\ Section 319
/ NONPOINT
Dungeness River Tributary Achieves Bacteria Target Levels at Several
Monitoring Sites
WatprhnHv Imnrnx/pH Failin9 sePtic systems and inadequate management of livestock
VVdlWIUUUy impiuveu and pet wastes contribute high levels of bacteria to the Dungeness
watershed, resulting in shellfish bed closures and causing the state to place the Dungeness River and
Matriotti Creek (a tributary of the Dungeness) on its 303(d) list of impaired waters for fecal coliform
contamination. Piping of irrigation ditches, pasture management, manure storage, investigation and
repair of on-site septic systems, and outreach and education efforts with area residents are some of
the practices implemented that have resulted in achieving bacteria target levels set forth in the total
maximum daily load (TMDL) at several monitoring sites.
Problem
Project Highlights
The Dungeness River and Matriotti Creek are located
in the northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula,
ultimately flowing into the Dungeness Bay. Bacterial
waste from failing septic systems, inadequately
maintained livestock (cows and horses), pet waste,
and wildlife caused the state to add the Dungeness
River and Matriotti Creek to its 303(d) list of
impaired waters in 1996 for fecal coliform contami-
nation. In 1997 the Washington State Department
of Health (DOH) reported increased levels of fecal
coliform bacteria in Dungeness Bay near the mouth
of the Dungeness River. In 2000 the DOH closed
300 intertidal acres of Dungeness Bay to commercial
shellfish harvesting (e.g., oysters and clams) due to
fecal coliform bacteria levels exceeding the standard
for safe human consumption. The closure area was
expanded by 100 acres in 2001 and again in 2003. In
2002 EPA approved fecal coliform TMDLs for several
streams in the Dungeness River basin, including the
Dungeness River and Matriotti Creek, and a TMDL
was approved for Dungeness Bay in 2004.
The bacteria levels were of direct concern to the
Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, which operates an
oyster farm in Dungeness Bay and whose members
harvest clams there. It was also of grave concern to
Clallam County and local citizens since Dungeness
Bay is a premier internationally known tourist desti-
nation. Elevated bacteria levels in the watershed's
streams and extensive irrigation systems were also
a public health concern.
In response to these concerns, a consortium of
local and state entities and interested individuals
began meeting to coordinate resources and efforts
to address the problem. When the first shellfish
harvest downgrade happened in 2000, this group
became the Shellfish Response Committee, and
when the Clallam County commissioners formed
the Clean Water District in 2001, this group became
the Clean Water Work Group. The Work Group
helped to coordinate efforts to identify bacterial
sources and solutions and begin cleanup actions in
advance of the TMDL.
The Clallam Conservation District worked one-on-
one with farm operators to develop conservation
plans for individual facilities. Agricultural best
management practices implemented include
fencing, riparian restoration, pasture management,
and manure storage. Outreach efforts, including
newsletters, workshops, and presentations, were
also implemented to educate livestock operators
about the impacts of livestock on water quality.
There is an ongoing effort to pipe many of the irriga-
tion ditches and eliminate tailwaters in the extensive
irrigation network in the watershed. Ditches selected
for piping were those deemed high-priority by the
Clallam Conservation District based on bacterial
monitoring results. In addition to improving water
quality, these activities helped to achieve important
water conservation goals as well.
-------
Non-Ire bg Non-Irg Irg
1999-2000 2002-2004
Mat 0.7
Non-Erg Erg Non-Erg Irg
1999-2000 2002-2004
Mai 0.3
Non-Irg Irg Non-bg Irg
1999-2000 2002-2004
~ geometric mean 90th percentfle
Results
Lower Matriotti Creek irrigation and non-irrigation season fecal
coliform data for the TMDL and most recent 2 years of data.
1999-2000 2001-2004
Dun 3.2
Non-Erg Irg Non-Irg
1999-2000 2001-2004
Dun 0.8
~ geometric mean ~ 901h percentile
Dungeness River irrigation and non-irrigation season fecal coli-
form data for the TMDL and the most recent 2-year period of data
(2002-2004).
To address failing septic systems, Clallam County
Environmental Health identified systems of con-
cern that were near waterbodies and were old,
undocumented, or had a history of repairs. This
formed the basis of an operations and maintenance
(O&M) plan to perform site evaluations, dye testing
of suspected failures, and repair and installation
inspections. Educational materials about proper
septic tank maintenance were also distributed to
the public, and a basic septic maintenance class—
Septics 101—has been conducted over 40 times,
reaching more than 1,000 septic tank owners.
The Tribe coordinated post-TMDL monitoring and
used 319 grants to help fund cleanup tasks and
sponsor a variety of public outreach projects.
In the Matriotti Creek, all sites monitored by the
Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology)
for fecal coliform levels have shown dramatic
improvement, and several sites are now meeting
the bacteria target levels that were set for the creek
in the TMDL. The mouth of Matriotti Creek now
needs only a 38 percent reduction in bacteria levels,
which is a significant improvement from the 78
percent reduction that was needed in 2000. Fecal
coliform levels in the Dungeness River have slightly
improved along certain sections of the river during
the irrigation season.
A target date of 2007 has been set for achiev-
ing the bacterial reduction for the TMDLs for the
Dungeness River and Matriotti Creek. Due to imple-
mentation efforts, partners are expected to achieve
a 65 percent reduction by December 2005.
Despite improvements for freshwater, shellfish
harvest restrictions still remain. The area near
the mouth of the bay remains closed to shellfish
harvesting year-round. The inner bay is open for
harvest from February through October and closed
November through January, but water quality testing
indicates the bacteria are still near closure levels.
Partners and Funding
Project partners include the Jamestown S'Klallam
Tribe, Clallam County, Clallam Conservation District,
Sequim-Dungeness Water Users, Dungeness River
ManagementTeam, DOH, Battelle, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Puget Sound Action Team, and
Ecology. Since 2000 the state has allocated approxi-
mately $1.5 million, $73,000 of which was section
319 funding, for monitoring and TMDL-related
projects designed to resolve bacteria problems
in the Dungeness area. The Jamestown S'Klallam
Tribe received approximately $250,000 in section
319 funding and other grants, and a 2004 Targeted
Watershed Grant to the Tribe of almost $1 million
helped leverage local funds to implement the O&M
plan. Additional funding was provided by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Con-
servation Service's Environmental Quality Incentive
Program, the Conservation Reserve Enhancement
Program, Salmon Recovery Funding Board, and
Washington Conservation Commission funds.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-05-004Z
October 2005
For additional information contact:
Christine Hempleman
Washington State Department of Ecology
360-407-6329
chem461@ecy.wa.gov
------- |