Water Quality
The reward for clean water is a safe and healthy shellfish harvest!
The Whatcom MRC and Whatcom County Public Works - Natural Resources have been coordinating water quality monitoring in key drainages since 2004. The areas monitored include Chuckanut Bay, Birch Bay, Drayton Harbor, and Lummi Island.
The Washington State Department of Health uses fecal coliform (bacteria) data to classify shellfish harvest areas as open, conditionally open, threatened, or closed. Each of these four areas have sections that are either conditionally approved or closed for harvest due to bacterial pollution. Monitoring the freshwater inputs to these systems helps identify priority locations for follow-up actions and public outreach.
Grab
samples for fecal coliform and stream flow estimates are taken at up to
30 sites on a monthly basis. Flow is calculated using time of
travel or the catchment method, and is used to estimate fecal coliform
loads to the surrounding water bodies. Sampling protocol follows
a
Quality Assurance Project Plan.
Quality Assurance Project Plan.
Water quality sampling is focused in four drainages:
- Chuckanut Bay
- Birch Bay
- Drayton Harbor
- Lummi Island (starting Fall 2009)
Reports and Summaries
- Water Quality Monitoring Project Interim Report 2006-2008 (2008)
- Chuckanut Bay Water Quality Results Summary (through 9/09)
- Birch Bay Water Quality Results Summary (through 9/09)
- Drayton Harbor Water Quality Results Summary (through 9/09)
