North Olympic Peninsula Solutions Network

How low can it go? Warm weather draining Peninsula water supply levels

Dwight — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 23:07:12 +0000

By Marcie Miller
Peninsula Daily News

The Dungeness River is a mere trickle of its former self, and the Elwha is not far behind.

Both rivers are major sources of water for key population centers in Clallam County, and both have reached levels low enough to meet the state definition of drought conditions…

On Monday, the Dungeness was at 52 percent, while the Elwha was at 60 percent, according to the U.S. Geological Survey “Water Watch” Web site, http://tinyurl.com/pbkv39…

read the full article at http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090818/news/308189996

Tribe fighting latest trend in noxious weeds: Butterfly bush

Dwight — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:50:52 +0000

BLYN, Wash. – The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe has worked too hard to let an innocent-looking lilac-scented shrub take over its restoration efforts of the Dungeness River. Much like knotweed, Scotch broom and English ivy, the butterfly bush, also known as Buddleia, has become an invasive species in recent years.

“It’s only recently that we’ve realized the threat invasive species may pose to our long-term restoration goals for the Dungeness River,” said Hilton Turnbull, the tribe’s habitat biologist. “There’s not a lot of research available from our area on this species but we’ve been watching it spreading rapidly since 2004 and are concerned it’s affecting salmon habitat.”…

read the full article at http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/53565217.html

Illegal fishing, dry weather conditions threaten fish across the state

Dwight — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:35:48 +0000

OLYMPIA - Despite recent showers, the summer’s prolonged dry weather has left fish vulnerable, including on the Dungeness River, where two anglers were recently caught poaching…

read full article at http://kbkw.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=806

Sustainable Groundwater Development using GIS and Groundwater Modeling

Dwight — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:00:27 +0000

Learn how GIS mapping and groundwater modeling are being used to help promote sustainable groundwater development. The webinar will present project case studies of GIS work with two Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) in Nebraska, and the results from a groundwater model developed specifically to evaluate the potential impacts of new high capacity wells near the community of Hastings, Nebraska.

Presenter: Karen Griffin O’Connor

Karen has more than 15 years of experience managing multidisciplinary projects focused in the fields of geology and hydrogeology. She received her bachelor’s degree in geology from Smith College in Northampton, MA and her master’s degree from the University of California in Santa Barbara. She has successfully completed both large-scale Superfund remediation projects as well as small and medium-sized soil and groundwater investigations for industrial and municipal clients. She began her career in environmental geology in Santa Barbara, California, working for Metcalf & Eddy, Inc. She worked on the restoration and cleanup of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in Denver, Colorado for over 10 years and currently works on the Hydrogeology Team for Olsson Associates. Her current passion is redevelopment of brownfield sites — implementing new technologies to protect and restore our surface water and groundwater resources.

Webinar Details

Date: August 25, 2009

Time: 2 p.m. Central Time

Length: 1 hour

Cost: $35

Registration: Online or call 1-800-858-4844

Questions: Email webinar@groundwater.org or call

1-800-858-4844.

An archived version of the webinar will be available for purchase following the completion of the live event.

Drug stores in program to take back old medicines

Dwight — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:38:54 +0000

By Paul Gottlieb
Peninsula Daily News

PORT ANGELES — Those unused prescription drugs that are taking up space in medicine cabinets across the North Olympic Peninsula can now be dropped off at Jim’s Pharmacy in Port Angeles and Frick Rexall Drug Store in Sequim — anonymously and free of charge.

The pharmaceutical-waste take-back program is part of a joint effort among the two drug stores, the state Board of Pharmacy, the state Board of Health and the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office

…

Prescription drugs that make their way into the water supply have “become the new form of hazardous waste,” said Dr. Tom Locke, public health officer for Clallam and Jefferson counties.

Benedict and Locke said discarded hormones have been known to “feminize” fish, giving them characteristics of both sexes.

“More and more people are using prescription medications, and that raises significant disposal issues,” Locke said, adding that it’s no longer advised to flush medications down the toilet.

“People were told to flush unused pills down the toilet for years and years,” he said. “That was the public message.”

Pharmaceuticals entering the water supply is “a nationwide problem,” Frick said.

He said pharmaceutical waste abounds in particular in Sequim.

A water test at SunLand in Sequim showed traces of 54 pharmaceutical chemicals, he said, though Locke said the last test he was aware of at SunLand was around 2000.

Locke said water in Clallam and Jefferson counties is not routinely tested for pharmaceuticals, but it’s not considered an “imminent threat.”

“It’s more one of those problems that if you don’t do something now, it could get to a point in Washington state where it was a problem.”

Pharmaceuticals in dangerous quantities tend to enter the water supplies of communities that draw water from rivers in industrialized areas, he said.

“The problem here is that what we are getting in he Dungeness River is affecting the fish population and eventually going out into the ocean,” Locke said.

“Here, it’s more of an environmental protection issue than it is an imminent human health issue.”

…

full article at http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090812/NEWS/308129995

Ecology provides $11 million to boost stream flows, protect watersheds, strengthen economy

Dwight — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:36:11 +0000

In response to the economic slowdown, the 2009 Legislature provided $11 million to local communities to improve water availability, water quality and fisheries habitat across the state.

The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) is awarding:

*$4 million to fund 10 projects to improve stream flows and fish habitat in the Elwha Dungeness, Entiat, Island, Quilcene-Snow and Walla Walla watersheds. Six counties will be affected: Chelan, Clallam, Island, Jefferson, Walla Walla and Whatcom.

…

Olympic Peninsula grants totaling $810,000 for stream flow improvements will be used as follows:

* $450,000 to the Clallam Conservation District to replace 8,250 feet of open irrigation ditch with pipeline, part of a multi-phase project that will ultimately pipe the entire Dungeness Irrigation District;

* $265,000 to Clallam County to continue work with Jamestown S’Klallam tribal water users and Washington Water Trust to secure sources of water for the launch of a Dungeness water exchange; and

* $95,000 to Public Utilities District No. 1 of Jefferson County for a water storage feasibility study of Peterson Lake.

…

In Western Washington, 12 watershed planning units are receiving grants:

* Elwha-Dungeness - $100,000 to help put a water management rule in place for the Dungeness River basin and $180,000 for plan implementation.
…

* Elwha-Dungeness, Quilcene-Snow and Wind - $60,000 for continued stream gauging to manage water supply and demand.

full article at http://www.yelmonline.com/articles/2009/08/12/first_report/doc4a82f90bdc2d1637003380.txt

Distributed Hydrologic Models for Flow Forecasts – Part 1

Dwight — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:08:08 +0000

The COMET Program is pleased to announce the publication of Distributed
Hydrologic Models for Flow Forecasts – Part 1. This 1-hour module is the
first in a two-part series focused on the science of distributed models
and their applicability in different situations. This module makes use
of rich illustrations, animations, and interactions to provide a basic
description of distributed hydrologic models and how they work.

Presented by Dr. Dennis Johnson, the module begins with a review of
hydrologic models, and then examines the differences between lumped and
distributed models. It explains how lumped models may be distributed by
subdividing the basin and suggests when distributed hydrologic models
are most appropriate. Other topics covered include the advantages of
physically-based versus conceptual approaches and some strengths and
challenges associated with distributed modeling. Please follow this link
to start the module:
http://www.meted.ucar.edu/hydro/DHM/dhm2/part1/index.htm

This module requires a web browser with Flash Player version 9 (or
higher). For technical support, please visit the MetEd Support page:
http://www.meted.ucar.edu/about_support.htm#C.

NOTE TO NWS and other NOAA EMPLOYEES: This module is available in the
NWS Learning Center (https://doc.learn.com/noaa/nws). Please access it
in that system in order to get credit.

We welcome any comments or questions you may have regarding the content,
instructional approach, or use of this module. Please email your
comments or questions to Amy Stevermer (stevermer@comet.ucar.edu) or Lon
Goldstein (lgoldstein@comet.ucar.edu). For technical support, contact
support@comet.ucar.edu.

Sincerely,

Wendy Abshire
UCAR/COMET
Senior Project Manager/Meteorologist

Too little water flows under the bridge

Dwight — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:03:48 +0000

People may be enjoying this stretch of warm, dry weather, but some east county residents could be asked — or required — to conserve water soon if it continues.
“Rainfall is off from the norms and thus so are the stream flows,” said Clallam Public Utility District spokesman Jeff Beaman…

see full article at http://www.sequimgazette.com/gazettetop/articleDetail.exm/Index/article/2009-07-29_Too_little_water_flows_under_the_bridge/

Western Washington appears poised for another extremely dry summer

Dwight — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:02:06 +0000

If you feel as if Western Washington has had an unusually dry start to the summer this year, you’re not mistaken.

The extended dry spell from May 20 to July 4 this year in most of Western Washington means the region has already been drier than the period May 20 to July 4 of what turned out to be the driest summer on record.

The last time any significant rain fell in most of Western Washington this year was May 19.

“Essentially summer started abruptly in Western Washington on May 20,” says Phil Mote, research scientist with the University of Washington’s Climate Impacts Group.

Mote and UW research scientist Karin Bumbaco this week asked the National Weather Service to use its applied climate information system to compare this year’s precipitation from May 20 to July 4 to the same period in years past for the four Western Washington weather stations that keep daily records.

At every station, that 46-day period this year was the driest on record.

• Seattle Tacoma International Airport
0.18 inches this year
0.64 inches was the previous record, set in 1965
0.79 inches fell from May 20 to July 4 in 2003, the driest summer on record

• Quillayute
1.25 inches this year
1.61 inches was the previous record, set in 1972
2.03 inches fell in 2003, the driest summer on record

• Olympia
0.23 inches this year
0.40 inches was the previous record, set in 1965
0.41 inches fell from May 20 to July 4 in 2003, the driest summer on record

• Hoquiam
0.40 inches this year
0.78 inches was the previous record, set in 1965
0.89 inches fell from May 20 to July 4 in 2003, the driest summer on record

Summer records of precipitation typically includes precipitation for the months of June, July and August.

While most of Western Washington was quite dry, there were exceptions. Vancouver and Clark County received more than an inch of rain June 19 and some areas of the western Cascades, such as North Bend, had more than an inch of rain that same day.

Areas with low precipitation are a concern because new UW research shows that it’s the amount of precipitation — not just snow pack — that largely determines river flows in late summer in Western Washington, Mote says.

For example during the summer of 2003, nearly all Western Washington rivers had record low flows in late August and early September.

“We’re particularly concerned about the northern Cascades and Olympic mountains because those areas were already dealing with lower than normal snowpack before this dry spell,” Mote says. As of April 1, snowpack in those two regions was 67 to 77 percent of normal.

That low snowpack has already caused the Northwest River Forecast Center to alert river users that, for example, streamflow for the Okanogan River near Tonasket; Similkameen River near Nighthawk; and the Methow River near Pateros could be 50 to 75 percent of usual flows through Sept. 1. Other rivers in the area of concern — for example the Dungeness River near Sequim and Skagit River near Concrete — are forecast to have flows that are 75 to 90 percent of normal.

While Eastern Washington has had its dry spots, Spokane — which is usually drier than Seattle — was wetter than Seattle and had 100 percent of its normal precipitation

Mote and Bumbaco, Washington’s climatologist and assistant climatologist respectively, are attending the annual meeting of the American Association of State Climatologists this week in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They will contrast Western Washington with places such as Daytona Beach, Florida, that had its wettest May on record with 22.35 inches, which is 10 inches more than the previous record.

For more information:
Mote, cell 541-913-2274
Bumbaco, cell 206-518-4097

(Published by 7thSpace Interactive at http://7thspace.com/headlines/314084/western_washington_appears_poised_for_another_extremely_dry_summer.html)

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Clallam adopts Dungeness flood plan

Dwight — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:25:27 +0000

Years of work culminated on Tuesday with the formal adoption of a revised Dungeness River Flood Hazard Management Plan. A lengthy public comment process preceded the adoption of the flood plan by two Clallam County commissioners, Mike Doherty and Mike Chapman. Commissioner Steve Tharinger is out of the office this week and did not attend the meeting.

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090624/news/306249981