Pollution threatens shellfish-rich south shore of Port Townsend Bay – PDN

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Al Bergstein

6/5 Peninsula Daily News
Pollution threatens shellfish-rich south shore of Port Townsend Bay
By Jeff Chew
Peninsula Daily News

PORT HADLOCK — Jefferson County leaders said they would work toward keeping commercial shellfish beds open after the state Department of Health last week announced that pollution from nearby boats was threatening the Broders Seafood clam farm at the southern shores of Port Townsend Bay with closure.

…The threat covers about a third of a mile of shoreline adjacent to the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding and is within eyeshot across the water from the Port Hadlock Marina.

More at
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20110605/news/306059984/pollution-threatens-shellfish-rich-south-shore-of-port-townsend-bay

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June 6th -Director Kathy Fletcher’s Exit Interview – KUOW

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Al Bergstein

Director Kathy Fletcher’s Exit Interview

Steve Scher
06/06/2011 at 9:00 a.m. ShareThis
Kathy Fletcher has spent 20 years as the executive director of People for Puget Sound. She created the group to ensure governments and corporations are doing their best to keep Puget Sound clean. Before that she worked for the state trying to develop policies to clean up the Sound. Now she’s retiring, and it’s a chance to reflect on what’s been accomplished during the years she’s focused on the issue. People for Puget Sound has helped pass laws regarding copper brake pads, storm water standards and shoreline restoration. What effect have they had? What does Fletcher want to see from her successor? Steve Scher conducts Kathy Fletcher’s exit interview on June 6 at 9:00 a.m.

http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=23593

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Elwha & Glines Dam–Off goes the power

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Al Bergstein

Photographer/Filmmaker John Gussman sent me a few photos from this week’s shutdown of the dam. Enjoy. Next up, the tear down will begin this summer.

_MG_3759bThe press and engineers gather.

_MG_3774bThe computer tells the tale. 0 output.

 

_MG_3778bAnd the final log entry.

This marks a significant milestone in the work to re-establish the Elwha as a major salmon stream. The reasoning is simple yet the work hard and expensive: The government is doing this because the dam produces a small amount of electricity, it was built with no way to allow the migrating salmon to bypass the dam, and the river has a short run from the Straits into a major wilderness area, which will give the salmon a strong chance to survive and thrive.

Hopefully, we will be seeing wind and water turbines that can out produce this dam get setup over the next few years.

To purchase these or any of the other photos that John is taking, go to his web site:

https://www5843.ssldomain.com/elwhaimagebank/store/index.php?p=home

All photos are the property of John Gussman and cannot be reproduced beyond this blog without his written permission. Thanks John!

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178 lb halibut caught in Straits last week – Seattle Times

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Al Bergstein

I assume that this is a record catch for the Straits, not heard of one this big in the past, but I seem to remember that halibut traditionally got much larger than this. A case of ‘changing baseline’ that we are excited to catch a fish smaller than we used to? Or am I mistaken? Any older fishermen that can clarify the size of this catch in historical terms?

5/26 Seattle Times
Monster halibut caught in the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca
Posted by Mark Yuasa

Geoff Meredith of Puyallup had family visiting from Virginia, and managed to show them what a true “Barn Door” halibut looks like by landing a 178 pound halibut last Friday off Green Point in 85 feet of water.

More at
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/reeltimenorthwest/2015154817_monster_halibut_caught_in_the.html

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Upgraded wastewater treatment plant makes the Stilly sweet

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Al Bergstein

While out of the area news, I thought I would publish this because of the quote of the plant manager drinking the treated sewage water as proof that it’s cleaned. We like that idea.

5/28 Everett Herald
Upgraded wastewater treatment plant makes the Stilly sweet
By Gale Fiege, Herald Writer

ARLINGTON — The city’s public works director is so proud of Arlington’s newly expanded and upgraded sewer plant that he’s sad the project is finally over after six years.

And don’t force him, but James Kelly is willing to prove his pride by drinking the water that flows from the plant into the Stillaguamish River.

“If you can get over the gag factor, it’s perfectly safe and probably better water than you would find in much of the world,” Kelly said.

More at
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110528/NEWS01/705289948/-1/News

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Elwha Dams Power Down

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Al Bergstein

So here we go…a larger gamble on saving and restoring one of the great salmon runs of the west coast.

5/28 Associated Press
Dams power down in the largest US dam removal
PHUONG LE, Associated Press

PORT ANGELES, Wash. (AP) — The Elwha River on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula once teemed with legendary salmon runs before two towering concrete dams built nearly a century ago cut off fish access to upstream habitat, diminished their runs and altered the ecosystem.

On June 1, nearly two decades after Congress called for full restoration of the river and its fish runs, federal workers will turn off the generators at the 1913 dam powerhouse and set in motion the largest dam removal project in U.S. history.

Contractors will begin dismantling the dams this fall, a $324.7 million project that will take about three years and eventually will allow the 45-mile Elwha River to run free as it courses from the Olympic Mountains through old-growth forests into the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

More at
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Dams-power-down-in-the-largest-US-dam-removal-1399989.php

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Pollution lower, risks remain for marine life – Seattle Times

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Al Bergstein

5/28/11 Seattle Times
Pollution lower, risks remain for marine life
By Craig Welch
Seattle Times environment reporter

It can happen almost immediately.

Copper dust from car brakes gets flushed into a stream by storms. Inside half an hour, the ability of nearby baby salmon to interpret smells can get thrown out of whack. When a predator approaches, the fish don’t flee, increasing the odds they’ll be gobbled up.

This potentially deadly change in fish behavior can happen at extremely low levels of pollution, the same levels washing into Puget Sound during heavy rain. It’s one of the many ways stormwater runoff still presents trouble for Puget Sound.

More at
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015176223_stormwater29m.html

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Shell looking at B.C. coast for oil/gas terminal

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Al Bergstein

5/27 Vancouver Sun
Shell says it’s looking at B.C. Coast for new LNG terminal
By GORDON HAMILTON, Vancouver Sun

Shell Canada says it is investigating the potential for a new liquid natural gas terminal to be located on the B.C. coast.

Shell “is interested in, and currently exploring LNG opportunities along the B.C. coast,” Stephen Doolan, of Shell’s media relations department said in an email to The Sun.

“We are early in the evaluation process so do not have specific details but are pursuing opportunities,” he said. “Natural gas is a key area of growth for Shell. In terms of LNG, we will continue to invest in our global leadership position as demand continues to grow.”

More at
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Shell+says+looking+Coast+terminal/4853663/story.html

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Gray’s Harbor Paper Mill Shuts Down – 240 people out of work

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Al Bergstein

A decrease in paper use, a recession with decreased overall demand, and you get the already hurting town of Hoquiam slammed with a the equivalent of a business tornado. My heart goes out the families that will be affected, along with the businesses that they supported. I don’t think that tourism is going to fix this. -Editor

By KING 5 News
KING5
updated 5/26/2011 6:18:50 PM ET
HOQUIAM, Wash. — After years of struggling to stay profitable in the current economy, Grays Harbor Paper LLC finally folded Thursday.
The president of the company, Patrick Quigg, announced the Hoquiam mill will shut down, effective immediately.
Grays Harbor Paper employs about 240 people, who help produce copy and printing paper for businesses and organizations across the Northwest, including the City of Seattle, City of Portland, and Nike. Potentially all will be laid off.

Read the rest of the story at:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43184298

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Tidepools and mooring buoys: Changes proposed for The Landing waterfront in Port Angeles–PDN

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Al Bergstein

Not sure how an amphitheater at  a creek’s mouth is an appropriate use. Do you? – Editor

 

5/26 Peninsula Daily News
By Tom Callis
Peninsula Daily News
PORT ANGELES — Paul Cronauer has plans to change the appearance of the shoreline near his waterfront building, The Landing mall.
He has filed for a shoreline substantial development permit with the city to install three mooring buoys north of his building, artificial tide pools and expand public access to the mouth of Peabody Creek.
The first two proposals will be heard at the city Planning Commission’s June 8 meeting, when it meets at 6 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall, 321 E. Fifth St.
More at
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20110526/NEWS/305269983/tidepools-and-mooring-buoys-changes-proposed-for-the-landing

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Tidal Power In The Northwest–KUOW

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Al Bergstein

5/26 KUOW
Ashley Ahearn
The Northwest is home to powerful tides. In Puget Sound, water rushes in and out of the Strait of Juan de Fuca at speeds of almost 10 miles per hour. And that, say some researchers, makes it the perfect place to gather energy.
More at
http://kuow.org/program.php?id=23519

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More on local ocean acidification

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Al Bergstein

There’s a lot riding on how marine creatures will adapt to acidifying oceans. The animals that dissolve in more corrosive seawater range from oysters, a bedrock species in the Northwest’s lucrative commercial shellfish industry, to krill and pteropods, tiny sea snails propelled by wing-like feet that make up more than half of the diet of some young Alaska pink salmon.

And here are two pertinent pieces of news for anyone living in the Northwest.

  1. Surprisingly corrosive waters have already been found off our shores.
  2. It surfaced decades before scientists expected to see it.

Read the rest of the story at:

http://daily.sightline.org/daily_score/archive/2011/05/24/the-acid-test

Recent samples done by People For Puget Sound on their sailing around the Sound have found levels below 8. The danger is real, and mounting.

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State overestimated oil-pollution levels in Sound – Seattle Times

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Al Bergstein

State overestimated oil-pollution levels in Sound

The amount of petroleum that reaches Puget Sound in runoff and stormwater — once compared with the size of an Exxon Valdez spill every two years — appears to be dozens of times lower than initially thought, new studies show.

By Craig Welch

Seattle Times environment reporter

In September 2008, the head of the state Department of Ecology told a PBS Frontline team that so much oil washes into Puget Sound that it equals an Exxon Valdez spill every two years.

A few months later, the agency attempting to restore Puget Sound made a slightly different case. It declared that an Exxon Valdez-size spill of “toxic chemicals” poured into Puget Sound every two years.

Neither is correct, according to new calculations of polluted runoff and stormwater the state published Tuesday. In fact, the amount of petroleum that reaches the Sound appears to be dozens of times lower than former Ecology Director Jay Manning told Frontline.

The confusion over precisely how much toxic stuff gets into the Sound underscores the complexity of tracking pollution rushing across the disparate landscapes that feed this vast water body. The data underlying the state’s grasp of so-called toxic loading grew more sophisticated between 2008 and 2011.

But the inaccurate claims also reflect an eagerness within Gov. Chris Gregoire’s administration to seize on easy-to-grasp anecdotes that highlight Puget Sound’s ecological troubles.

“These studies did exactly what they should have: They refined over time our understanding of the problem,” said Manning, who’s now Gregoire’s chief of staff. “As a result, we now know that the relative contribution of petroleum to pollution in Puget Sound is lower than anticipated — by a significant margin. Do I regret my previous statement? I do. But we have to follow the science.”

Read the rest of the story at the Seattle Times web site. Support local journalism…

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015080382_pugetsound18m.html

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Hood Canal council could get millions from Navy for mitigation projects

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Al Bergstein

Some could look at this as a brilliant plan by the Navy to shut down environmental opposition to their plans to continue the militarization of the Hood Canal. Remember that with two sub bases we will have at least twice the closings of the Hood Canal Bridge, all unannounced. It’s already difficult to know when to leave for meetings and medical appointments in either Bremerton or Seattle. – Editor

5/9 Kitsap Sun
Hood Canal council could get millions from Navy for mitigation projects
By Christopher Dunagan

HOOD CANAL — Hood Canal Coordinating Council could be put in charge of environmental restoration projects worth millions of dollars, as the Navy moves forward with construction of an explosives handling wharf at Bangor.

Under federal law, the Navy must provide mitigation for environmental damage caused by the $715-million wharf, currently going through an environmental review process.

Instead of identifying its own mitigation projects, the Navy favors making payments to a government entity such as the Hood Canal Coordinating Council, which would ensure that restoration projects fit into the larger goals of restoring Hood Canal, said Lynn Wall, environmental planner for Naval Facilities Engineering Command Northwest, based in Silverdale.

More at
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/may/09/hood-canal-council-could-get-millions-from-navy/

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An environmental scorecard from Olympia

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Al Bergstein

5/9 Crosscut
An environmental scorecard from Olympia
By Daniel Jack Chasan

A major bill to allow more transfers of development rights to dense areas fares well, as does the phase-out of coal plants. But the effort to impose a tax on oil products for helping with stormwater projects around Puget Sound got little traction.

More at
http://crosscut.com/2011/05/09/environment/20897/An-environmental-scorecard-from-Olympia/

—-

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Why I’m worried about the expansion of the Naval base

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Al Bergstein

So do we really want double the amount of Navy subs and subsequent support staff? Everything is a secret, and everything is national security. Speak up now to stop expansion of the sub base, or forever hold your silence, and complaints – editor

5/6 Kitsap Sun
Navy’s floating acoustics lab doing work in Hood Canal
By Kitsap Sun staff

BANGOR — Residents have wondered for weeks, “What’s that white, windowless building being pushed up and down Hood Canal by a tugboat?”

It’s a floating Navy laboratory called M241, revealed Chief Dale Davis, Naval Base Kitsap spokesman. It provides an enclosed, protected structure with a moon pool — an opening in the floor — and a lift for placing test equipment in the water.

M241 is operated by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, Detachment Puget Sound. The detachment provides management and logistic support for West Coast ship and submarine acoustic trials.

The M241 was brought to the Bangor waterfront in the summer of 2009 when facilities on Fox Island were closed. It will remain at Bangor as part of ongoing research, development, testing and evaluation projects.

What exactly it’s doing out there is secret.

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/may/06/navys-floating-acoustics-lab-doing-work-in-hood/

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Elwha Dam’s days numbered; powerhouse first to be shut down

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Al Bergstein

5/9 Peninsula Daily News
Elwha Dam’s days numbered; powerhouse first to be shut down
By Rob Ollikainen
Peninsula Daily News

PORT ANGELES — The shabby edifice of the Elwha Dam is showing its age. It towers over the lower Elwha River valley as it has for nearly a century. It still generates electricity for the regional grid.

But the days for this North Olympic Peninsula landmark are numbered.

Generators inside the powerhouse of the 108-foot dam west of Port Angeles will be turned off June 1, Olympic National Park spokesman Dave Reynolds said.

Three-and-a-half months later, a National Park Service contractor will begin to tear it down.

More at
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20110509/NEWS/305099994/elwha-dams-days-numbered-powerhouse-first-to-be-shut-down

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Report sees sharper sea rise from Arctic melt – AP

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Al Bergstein

It’s really a shame that we can’t take this threat as seriously as terrorism. This will cause much more disruption than even 911. 5 foot sea level rise will affect all of us on the coast.

5/4 Associated Press
Report sees sharper sea rise from Arctic melt
By Karl Ritter and Charles J. Hanley, Associated Press

STOCKHOLM — The ice of Greenland and the rest of the Arctic is melting faster than expected and could help raise global sea levels by as much as 5 feet this century, dramatically higher than earlier projections, an authoritative international assessment says.

The findings “emphasize the need for greater urgency” in combating global warming, says the report of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP), the scientific arm of the eight-nation Arctic Council.

More at
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20110504/NEWS02/705049953/-1/NEWS

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Paper mill’s cogeneration plant touted to Chamber of Commerce audience – PDN

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Al Bergstein

5/3 Peninsula Daily News
Paper mill’s cogeneration plant touted to Chamber of Commerce audience
By Charlie Bermant

PORT TOWNSEND — The biomass cogeneration plan proposed by the Port Townsend Paper Corp. mill will provide essential support for regional education and health care as well as the economy, according to information presented to the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce on Monday.

“These kinds of jobs are needed in order to supply our health care,” Team Jefferson chair Bill Wise said of the jobs he said will be created and sustained by the biomass project.

More at
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20110503/NEWS/305039993/paper-mills-cogeneration-plant-touted-to-chamber-of-commerce-audience

—The mill, which refuses to talk to the press, and seems to enforce a PR blackout, comes out of the cone of silence to issue essentially a marketing pitch that promotes health by building the plant. I recommend considering the source, and doing some research yourself to find out if these claims are true. – Editor

Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

Virus causing salmon deaths in BC?

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Al Bergstein

Virus causing salmon deaths?
By ROB HOTAKAINEN; Staff writer

WASHINGTON – In Canada’s Fraser River, a mysterious illness has killed millions of Pacific salmon, and scientists have a new hypothesis about why: The wild salmon are suffering from viral infections similar to those linked to some forms of leukemia and lymphoma.

For 60 years before the early 1990s, an average of nearly 8 million wild salmon returned from the Pacific Ocean to the Fraser River each year to spawn.

Now the salmon industry is in a state of collapse, with mortality rates ranging from 40 percent to 95 percent.

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/04/18/1620501/virus-causing-salmon-deaths.html?story_link=email_msg

Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

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