Shellfish Protection Districts (SPD) Topics Library

Pollution Source: Agriculture

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Identifying Potential Pollution Source

Burley Lagoon, Filucy Bay, Rocky Bay Shellfish Protection Districts (SPDs) / Pierce County Pollution Identification and Correction (PIC)

Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD) monitors fecal coliform counts in streams and other tributaries to the shellfish bays. If high counts are determined to be caused by poor animal keeping practices, TPCHD sends a letter to the property owner notifying them of the concern and that this is a violation of 90.48 RCW. The letter requests the property owner work with Pierce Conservation District (PCD) to address the problem. If the property owner decides to work with PCD, TPCHD will check periodically with PCD as to progess with the site. If the property owner chooses not to work with PCD, TPCHD requests the Washington State Department of Ecology's (Ecology's) assistance, including enforcement if necessary, to ensure the problem is corrected. Pierce County Surface Water Management (SWM) may also become involved if the flow from the property is going into Pierce County's stormwater drainage system, since the flow would be a violation of Pierce County's illicit discharge ordinance.

Henderson and Nisqually SPDs

Thurston County has the authority to control animal wastes through a nonpoint ordinance Article VI Thurston County Sanitary Code. Problems are identified through complaints received. The Health Department has a cooperative agreement with the Conservation District (CD) whereby violations are referred to the SPD for technical assistance with farm plan development and implementation of best management practices.
Article VI is practice-based and focuses on best management practices. It does not require that the County demonstrates through sampling that an operation is contributing bacteria or pollution.

Jefferson County Clean Water District (CWD)

The Jefferson County Conservation District (JCD) leads water quality monitoring on agricultural lands and provides a number of reports. Jefferson County contracts with the JCD for some water quality monitoring. Water quality monitoring by JCD informs landowners, the county, and the JCD about pollution in every stream in East Jefferson County. Although JCD does not have enforcement ability on agricultural lands, water quality data informs interested landowners and helps push them to implement agricultural best management practices (BMPs). Sharing the data with Jefferson County Health Department allows for the detection of on-site sewage system (OSS) problems. This strong working relationship between the County and Washington State Department of Health (DOH) creates an efficient way to monitor water quality with limited resources at the county.

Kitsap Public Health District

Kitsap Health has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Kitsap Conservation District (KCD) to ensure inter-program coordination and effectiveness. Kitsap Health includes the KCD in pollution control grants in areas with significant farm activity.The KCD inventories and ranks agricultural and livestock sites based on site conditions and potential to pollute. Kitsap Health confirms all high priority farms and investigates sites with potential pollution sources through bracketed water sampling and comparison to state water quality standards. Owners and residents of parcels with water quality violations are contacted for a parcel survey and informed of the water quality violation, the Kitsap County solid waste regulation requirements that manure be managed in a manner that prevents surface and drinking water pollution, and any other nuisance conditions. Owners and residents are referred to KCD for technical assistance and potential cost-share facilitation and asked for permission to forward contact information to the KCD planner working in the area. Kitsap Health and KCD work closely to craft site-specific strategies to correct the violation. Non-cooperators are enforced pursuant to Kitsap's solid waste regulations. Kitsap Health conducts farm inspections. Refer to page 12 of the Animal Waste Pollution Identification Strategy for more information on how Kitsap Health and KCD work together and perform rankings, parcel visits, technical assistance, follow-up, enforcement, and proposed strategy elements.

Oakland Bay CWD

The County identifies agricultural sources that have the potential to pollute. Mason CD prepares farm plans and recommends BMPs for agricultural cooperators in the watershed.

Sequim Bay Dungeness Watershed CWD

Clallam County is solely reliant on Clallam Conservation District (CD) for agricultural cleanup and Ecology for enforcement in the County. Two unique issues in the area are 1) irrigation and 2) the Olympic Game Farm. Work by CCD led to the piping of irrigation ditches that eliminated fecal coliform contamination from irrigation tailwater and conserved water in the area.

Skagit County Clean Water Program (CWP) / The Clean Samish Initiative (CSI) / PIC Program

Water quality monitoring data is used to focus PIC activities. County, Ecology, and Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) personnel make agricultural inspections in focus areas as determined by water quality results and refer the landowner to the CD if corrective action is necessary. The CD leads the process for establishing BMPsand farm plans in the Samish. WSDA is responsible for compliance with Dairy Nutrient Management Plans. Skagit County Public Health (SCPH) maintains a database of OSS inspections and follows up on properties that are not current with inspections.

South Holmes Harbor SPD

Agriculture is not a significant pollution source in the watershed. Water quality sampling indentifies any potential sources, and the SPD partners with the Conservation District to do outreach to property owners with hobby farms and help develop farm plans and BMPs.

Validating Source of Pollution

Burley Lagoon, Filucy Bay, Rocky Bay SPDs / Pierce County PIC

TPCHD collects water samples downgradient of the property, and upgradient when possible, to verify that the property is the source of the high fecal coliform counts.

Jefferson County CWD

A Microbial Source Trackign (MST) study in 2012 confirmed the presence of ruminant indicators in many locations throughout the basin.

Kitsap Public Health District

Pollution sources are confirmed through the collection of three fecal coliform or E. Coli samples collected during a wet weather season (October – April). A geometric mean value of the three samples is calculated and then compared to the water quality standard.

Oakland Bay CWD

As per Mason County Water Quality Standard Operating Procedure, MCPH can perform monitoring above and below a property three times within a one year period. If the sample results do not meet the water quality standard, MCPH can either use solid waste enforcement rules for improper solid waste handling/nuisance or refer the property owner to the CD for voluntary compliance or to Ecology for enforcement.

Stillaguamish River CWD

The burden of proof is on the County to prove agricultural pollution at a given site. A county employee makes a site visit to determine if there is potential work with the CD. While there is currently no referral process in place, the PIC grant will determine that process. A best practice would be the development of a referral process, which should include extenuating circumstances. There is very little enforcement potential driving the agriculture related activities.

Verifying Pollution Source Has Been Corrected

Burley Lagoon, Filucy Bay, Rocky Bay SPDs / Pierce County PIC

If the property owner works with PCD and implements the recommended actions, TPCHD will continue to collect water samples to confirm the problem has been corrected. If Ecology is brought in, TPCHD works with them as needed to ensure the problem has been corrected.

Henderson and Nisqually SPDs

The County does follow-up and takes compliance actions if the land owner fails to correct the violations. Monthly sampling enables the County to have a baseline for specific locations.

Kitsap Public Health District

Pollution source correction is confirmed through the same process as pollution source validation.

Oakland Bay CWD

As per Mason County Water Quality Standard Operating Procedures, additional monitoring is to be performed after the installation of BMPs to verify that the pollution source has been corrected. Further verification may come from DOH marine monitoring data and Mason County ambient monitoring.

South Holmes Harbor SPD

Correction was verified through continued water quality sampling.