DRAYTON HARBOR SHELLFISH PROTECTION DISTRICT
ADVISORY COMMITTEE AGENDA

Download Zip File of All 2002 Summaries

AGENDA

MEETING ATTENDANCE

DOCUMENTS DISTRIBUTED

• Agenda
• 3/27/02 IFA Drayton Harbor Shellfish Protection District Advisory Committee (AC) Meeting Summary
• Drayton Harbor Watershed Map
• Summary of Marine Water Data - Drayton Harbor
• Summary of Marine Water Data (Adjusted for Rain Events) - Drayton Harbor
• Agricultural Issues in Drayton Harbor Watershed (1987 Data)
• Non-point Sources of Pollution (Rural/Agricultural Sources)

MEETING CONTENTS

1. Public Comment Period

Mak Kauffman introduced himself to the committee (AC). No comments from the public.

2. Review Agenda and Previous Meeting Summary

Review Agenda
Geoff Menzies reviewed the agenda.

Review Meeting Summary
The committee reviewed and approved the 3/27/02 Meeting Summary as edited.

• Action: Distribute the 3/27/02 IFA Meeting Summary as Final.

Action Items from the 3/27/02 Meeting and Informational Items
Geoff Menzies reviewed the situation of the Special Stormwater Exemption. Lake Whatcom, Lake Samish and Drayton Harbor have been identified as sensitive watersheds and given a stormwater special district status. Recently, a request was put forth to exempt Drayton Harbor from the infiltration and detention requirements of stormwater special districts. Geoff spoke with the County Council Planning Committee asking that Drayton Harbor not be excluded from these stormwater requirements. Guidelines and standards for stormwater infiltration and detention systems are being developed by the County's technical committee and should be completed by May 2002. The County Planning Committee has put the issue to the County Natural Resources Committee for discussion on 4/23/02. The current Planning recommendation is that Drayton Harbor not be exempted from the requirements of a stormwater special district until the guidelines/standards have been developed.

Ami Stillings updated the AC on a recent Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) meeting at Water Resources to select sensitive areas of the basin for intensive modeling. The five areas that were under review for selection were: Ten Mile, Lynden-North, South Fork, Drayton Harbor and Lake Whatcom. The WRIA committees have selected Tenmile, Lynden-North, and South Fork. Utah State University staff are currently estimating the cost associated with including Drayton Harbor in the intensive modeling process.

3. Rainfall Data and PSRF Updates

Rainfall Data
Geoff and Ami distributed summaries of Drayton Harbor water quality data. Don Lennartson at the State Department of Health (DOH) looked at the marine data in relation to rainfall. He adjusted the data set to exclude any samples taken within 4 days of a rain event of .5 inches or more. The analysis shows a strong correlation between rain events and water quality in the harbor at 5 of the 6 sites. The fecal counts at site 8 however, remain high whether adjustments were made for rain events or not. Site 8 is situated near the breakwater and the marina. Improvement in water quality at site 8 would be necessary before the DOH would consider reclassification of the shellfish beds based on rainfall data.

Puget Sound Restoration Fund (PSRF) Proposal
The PSRF proposal received positive feedback from Water Resources. Geoff Menzies and Betsy Peabody are currently revising the proposal and adjusting the budget from $21,500 to roughly $15,000. The Water Resources budget for shellfish activities is approximately $30,000 for both the Drayton Harbor and Portage Bay Shellfish Protection Districts. By reducing the budget for this proposal, funds will be available for projects within Portage Bay and for last minute projects within either district that might need funding. Geoff expects to have the revised proposal to Water Resources by 4/19/02.

Dye Test
The State DOH, the City of Blaine, PSRF and Whatcom County Water Resources recently met to discuss re-doing the dye test of the facilities along Marine Drive(Phase 1) and dye testing the Marine Drive sewer line(Phase 2). DOH will design the study protocol over the next few weeks and will distribute it for consideration by all of the parties, including the Port of Bellingham. DOH has agreed to analyze the charcoal absorption packets, which would be used to detect dye along the Blaine Harbor shoreline. Cost of the study could be kept low by employing volunteers to place and retrieve the packets. The study would have to be carried out when the seafood processors are operating and when there is sufficient rainfall to cause moderate to high flow in the sewer system.

Marina Issues
Committee members were concerned with boater waste issues due to the lack of signage in the Blaine Marina addressing pump-out stations. The AC has suggested placing more signs around the marina directing boaters to the pump out station and more clearly designating the station itself. The AC has also suggested amending moorage agreements to specifically mention the use of holding tanks.

Agriculture Info handouts
Ami distributed copies of the agricultural section of the Drayton Harbor Watershed Characterization done in 1991 by the Puget Sound Cooperative River Basin Team. The information was distributed to members to give them some basic info on agricultural practices in the Drayton Harbor watershed. Ami Stillings explained that the information in the report is out-dated (from 1987) and AC members should read the report with the understanding that a lot of work has been done to correct many of the problems associated with agricultural practices, for example, the dairy farms developing nutrient management plans. The information is a starting point for considering the next area for the AC to address.

4. Shellfish Newsletter/Logo DIscussion

Due to lack of time, the AC did not discuss this item.

5. One of the Following Options:

Watershed Tour with Problem Areas Discussion, or
Review of NWIC Freshwater Data with Committee Priority Discussion (Agriculture, On-site Septic, Municipal Sewer, Land Use, Stormwater, etc.)

The AC toured the Drayton Harbor watershed (see Appendix A for a watershed tour route description) and discussed possible water quality problems.

This overview tour of the watershed allowed members to look at the activities within the district in a slightly different light. One member commented that he had driven these roads on numerous occasions, but found it very enlightening to drive around with a focus on water quality and land use issues; he noticed many things and saw them differently when thinking about how they affect water quality. The group had numerous discussions while stopping to look at different sites and different problems. Some of the highlights of those discussions are noted here:

• · The group discussed the numerous small farms/hobby farms that they saw throughout the entire watershed. It was noted that many animals had direct access to streams and ditches on the property.
  - Geoff voiced concerns about a small horse farm on the south side of Loomis Trail Rd. Mak explained that the owners have made improvements to restrict access to creek.
  - The group noted a small sheep farm on the creek.
  - The owners of Hettinga dairy farm restricted their animals from the creek by placing a fence on the bank of the creek- Some posts were placed in the water.
  - The group noticed a poorly managed small beef farm on the east side of Blaine Rd.north of Hall Rd.
• The committee discussed crop practices that allow people to plant and disturb soils up to the ditch.
• Mak Kaufman, who deals with stormwater issues for DOE, noted several dairy farms that were doing well on getting their nutrient management plans implemented. Some had serious problems, but have been doing a lot to remedy the situation.
• Mak also pointed out several small farms/hobby farms that had complaints on them, that have been making efforts to correct their problems. He also gave the group some insight into some of the problems associated with small/hobby farms- animal access to streams, paddocks with soil/manure mix too close to streams/ditches, inadequate buffers, animals in poorly drained areas, etc.
• The group discussed the prevalence of wetlands in the watershed, especially in the California Creek area. Discussion then revolved around the importance of these areas for filtering contaminants, etc.

Geoff asked AC members to note any observations or comments. Ami Stillings will compile the AC comments.

6. Next Meeting's Agenda

To be determined.