Drayton Harbor Projects
Stormwater
 Stormwater is one of the
biggest potential sources of pollution to our waterways across the
country. Stormwater collects pollutants- bacteria, nutrients,
chemicals, pesticides, heavy metals, etc.- and transports this
contamination to water bodies with very little time for settling,
filtration, etc. Because the contaminant sources for stormwater are
diverse and numerous, it is a difficult problem to hone in on and
correct. Stormwater systems historically have been designed to focus on
the control of stormwater volumes. Traditional ponds have been designed
to capture stormwater and hold it temporarily to reduce peak flows.
High flows can cause erosion in ditches and streams and cause flooding
in many areas. Most stormwater systems were not designed to allow for
filtration, settling, biological degradation or biological uptake- all
of which are mechanisms for improving water quality. Newer stormwater
designs are more ecologically beneficial, but retrofitting older
systems can be very costly.
 Illicit Stormwater
Connections - When storm drains are illicitly hooked into the
sewage collection system, the excess flow during storm events can
overburden the system. In 1999, the City of Blaine did an extensive
study to locate illicit connections to their sewage collection system
(see the Municipal Sewer Systems section for more details on this
project). - Volunteer Shoreline Monitoring Project
- This 6-month, community-based project involved volunteers from the
Community Oyster Farm Project. These volunteers monitored 10 stormwater
outfalls around Drayton Harbor on a monthly basis from June through
December 2001. They took rough flow estimates, where possible, and
collected samples for fecal coliform bacteria testing. The City of
Blaine partnered in this effort by analyzing the bacteria samples. The
sample program was designed to help prioritize which drainages should
be targeted for additional follow-up study to help identify pollution
sources.
Volunteer
Stormwater Monitoring Project Report - Drayton Harbor 2002
- Peace Portal Dye Study-
As a follow up to the 6-month shoreline monitoring project, a dye study
was devised to determine whether there were any possible
cross-connections between the sewer system along Peace Portal Drive and
several storm drains that showed high fecal bacteria levels. Both the
Department of Health (DOH) and the City of Blaine approved the dye
study. The testing occurred in March and April of 2003. Results from
the study indicate that there is no cross-connection between the sewer
system and the stormwater conveyance system along that section of Peace
Portal Drive. This is just the type of work that needs to happen to
document to DOH the efforts that are occurring to track down potential
sources. This project allowed us to remove one potential pollution
source from the list. A complete description of the project and the
results were written up into a final report that was supplied to the
various interested parties.
Peace Portal Dye
Study 2003 - Final Report
All Photos courtesy of Geoff Menzies
On-site Septic
Systems
Municipal Sewer Systems
Agricultural
Practices
Boats/Marinas
Stormwater Runoff
Wildlife/Non-human
Contributions
Other Sources
Education and
Community Involvement
Data Management/Water
Quality Monitoring
Reports
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