View From the Helm: A Healthy Puget Sound Should Be Simple

By Chris Wilke, Executive Director & Puget Soundkeeper

At the conclusion of a cleanup event this fall, I asked the volunteers what they had found on the beach.  A group of kids rushed up and began enthusiastically describing the stuff that they found at the water’s edge. Overwhelmed at their eagerness, I asked, “How do you think all of this trash got here?” The kids immediately took turns with their theories.  One young girl replied matter-of-factly, “Because people are crazy and they just don’t realize how awesome the ocean is!”  I still cannot think of a better way to say it.  Sometimes the wisdom of a child is unnervingly obvious.

When will we translate our love for Puget Sound into action?  When will our regulators,  our industries and the people of our region see a healthy Puget Sound as necessary to our region’s survival?

Saving Puget Sound will require more than improved regulations, technology and compliance to deal with pollution sources. It will require more than a short list of consumer choices or simplified personal behavior modifications. Instead, we will need a deep appreciation for what we have, what we could have and what we could lose if we fail to act.  To save Puget Sound, we must realign our priorities and realize that we need to act with urgency.

Critical problems are rarely dealt with methodically over time.  Think about it: If your roof is leaking, you fix it.  There might be decisions to make or a certain level of engineering required for a lasting fix, but at the core, it is very simple.  You move quickly and you find a way to pay for it, because if you do not, you know everything inside the house is in jeopardy.  You find a way to stop the destruction in order to protect what is important.

Tackling pollution in Puget Sound should be no different.  The experts agree, our watery sanctuary is in danger and we need to stop the sources of the problem to protect what we value.  We will be successful if we elevate the issue, act with urgency and respond at a level that corresponds with the threat.

In spite of this, our region seems to continually take shortcuts and avoid answering the difficult questions.  Even though we know that polluted stormwater runoff is responsible for 75% of the toxics entering Puget Sound, we seem to look for creative ways to avoid the difficult challenges.  We focus on minor fixes and congratulate ourselves on solving the smaller issues.  Such has been the case since the first Puget Sound recovery plan was unveiled in 1986.

We need to find a way to have our collective decisions reflect individual values.  This gap is clear when I see the Department of Ecology (Ecology) ignoring a Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB) decision requiring them to revise a pollution discharge permit to better protect salmon and instead proposing to re-issue the permit with weaker standards.  It is apparent when I see an industrial facility cover up their pollution sources, or when oil spills happen in the dead of night from commercial fishing vessels preparing to head all the way to Alaska to catch our seafood.  It is evident when I hear that our cities and counties are mounting a campaign to ask Ecology not to issue the permit that would require municipalities to finally implement Low Impact Development (LID) to the maximum extent feasible, as mandated by a Soundkeeper victory before the PCHB.

As a Northwest native, I know that most people in our region care about the health of the Sound, especially salmon and other marine life.  If we acted in accordance with our values, the solutions would become more attainable. Environmental protection would then be an achievable goal for our industries, businesses and communities rather than an obstacle, and the detrimental effects of pollution would be seen as the true cost in the equation.

To make all of this work I think we owe it to ourselves to get out and enjoy what the Sound has to offer. Go for a paddle or a sail, walk a beach, eat some local seafood or catch/dig your own.  Learn a new bird species, or how to identify the differences between a harbor seal and a sea lion.  Of course the Puget Sound ecosystem does not stop at its shores.  As I write this, I think of the thousands of chum salmon that are now staging their colorful and dramatic spawning rituals in rivers around the Sound. Chinook, Coho, sockeye, and pink salmon preceded them, as did cutthroat and bull trout. Winter steelhead will be next, as they make their return run from the Pacific Ocean.  Perhaps learning a little more about these fish and what is critical for their survival will help us better reflect our values in our decisions.

I believe that only then, will we remind ourselves that Puget Sound is indeed “awesome” and only then will we gather the resolve to accomplish the major changes that are necessary to protect it.

Marine Debris Cleanup Sweeps our Beaches Clean

By Katelyn Kinn, Pollution Prevention Coordinator
Puget Soundkeeper Alliance’s 2010 marine debris campaign directly addresses the debris problem threatening our marine life, human health and water quality, both in Puget Sound and throughout the world’s oceans. Thanks to a year-long grant from The Boeing Company and other event sponsors, Soundkeeper’s marine debris cleanup work since March 2010 included over 1,000 volunteers removing over 18 tons of debris from our shorelines, lakes, bays and rivers! Soundkeeper's most recent cleanup was the Creosote Log Removal Cleanup on Myrtle Edwards Park in downtown Seattle on Nov. 3rd where volunteers and Soundkeeper staff worked all day to remove 9.8 tons of creosote soaked lumber from the shoreline.

Creosote contains over 300 different chemicals, of which polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are of primary concern because of the detrimental effect on human and marine health. Creosote was never intended for human contact and it is a known carcinogen.  One study of herring eggs exposed to creosote indicated a 95% mortality rate.  The toxicity of creosote increases with exposure to sunlight and one full-sized treated piling can contain up to 60 gallons of creosote.

Ever wonder what other types of trash and exactly how much of it is hiding along the shoreline of Seattle’s Myrtle Edwards Park?  On September 25th, Soundkeeper volunteers participated in the 25th Annual International Coastal Cleanup Day, in partnership with the Ocean Conservancy, Bank of America, NOAA, REI and Teva to remove trash from the shoreline. All volunteers contributed to Ocean Conservancy’s marine debris research by tallying each collected item of debris on data cards to be counted in global totals and published in an annual report. In just 3 hours, volunteers removed 1,336 food wrappers, 798 plastic bags, 423 plastic bottles, 477 bottle caps and drink lids and 1,736 cigarette butts among other items.

The trash Soundkeeper pulls from the Duwamish River represents a more industrial breed of marine debris, including car parts, computer circuit boards, metal furniture pieces, hydraulic hose and a piece of Styrofoam the size of a small car.  These were the items pulled from the river by volunteers for the Duwamish Alive Kayak Cleanup event on October 9th.   Over 50 volunteers, including nearly 20 Boeing employees, braved the damp and blustery conditions for an on-the-water cleanup effort tackling a stretch of the river near Duwamish Waterway Park. Thanks to fabulous volunteer enthusiasm and the on-the-water support of Soundkeeper’s Patrol boat, the group removed approximately 2000 pounds of trash from the river. Soundkeeper volunteers were reminded of nature’s resilience and inspired to continue working to keep the river clean as they paddled past sea lions and watched osprey, kingfishers and great blue herons fly overhead.

PSA's Salute to the Sound raises $76K for Puget Sound

By Betsy Moyer, Development Director

Puget Soundkeeper's 7th Annual Salute to the Sound in the historic Naval Reserve Building in South Lake Union exceeded all expectations! Guests were greeted by the popular raw bar provided by Taylor Shellfish Farms, local wine & beer and a Silent Auction abundant in local offerings from area businesses. The signature seafood buffet was resplendent in local delicacies by Bacchus & Arianna Catering with Jensen’s smoked salmon and Xinh Dwelley’s famous curried mussels, to name a few.  Preview and buy photos of the event online from Team Photogenic.

Soundkeeper thanks our Sponsors of the event:
Partnering Sponsors – Nucor Steel Seattle
Sound Sponsors – The Boeing Co., KCTS Channel 9, Peter Goldman & Martha Kongsgaard, Sterling Savings Bank and Taylor Shellfish Farms
Salute Sponsors – SCOPE Law Firm, PLLC and Seattle Parks & Recreation

The program began with a short Live Auction to support clean water in Puget Sound.  The highlight of the evening was photographer Art Wolfe when he took the stage to talk about his view on Puget Sound through his camera.  As one guest put it, “Puget Soundkeeper puts on a great party! It’s for a good cause too!”  Puget Soundkeeper Alliance will use the funds raised to further its mission to protect and preserve Puget Sound from toxic pollution.

The Docket

By Chris Wilke, Executive Director & Puget Soundkeeper

Puget Soundkeeper improves water quality in Puget Sound by enforcing the Federal Clean Water Act.  The following is a report of Puget Soundkeeper Alliance (Soundkeeper)’s current legal actions.

NPDES Permit Appeals
Pollution discharge permits are issued by Department of Ecology (Ecology) on scheduled five-year cycles to various entities that discharge pollution.  These permits are subject to citizen oversight and legal appeal if they fail to implement the requirements of the Clean Water Act.

Construction Stormwater General Permit (CSGP) Comments
The CSGP covers discharges from over 2000 construction sites which have over one acre of disturbed land.  Soundkeeper wrote detailed comments on the draft CSGP citing numerous deficiencies in the permit including (among other things) failure to require post-construction stormwater controls, failure to include a required Tier II Anti-degradation analysis for new developments, inadequate sampling requirements and the lack of required corrective actions if sampling exceeds benchmarks. Soundkeeper awaits the issuance of a final permit.

Sand and Gravel General Permit (SGGP) Appeal
The SGGP regulates discharges from over 600 facilities of process water, stormwater, and mine dewatering water.  It also covers concrete batch and hot mix asphalt operations. Ecology states that untreated discharge water from sand and gravel operations harms fish, aquatic life and water quality. Soundkeeper appealed the SGGP on grounds that Ecology (among other things) failed to include a required Tier II Anti-degradation analysis for new facilities, failed to adequately regulate portable facilities and increased effluent limits from the previous permit which is in direct conflict with the anti-backsliding provision of the Clean Water Act. The permit was also appealed by Washington Aggregates and Concrete Association.
 
Industrial Stormwater General Permit (ISGP) Appeal Continues
The ISGP covers operations and stormwater discharges from over 1400 industrial facilities. Soundkeeper and co-appellants Columbia Riverkeeper and Olympians for Public Accountability appealed the permit earlier in the year with numerous deficiencies cited. Soundkeeper continued its preparation for hearings expected in early 2011. The Boeing Company, Copper Development Association, Inc., International Copper Association, Ltd. anc Gunderson Rail Services are also appealing this permit.  The Weyerhaeuser Company is intervening.

Fourteen Clean Water Act Enforcement Cases Settled Since January 2010:
The citizen lawsuit provision of the Clean Water Act gives citizens the right to sue to enforce its provisions. Soundkeeper’s primary goal in all settlements is protection of water quality and compliance with the applicable permit under the Clean Water Act.

Since January 2010 Soundkeeper has settled cases with 5 boatyards, 8 Industrial facilities and one housing development construction site. Facilities include:  Boyer Logistics, CSR Marine, CSR Marine West, Eastside Masonry, Cedar Grove Composting, City of Tacoma Asphalt Plant, Yarrow Bay Yacht Sales, Yachtfish Marine, John Dunatos & Co., Umbra Cuscinetti, Port Blakely Communities, Port Angeles Landfill, and Western Pneumatic Tube, with one additional settlement awaiting formal court approval. Soundkeeper continues its work on one additional active case for an ISGP facility. 

The settled cases generated $86,000 in mitigation funding for third-party projects approved in each case by both Soundkeeper and the defendant (Soundkeeper does not accept any money from defendants).  Mitigation funding went to water quality improvement projects to be performed by Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, Citizens for a Healthy Bay, Adopt a Stream Foundation, Stilly Snohomish Fisheries Enhancement Task Force, Friends of the Hylebos, and Friends of the Cedar River Watershed.  The City of Port Angeles is implementing their own mitigation project.

Soundkeeper is represented by Smith & Lowney, PLLC.

Staff Spotlight: Soundkeeper Welcomes Katelyn Kinn

Puget Soundkeeper welcomes Katelyn Kinn into the family! Katelyn coordinates Soundkeeper’s Pollution Prevention Program and works to protect Puget Sound both from inside the office and outdoors on the water. Feel free to email Katelyn with volunteering questions. Katelyn’s bio can be found on our website.

Donor's Corner: Soundkeeper's Wish List

With the holidays just around the corner, everybody is doing their gift list for Santa. Soundkeeper wanted to get in on the fun, so here is our Wish List:

• Luggage scale for weighing trash at cleanup events
• Soundkeeper logo ball caps for volunteers
• Dell Computer credit for a new server computer
• Visa gift card to use for patrol boat fuel
• Large picture easels for displays at events
• Video editing service to help Soundkeeper Staff share video with donors & volunteers
• GPS unit to track pollution violations on patrol
• Flip video camera to help Soundkeeper Staff capture pollution incidents
• Water filtration system for office kitchen