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Section 319
NONPOINT SOURCE PRRSRAM SUCCESS STORY
Nooksack River Water Quality Improvements Benefit Portage Bay Shellfish
WatPfbodv ImnrovPd P°r1:a9e Bay and a portion of the lower Nooksack River are on
" the Lummi Indian Reservation in western Washington. High
fecal coliform levels in the Nooksack River from dairy and livestock operations, municipal
wastewater treatment plants, and malfunctioning septic systems contributed to high bac-
teria counts in Portage Bay, forcing the closure of shellfish harvests—an important cultural,
subsistence, recreational, and commercial resource for members of the Lummi Nation. A
new dairy inspection program and the requirement for dairy nutrient management plans
resulted in a 63 percent reduction in fecal coliform bacteria and the reopening of some
shellfish beds.
Problem
Monitoring in the Nooksack River Basin
confirmed that the major sources of bacteria
loading were dairy and livestock farms and
municipal wastewater treatment plants, with
agricultural sources accounting for the vast
majority of the loadings. Malfunctioning
septic systems also added to the prob-
lem. In December 1996, at the request of
Washington's Department of Health (DOH),
the Lummi Nation voluntarily closed a 60-acre
portion of Portage Bay to commercial shellfish
harvest because of sampling that indicated
high fecal coliform. As a result, DOH formally
downgraded this area from "approved" to
"restricted" because it exceeded water qual-
ity standards set by the National Shellfish
Sanitation Program (NSSP)foran "approved"
classification for commercial shellfish beds.
In August 1998 the Lummi Nation voluntarily
closed an additional 120 acres when water
quality data indicated NSSP standards were
not being met. As a result of state bacteria
standard violations, the Nooksack River was
listed on Washington's 303(d) list as impaired
by fecal coliform bacteria.
Harvesting oysters at a Lummi Bay oyster bed.
Project Highlights
In 1998 state and local partners in the
Nooksack River Basin initiated a water cleanup
plan to reduce fecal coliform levels. Actions
included working with dairy farms and small
farms with horses or beef cattle, analyzing
onsite septic systems, and monitoring to
measure the effectiveness of the actions.
The lower Nooksack River Basin bacteria total
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maximum daily load (TMDL) was an invaluable
tool for reducing bacterial contamination.
The TMDL identified clear targets for guiding
pollutant cleanup activities.
The key initiative included implementing a new
state program for regulating the dairy industry.
The program included regular inspections and
the development and implementation of dairy
nutrient management plans. These steps result-
ed in over 50,000 acres being managed under
farm plans, requiring 3,000 acres of vegetative
practices, such as riparian plantings and buffer
maintenance, to protect watercourses from sur-
face runoff of sediment, nutrients, and bacteria.
Other contributors of fecal coliform were also
addressed, such as failing septic systems
and discharges from wastewater treatment
plants, through activities including permit
modifications and treatment plant upgrades.
Results
Since 1998 fecal coliform bacteria levels have
been reduced by 63 percent in the Nooksack
River and between 40 and 80 percent in all of
its major tributaries. As a result of the work
through 2003, shellfish beds in Portage Bay
experienced improved water quality that
resulted in almost 75 percent of the "restrict-
ed" shellfish growing areas being upgraded to
"approved" status (based on NSSP standards)
in November 2003.
Over the past 2 years, budget constraints
and programmatic limitations have resulted
in reduced technical and financial assistance
for water quality monitoring, farm plan imple-
mentation, and compliance inspections—all
of which are critical to achieving water quality
improvements. These setbacks are threatening
the attainment of water quality goals establish-
ed by the TMDL, causing the reclosure of
some of the shellfish beds that were recently
reopened. The challenge for the future is to
continue to work together to devote resources
to protect this important Pacific Northwest
shellfish resource and maintain the water
quality successes achieved through 2003.
Partners and Funding
The success of this project would not have
been possible without the cooperation of the
Lummi Nation, Washington State Department
of Ecology, Washington State Department
of Health, Portage Bay Shellfish Protection
District (Whatcom County), Whatcom Con-
servation District, U.S. Environmental Pro-
tection Agency, USDA's Natural Resources
Conservation Service, and concerned citizens.
Section 319 provided $460,000 to the What-
com Conservation District for water quality
monitoring, riparian plantings, and buffer
maintenance.
Fecal Coliform Densities in the Nooksack River at the Marine Drive Bridge (Sample
Station Maritetta Bridge [M1])
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-05-0040
August 2005
For additional information contact:
George Boggs
Whatcom Conservation District
360-354-2035 • gboggs@whatcomcd.org
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