In
the summer of 2001, Japanese oyster seed was planted by volunteers from
White Rock, B.C. to Bellingham on 2 acres of prime mudflat in Drayton
Harbor. These volunteer Farmers of the Tideflats tend the beds three to
four times a year and get involved in other projects to help clean up
pollution in Drayton Harbor. The oysters, 3/8” long when
planted, are now over 7” in length and growing “to
beat the band.” Blau Oyster Farm in Samish Bay has agreed to
purchase this crop in 2004 if water quality is adequately restored in
the harbor. Proceeds from the sale will support ongoing pollution
control efforts in the Drayton Harbor watershed.Our
Partners: Citizens and over twenty private and public
groups.
Stormwater Monitoring 2001-2004
Stormwater
from both urban and rural areas can carry bacterial pollutants from
various sources into Drayton Harbor. This can degrade water quality and
make it unsafe to harvest shellfish. Numerous stormwater drains from
the eastern shoreline of Drayton Harbor have been sampled for fecal
coliform bacteria since July, 2001. Stormwater from these drainages
frequently violates freshwater standards for bacteria and poses an
ongoing threat to water quality in the harbor. The objectives of this
project are to identify individual drains which contribute the greatest
bacterial loading and to work with the City of Blaine to install
structures which will reduce bacteria levels before stormwater is
discharged into the harbor. Our Partners:
Citizens, Washington State Department of Health, City of Blaine,
Whatcom County Water ReSources, Pledge Program, Hirsch Consulting.
Educational Signage 2002
Numerous signs were posted in the commercial area
of the Blaine Marina, at the entrance to Drayton Harbor and the
Semiahmoo Marina and at a common anchorage area inside of Drayton
Harbor. These signs alert visiting boaters to the sensitive nature of
Drayton Harbor and the surrounding waters. Our Partners:
Horizons Foundation, Port of Bellingham, Whatcom County, Blaine Seafood
Processors, Semiahmoo Marina.
Tideflat Tours 2002
A series
of field tours were conducted to educate and inform decision-makers in
the community about shellfish restoration efforts in Drayton Harbor.
This program focused on the Blaine City Council and Planning
Commission, Whatcom County Council and Planning Commission, Whatcom
County Marine Resources Committee and the Drayton Harbor Shellfish
Protection District Citizen Advisory Committee. Through this program,
forty individuals directly experienced the rich resources of Drayton
Harbor. Our Partner: Whatcom County Water Resources.
Marine Drive Sewer Repair 2001-2003
Most
of Blaine’s sewage travels through a series of pipes and
manholes along Marine Drive before being pumped over to the wastewater
treatment plant on the Semiahmoo Spit. Funds were raised to videotape
an older portion of this system and to inspect numerous manholes for
leaks. Significant cracks that were detected in sewer pipes and
manholes were all repaired in the fall of 2001. In 2003, sewer lines
were dye-tested for detection of possible leaks to marine waters and
storm water runoff. No leaks were detected, thus eliminating this
potential source of bacterial pollution. Our Partners:
City of Blaine, Semiahmoo First Nation, Washington State Department of
Ecology, Whatcom County WRIA 1 Early Action Funds, Drayton Shellfish
Protection District, Puget Sound Action Team, The Russell Family
Foundation.
Wetlands for Water Quality 2001-2004
There
is quite a diversity of wetland types in the Drayton Harbor watershed.
The 1995 Watershed Action Plan and the 2001 Shellfish District Water
Recovery Plan both speak to the need to identify wetlands which provide
the important function of fecal coliform control. After two years of
investigation, Ecology, partnering with the local community, has
produced a report which identifies key areas for wetland restoration
and education projects in the Dakota and California Creek drainages.
Our Partners: Ecology’s Wetland Restoration
Program, Trillium Corporation, Whatcom County Planning, Whatcom
Conservation District.
Shuckin’ on the Spit 2002
–2004
The
Shuckin’ on the Spit festival has been held successfully for
two years running at Resort Semiahmoo. The goal of this festival is to
raise the community’s awareness of the rich marine resources
that we are blessed with in this area and to enjoy a great seafood
feed. It is a benefit for the Puget Sound Restoration Fund’s
Community Oyster Farm project. At the third annual Shuckin’
event, we hope to be dining on the finest oysters grown in the Puget
Sound, those from our own Drayton Harbor. Our Partners:
Resort Semiahmoo, Trillium Corporation, The Russell Family Foundation.
Blaine Marina Circulation Studies 2003
The
commercial portion of the Blaine Marina continues to have very high
concentrations of fecal coliform bacteria. We completed a series of
water circulation studies in and around this marina. As a result of
these and associated studies, The Washington State Department of Health
has made the determination that this area, though heavily polluted by
fecal coliform bacteria, does not pose a significant threat to water
quality at the Community Oyster Farm site. Our Partners:
Whatcom County Water Resources, Port of Bellingham, Washington State
Department of Health, The
Russell Family Foundation
In
the summer of 2001, Japanese oyster seed was planted by volunteers from
White Rock, B.C. to Bellingham on 2 acres of prime mudflat in Drayton
Harbor. These volunteer Farmers of the Tideflats tend the beds three to
four times a year and get involved in other projects to help clean up
pollution in Drayton Harbor. The oysters, 3/8” long when
planted, are now over 7” in length and growing “to
beat the band.” Blau Oyster Farm in Samish Bay has agreed to
purchase this crop in 2004 if water quality is adequately restored in
the harbor. Proceeds from the sale will support ongoing pollution
control efforts in the Drayton Harbor watershed.Our
Partners: Citizens and over twenty private and public
groups.
Stormwater
from both urban and rural areas can carry bacterial pollutants from
various sources into Drayton Harbor. This can degrade water quality and
make it unsafe to harvest shellfish. Numerous stormwater drains from
the eastern shoreline of Drayton Harbor have been sampled for fecal
coliform bacteria since July, 2001. Stormwater from these drainages
frequently violates freshwater standards for bacteria and poses an
ongoing threat to water quality in the harbor. The objectives of this
project are to identify individual drains which contribute the greatest
bacterial loading and to work with the City of Blaine to install
structures which will reduce bacteria levels before stormwater is
discharged into the harbor. Our Partners:
Citizens, Washington State Department of Health, City of Blaine,
Whatcom County Water ReSources, Pledge Program, Hirsch Consulting.
A series
of field tours were conducted to educate and inform decision-makers in
the community about shellfish restoration efforts in Drayton Harbor.
This program focused on the Blaine City Council and Planning
Commission, Whatcom County Council and Planning Commission, Whatcom
County Marine Resources Committee and the Drayton Harbor Shellfish
Protection District Citizen Advisory Committee. Through this program,
forty individuals directly experienced the rich resources of Drayton
Harbor. Our Partner: Whatcom County Water Resources. 
Most
of Blaine’s sewage travels through a series of pipes and
manholes along Marine Drive before being pumped over to the wastewater
treatment plant on the Semiahmoo Spit. Funds were raised to videotape
an older portion of this system and to inspect numerous manholes for
leaks. Significant cracks that were detected in sewer pipes and
manholes were all repaired in the fall of 2001. In 2003, sewer lines
were dye-tested for detection of possible leaks to marine waters and
storm water runoff. No leaks were detected, thus eliminating this
potential source of bacterial pollution. Our Partners:
City of Blaine, Semiahmoo First Nation, Washington State Department of
Ecology, Whatcom County WRIA 1 Early Action Funds, Drayton Shellfish
Protection District, Puget Sound Action Team, The Russell Family
Foundation.
There
is quite a diversity of wetland types in the Drayton Harbor watershed.
The 1995 Watershed Action Plan and the 2001 Shellfish District Water
Recovery Plan both speak to the need to identify wetlands which provide
the important function of fecal coliform control. After two years of
investigation, Ecology, partnering with the local community, has
produced a report which identifies key areas for wetland restoration
and education projects in the Dakota and California Creek drainages.
Our Partners: Ecology’s Wetland Restoration
Program, Trillium Corporation, Whatcom County Planning, Whatcom
Conservation District.
The
Shuckin’ on the Spit festival has been held successfully for
two years running at Resort Semiahmoo. The goal of this festival is to
raise the community’s awareness of the rich marine resources
that we are blessed with in this area and to enjoy a great seafood
feed. It is a benefit for the Puget Sound Restoration Fund’s
Community Oyster Farm project. At the third annual Shuckin’
event, we hope to be dining on the finest oysters grown in the Puget
Sound, those from our own Drayton Harbor. Our Partners:
Resort Semiahmoo, Trillium Corporation, The Russell Family Foundation.
The
commercial portion of the Blaine Marina continues to have very high
concentrations of fecal coliform bacteria. We completed a series of
water circulation studies in and around this marina. As a result of
these and associated studies, The Washington State Department of Health
has made the determination that this area, though heavily polluted by
fecal coliform bacteria, does not pose a significant threat to water
quality at the Community Oyster Farm site. Our Partners:
Whatcom County Water Resources, Port of Bellingham, Washington State
Department of Health, The