at Ecology.
After some nasty shellfish related disease outbreaks (cholera and typhoid), the US responded to local health authorities' request for help by instituting the National Shellfish Sanitation Program. That was sometime in the 1920s. The first step is healthy shellfish beds. The ability to detect viruses and other pathogens was no better 80 years ago than it is today and Fecal Coliform bacteria was selected as the indicator. The protocol called for a 30 value data set with a geometric mean below 14 and a theoretical 90th percentile less than 43. When either of those values are exceeded shellfish cannot be sent to market from the beds. The process of restricting harvest of shellfish is called downgrading.
There are many other steps in the NSSP. The steps have to do with handling and storage to prevent incubation of latent bacteria (e.g. vibrio) and the ability to recall shellfish if necessary. Central to the process are tags identifying that the handlers are certified. The bottom line is if you order shellfish in a restaurant ask to see the tag. It will tell you where and when the shellfish have been harvested but most important will contain a NSSP certification number indicating the that harvesters and handlers know how to maintain sanitary shellfish. If they can't show you the tag you don't know if the NSSP protections are in place.
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Oct. 17, 2008
Hi Kathy,
I wanted to get back to you right away because I don't think my communication was entirely clear. Everything you wrote below is true but it may be misinterpreted.
It is true that the official order we issued addresses only commercial shellfish harvesting. However, wherever we close commercial harvests, we strongly recommend that recreational harvesters not harvest at those locations either. Our commercial shellfish closures are enforced by Fish and Wildlife officers, but our recreational closures are advisory. And of course, the beach at the state park is not within the closure area.
I hope this helps.
Bob Woolrich
The WA State Dept. of Health has sent a letter stating the following:
"The Office of Shellfish and Water Protection is reclassifying a portion of the Birch Bay commercial shellfish growing area in Whatcom County from Approved to Prohibited. We anticipate that the reclassification will be finalized by November 14, 2008.
This change in classification is required because of the number of fecal coliform bacteria being discharged by Terrell Creek. A Prohibited classification is needed 670 yards in all shoreline directions from the mouth of Terrell Creek."
Please note that this is NOT a closure of recreational shellfish harvest. While the evidence is adding up that water quality in Terrell Creek has problems that aren't going away, this does not mean that harvesting in that general area is any more dangerous today than it was yesterday or a year ago. The good news is that now Birch Bay, especially Terrell Creek, are on the radar and we are very likely to get help identifying the non-point sources of pollution in Terrell Creek so that those specific issues can be addressed. The existence of BBWARM should help us get on top of this issue sooner than we might if it did not exist at all. -kb
Oct. 17, 2008
Hi Kathy, it was very nice talking to you yesterday. I've only had a few minutes to look at your website, but it is quite impressive. I have to acknowledge my ignorance about the community, but it's obvious why people would love to live there.
Here are some documents that we developed recently. The information letter was sent out when we issued the initial order to close commercial shellfish harvesting around the mouth of Terrell Creek. It was intended to notify others agencies and groups of our reclassification. The attached map was included with that letter. Had we known of your organization, the Birch Bay Steering Committee would have been sent the information letter. Also attached are our technical documents associated with the closure. These were sent to the people like John Wolpers of the Whatcom County Environmental Health Program and Erika Stroebel of the county public works program for technical review. Much of the data used on Terrell Creek in the shoreline survey report was collected by the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association.
This morning I discussed our phone conversation with Stuart Glasoe, who supervises the two staff that focus on restoration of shellfish growing areas and recreational shellfish beaches. At this time, he will be your best contact. He has worked with Whatcom County agencies for several years, knows some of the issues and is very well versed on state agencies roles. His email is Stuart.Glasoe@doh.wa.gov and his phone number is 360 236-3310. I'm sure Stuart will keep you informed.
Please don't hesitate to contact me at any time.
Bob Woolrich
Manager of Growing Area Section
Office of Shellfish and Water Protection
Washington State Dept. of Health
P.O. Box 47824
Olympia, WA 98504-7824
(360) 236-3329
bob.woolrich@doh.wa.gov
Public Health - Always working for a safer and healthier Washington.
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Link to a good explaination of Low Impact Development in the Seattle-PI
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WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL ACTION TAKEN May 6, 2008
6. Appointments to the Birch Bay Watershed and Aquatic Resources Management and Advisory Committee, applicants: Christine Austin, Ralph Falk, Alan Friedlob, T. Keats Garman, Lesli Higginson, Donald Imhof, Gerald Larson, Don Montfort, Charles S. Pruitt and Dennis Sandvig (initial appointments will be staggered terms, with two members appointed for two years, two members appointed for three years, and one member appointed for four years) (AB2008-129A) (Council acting as the Whatcom County Flood Control Zone District Board of Supervisors) Appointed: Friedlob (4 years), Garman (3 years) Higginson (3 years), Imhof (2 years), Montfort (2 years)
Thank you ALL for your willingness to serve.
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| BBWARM - Stormwater Management/Shellfish Protection/Water Quality |
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An example of Low Impact Development (LID) and Sustainable Development in the Birch Bay Urban Growth Area (UGA).
"Bovenkamp intends to apply for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, nationally accepted standards for environmentally friendly construction. He plans to build his Horizon at Semiahmoo project in Blaine to the same standards."
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Horizon article 8-07 |
| Birch Bay/Terrell Creek Watershed |
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Whatcom Salmon Recovery site - Terrell Creek
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Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) is restoring habitat on Terrell Creek in order to restore the salmon runs on Terrell Creek.
http://www.n-sea.org/
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Whatcom Conservation District
"Helping Whatcom County Residents with Conservation Choices"
www.whatcomcd.org
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A single adult oyster clears over 15 gallons of seawater a day!
That's enough to make a big difference if you consider the combined efforts of millions of shellfish! They improve water quality by filtering microscopic plants from the watercolumn as they feed. Shellfish are not choosy however and the filter out all particles - including any chemicals, biotoxins, bacteria and viruses. If the water contains human sewage, animal wastes, disease-producing organisms then these contaminants concentrate in shellfish tissue as well.
A 1,200 square foot roof (or any impervious surface) produces 748 gallons of water runoff after an inch of rain! Where is your rain runoff going and how fast?
Thank you to the Lummi Island Community Land Trust Forum newsletter, Spring 2007 edition.
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