Section 319
NONPOINT SOURCE P
RAM SUCCESS STORY
Watershed-scale Effort Removes Bacteria Sources
\A/ t h H I H The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) added numerous
VV3I6rDOay irnprOVGQ segments in the lower Skokomish River watershed to the state's
1998 Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list of impaired waters because of high levels of fecal
coliform (FC) bacteria. Bacteria from agriculture and other sources impaired recreation use and raised
concerns about the health of shellfish beds at the mouth of the river. Local residents and tribal, local
and state governments removed high-risk septic systems and installed numerous best management
practices (BMPs). FC levels dropped throughout the watershed. Data from a long-term ambient moni-
toring station on the Skokomish River have shown consistent compliance with water quality standards,
prompting Ecology to remove that segment from Washington's 2008 list of impaired waters. Recent
monitoring indicates that seven additional segments in the Skokomish River watershed are meeting
water quality standards and might be proposed for delisting in the near future.
Problem
The Skokomish River drains a rural, sparsely populat-
ed basin of approximately 247 square miles. The river
originates in Olympic National Park and discharges to
Annas Bay in southern Hood Canal. The Skokomish
Indian Reservation, at the basin's mouth, contains
low-density residential areas. The Annas Bay estuary
area contains a rich shellfish resource that is used by
tribal, commercial and recreational harvesters.
Monitoring by the Skokomish Tribe from 1995
through 1997 showed that FC levels in the
Skokomish River and some of its tributaries
exceeded Washington's water quality standards.
In 1996 Ecology's long-term monitoring program
determined that the Skokomish River at the Highway
101 bridge also did not meet water quality standards.
Washington's FC bacteria freshwater quality stan-
dard requires that FC organism levels do not exceed
a geometric mean value (GMV) of 50 colony forming
units (CFU)/100 milliliters (ml) and do not have more
than 10 percent of all samples obtained for calculat-
ing the GMV exceeding 100 CFU/100 ml. Because
numerous segments within the Skokomish River
watershed violated the FC standard, Ecology added
them to the 1998 CWA section 303(d) list of impaired
waters for FC, including Skokomish River (four seg-
ments), Purdy Creek (two segments), Ten Acre Creek
and Weaver Creek. Additionally, the Washington
Department of Health has listed the Annas Bay com-
mercial shellfish harvest area as threatened because
of FC contamination almost every year since 1995.
Ecology completed a Total Maximum Daily Load
(TMDL) study in 2001 with the assistance of the
Skokomish Tribe. The partners established the
TMDL to (1) address water quality impairments due
to high FC levels in the lower Skokomish River basin
and (2) help protect marine water quality standards
and shellfish harvesting in Hood Canal. The TMDL
study indicated that the bacteria came primarily
from agriculture sources in the basin but also from
humans (septic systems), recreation (uncontrolled
human waste), and domestic and wild animals. The
TMDL established FC load reduction targets forTen
Acre Creek, Weaver Creek, Purdy Creek and the
Skokomish River.
Project Highlights
Work to improve water quality began in 1998,
when the Mason Conservation District (Mason
CD) received a Centennial Clean Water Fund grant
to help landowners implement BMPs. Soon after,
local residents, the Skokomish Tribe and Ecology
representatives formed a workgroup and completed
a watershed cleanup plan. The workgroup decided
to try pursuing voluntary measures to improve water
quality before considering regulatory options.
Responding to the cleanup plan, watershed
partners undertook numerous actions to reduce
pollution. Landowners and the Mason CD installed
24,000 feet of riparian fencing; planted approxi-
mately 32,000 trees; implemented 17 waterway
improvement projects; enrolled 62 acres of land
with a buffer of 150 feet; and implemented proper
manure handling and storage. The Cascade Land
Conservancy bought 175 acres adjacent to prime
fish habitat (total cost $350,000). Mason County
purchased 19 frequently flooded properties and
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decommissioned septic
systems. The Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife
(WDFW) inspected and repaired
all fish hatchery septic systems.
The Skokomish Tribe evaluated
and repaired the reservation's
septic systems. Taylor Shellfish
Company, Simpson Timber
Company and the Puget Sound
Action Team partnered to add
signs to reduce unauthorized
partying and camping along
the river ($200 fine). Hunter
Stores and WDFW partnered
to install portable toilets during
fishing seasons. Residents, the
Skokomish Tribe and local agen-
cies participated in efforts to
increase awareness of proper
water management by posting
fliers on fishermen's windshields
and nearby toilet facilities.
E
o
o
a
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o
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15
o
01
— geometric mean
90l
percentile
Mid-
Skokomish
River
Skokomish
River at
Hwy101
M U
Ten Acre
Creek
Weaver
Creek
Purdy
Creek
Skokomish River
at Hwy106
y
90" percentile
" standard
(< WOcfu/WOmL)
geometric
mean
standard
(< SOcfu/WOmL)
Results
Figure 1. Data collected during the original TMDL assessment (1999) compared to the
data from the 2005-2006 TMDL Attainment Monitoring Study. Sites include a refer-
ence site (Mid-Fork Skokomish River), an Ecology long-term ambient monitoring site
(Skokomish River at Highway 101), and four monitoring points established in the TMDL.
All sites met water quality standards in 2005-2006.
Water quality in the Skokomish River and tributar-
ies has improved greatly since the mid-1990s. Data
from Ecology's long-term ambient monitoring site
on the Skokomish River at Highway 101 show com-
pliance with water quality standards since 1999.
In 2005 and 2006 the Mason CD partnered with
Ecology to conduct follow-up TMDL monitoring on
the impaired segments. These data show that FC
levels have significantly declined since 1999. All
previously impaired segments met water quality
standards in 2005-2006 (see Figure 1). A 20 percent
reduction in FC levels is still needed in Weaver
Creek to meet the TMDL target.
Because the long-term ambient monitoring site data
show that the Skokomish River (Highway 101) seg-
ment consistently meets water quality standards,
Ecology removed it from the impaired waters list in
2008. Data from the TMDL attainment monitoring
study show that water quality has also improved
significantly in the other seven impaired segments
throughout the lower Skokomish River watershed:
Skokomish River (three segments), Purdy Creek
(two segments), Ten Acre Creek and Weaver Creek.
Because the seven segments are part of an ongoing
TMDL study, Ecology plans to conduct additional
monitoring. If these segments continue to meet
water quality standards in the future, Ecology will
consider removing them from the impaired waters
list and placing them in the assessment category of
waters that meet standards.
Partners and Funding
This watershed-scale project involved numer-
ous partners, including the Skokomish Tribe, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Ecology,
Mason CD and the Mason County Department of
Health Services (MCDHS). The Mason CD received
approximately $611,000 in Centennial Clean Water
Fund grants to complete projects in the Skokomish
River watershed, including assessing and priori-
tizing restoration projects, implementing BMPs,
performing water quality monitoring, coordinating
with local residents and governments, and con-
ducting outreach events. The MCDHS received
$106,755 in CWA section 319 funds to support
a project to investigate, identify and monitor FC
contamination in the lower watershed. The Hood
Canal Coordinating Committee, a watershed-
based council of governments, received approxi-
mately $120,400 in CWA section 319 funds for a
septic system assessment and public outreach
project.
I
UJ
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-09-001L
July 2009
For additional information contact:
Lydia Wagner
Water Cleanup Plan Coordinator
Washington Department of Ecology
Southwest Regional Office
360-407-6329 • lydia.wagner@ecy.wa.gov
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