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Make scooping easier on yourself. Pledge to Scoop the Poop by September 30th to enter and win scooping supplies for at home and on walks!
Visit www.whatcomcounty.us/scooppoop to submit your pledge.
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Start your farm projects before the rain hits! The Whatcom Conservation District (WCD) certified farm planners can help you identify projects that will help with manure and mud management during the wet season. The WCD provides free and confidential farm visits and follow up with resources and recommendations to help you meet your farm goals! Find more information at www.whatcomcd.org/small-farm or call 360.526.2381.
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Reseed pastures, animals lanes and bare ground in September to allow time to establish new plant growth and help reduce mud and runoff. Check with the WCD or a local agronomist for seed recommendations.
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Getting outdoors and enjoying the river and shorelines has been a great escape this summer and early fall. Some places with public access to the water do not have public restrooms available. Here are some tips to help us all recreate responsibly and help keep our waters clean!
- Use a bathroom before you head out on your adventure.
- Use public restrooms where they are available.
- If there isn't a restroom, dig a hole 6-8 inches deep at least 200 feet from a waterway.
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Leaves, grass clippings, and other yard waste can...
- Plug storm drains and culverts, causing flooding and increasing maintenance costs.
- Add excess nutrients and other pollutants to the water, harming water quality and wildlife.
- Spread invasive plants, harming native plants, and habitat.
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Dumping it near ditches and roads, creeks or lakes, or the beach is not a good option. You are required to dispose of it properly. Here's what you can do:
Learn more at www.whatcomcounty.us/3478/Yard-Waste-Disposal
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Stay up to date on our social media communications by following the Whatcom County Public Works and Whatcom Conservation District Facebook pages. www.facebook.com/WhatcomCountyPublicWorks/
www.facebook.com/WhatcomCD/
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Was your farm muddy this past winter? This is a great time to install barn gutters and outlet systems to keep roof water where you want it. We can help with the cost of installation through the small farm rebate program. Call the Whatcom Conservation District at 360.526.2381 to see if you are eligible and learn more about the small farm rebate program.
http://www.whatcomcounty.us/2909/Small-Farm-Improvement-Rebates.
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Online training and rebates are available. You can complete Whatcom County Health Department's online septic system training to become certified to evaluate your own system (check eligibility for your system) and qualify for a septic maintenance rebate. You can save money and have confidence in knowing how your septic system works. Find operation and conservation tips to help lengthen the life of your system. Click here to find out more.
Is it time for septic maintenance? Receive up to $200 back through our rebate program.
Click here for the Septic Rebate Program Under COVID-19 Restrictions
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2020 has been a challenging year on many fronts and water quality is not an exception. Our last ENews focused on the elevated bacteria results observed throughout the county during this wet spring.
Over this summer, we have seen typical rainfall patterns for this time of year (just over an inch each month), according to the Whatcom CD and AgWEatherNet rain gauges. In July, this was reflected in low or moderate-low bacteria throughout our lowland tributaries. In August, we saw elevated bacteria in many tributaries including Tenmile, Fishtrap, Scott, and Upper California and Dakota Creeks. Seasonal bacteria “hotspots” still exist in portions of both the Nooksack basin and coastal watersheds and are being watched closely by the PIC program and water quality partners.
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That being said, the most concerning recent pattern in bacteria has been intermittent elevated bacteria results observed on the mainstem of the Nooksack River in August and September. In both August and September we’ve seen bacteria in the mainstem Nooksack greater than 200 CFU/100ml- this is about 4 times higher bacteria than the target set for the river to protect the downstream shellfish growing areas!
The PIC program has responded by sampling the Nooksack River at its forks (Middle, South, and North Forks) and at Deming/Cedarville, as well as adding additional sites between Lynden and Ferndale and at Slater Road. This monitoring has consistently shown low bacteria through the Forks and at Deming. The good news to date is that while this bacteria is likely entering marine waters via the Nooksack River, bacteria levels in the growing area have been low to moderate-low this summer.
With rains coming soon, possibly in the next week, every small action to protect water quality during this fall season will be important! This is the season to think about where your animals will go when it starts to get wet, finish any construction projects you have planned, and get extra serious about picking up that pet waste. Together we can make a difference!
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Portage Bay Marine Sites: Dots indicate the 90th percentile at each site for the last 30 samples (January 2018- August 2020). Red sites exceed the standard (>43 MPN/100mL), orange sites are ‘Threatened’ (30-43 MPN/100mL), yellow sites are ‘Of Concern’ (20-30 MPN/100mL), and green sites are ‘Well Within’ standards (<20 MPN/100mL). This data includes elevated bacteria results observed during the fall closure season. The recent July and August sampling runs were low to moderate-low, which was a welcome relief after high bacteria in May and June. This led to little change in the 90th percentiles at most sites with small increases at sites 50 and 52. Maintaining low bacteria concentrations into this fall will be critical to keeping Portage Bay shellfish harvesting open most of the year!
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Drayton Harbor Marine Sites. Dots indicate the 90th percentile at each site for the last 30 samples (November 2017 – August 2020). Red sites exceed the standard (> 43 MPN/100mL), orange are ‘Threatened’ (30-43 MPN/100mL), yellow are ‘Of Concern’ (20-30 MPN/100mL), green are ‘Well Within’ standards (<20 MPN/100mL) and blue are <10MPN/100mL. The 90th percentile for the last 30 samples were mostly unchanged for July and August samples. Station 15 (red circle) in the permeant closure zone was very elevated (540MPN/100mL) in August and continues to exceed the standards. Station 378 and Station 379 (orange circle) at the mouth of Dakota and California Creeks will be watched closely through the fall season.
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Whatcom County Public Work’s PIC (Pollution, Identification, and Correction) Program uses water quality monitoring (collecting samples in creeks, rivers, and bays) to identify priority areas for improvement programs and provides community outreach and education, technical and financial assistance for landowners, and coordination with County departments and other agencies to identify and address potential bacteria sources polluting our waterways.
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