Puget Sound Recovery Plan: Bays and Estuaries

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- The most harmful pollutants include dioxins and furans, arsenic, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), all of which are byproducts of various industrial activities. But the most abundant pollutants are polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. PCBs cause cancer and birth defects, suppress the immune system, and children with sustained exposure to them can develop learning disabilities or behavioral problems. PCBs were banned in 1979 but their effects are still evident today.

- CECs (Contaminants of Emerging Concern) range from pharmaceuticals, personal care products and food additives to compounds used in industrial and commercial applications. These compounds are not typically removed from wastewater and are flushed into waterways. CECs were found at low levels in samples collected at over 40 locations. Many detected CECs are endocrine disruptors, which affect the reproductive systems of animals. Juvenile Chinook salmon that were migrating out to sea were collected from urban and nonurban areas in Puget Sound and tested for evidence of exposure to endocrine disruptors and CECs were found in juvenile fish in at least two locations and also in the Columbia river (University of Washington: PSEMP Toxics Workgroup, 2015).

Stormwater Runoff

Stormwater is considered by the Washington State Department of Ecology as one of the biggest water pollutant problems (Washington State Department of Ecology, 2015). Thirty-three known pollutants have been measured with at least 50% frequency by the Washington State Department of Ecology in stormwater runoff. The most detected, in 90% of all samples analyzed, were metals, nutrients, suspended solids, and fecal coliform. The Puget Sound sees an average of more than 370 billion gallons of stormwater runoff every year from about 358,000 acres of impervious surface (about 4% of the total water basin) (Puget Sound Institute, 2015). Impervious coverage of approximately 10% within a watershed typically leads to measurable and often irreversible loss of functioning of aquatic systems (Booth Derek B., 1993) and the impervious coverage is growing in line with the population and building growth.

Researchers have proposed a simple solution, using a soil-based filtration system. Some engineers and scientists have claimed “the Puget Sound recovery hinges on blocking polluted runoff” (Wilke, 2015). Wilke cites a State Appeals Court ruling in 2008, that to comply with the Clean Air Act, communities will have to embrace low impact development (LID), also known as green water infrastructure. William Lider, an engineer, wrote a letter in the Seattle Times supporting this approach, declaring: “As a professional civil engineer specializing in storm water design, I have designed and reviewed hundreds of storm water projects. Not only do Low Impact Development (LID) methods do a better job of protecting our lakes and streams than the traditional, “end of pipe” stormwater treatment, such as underground vaults or large detention ponds, LID is less expensive to build.” (Lider, 2015).

Salmon

Salmon are the iconic species of the Salish Sea. They play a critical role in supporting and maintaining ecological health, and in the social fabric of local tribes. Strong commercial and recreational salmon fisheries also make salmon an important economic engine for the region. Chinook are the largest salmon, also known as “kings” and a favorite food of killer whales (orcas). Just over 485,000 Chinook salmon were reported to be in the Salish Sea in 2010 by the Pacific Salmon Commission (EPA, 2015).

But there has been a 60% reduction in Chinook salmon, since the Pacific Salmon Commission began tracking salmon data in 1984, as the chart above shows. Chinook salmon are impacted by habitat change (timber harvest, agriculture, urbanization and costal modifications; harvest rates (which have been decreasing); hatchery influence (disease, competition); climate change (hotter ocean temperatures, salinity); and predators (sea lions have increased, orcas have declined) (EPA, 2015). Since 1999 - when Puget Sound Chinook salmon were listed as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act - there has been a 29% reduction in the number of harvested salmon and a 30% increase in the number of spawning salmon. The most recent Report Card on salmon cited “getting worse” versus the target of stopping overall decline of spawning salmon and seeing increase in at least 2 out of 4 species by 2020 (Anderson, 2015). The mean total abundance of naturally spawning Chinook was lower in 2011 – 2013 than in 2006 – 2010, and this decline was statistically significant. Among the 22 individual populations, 13 declined and 6 increased (Anderson, 2015).

Coho, another species of salmon also known as silvers, have witnessed a 60 to 100% die off before spawning in the watershed in Puget Sound over the last decade (Scholz Nathaniel L, 2011). Research has eliminated non-chemical explanations, and indicates the toxic effects of pollutants in stormwater runoff are the likely cause (Scholz Nathaniel L, 2011). The Seattle Times also reported recently that “Toxic road runoff kills adult coho salmon in hours, study finds” (Doughton, 2015). The study shows that stormwater runoff from urban roadways is so toxic to coho salmon that it can kill adult fish in as little as two and a half hours (Spromberg, 2015).

Orcas

Killer whales (or orcas) are at the top of the food chain in the Puget Sound, excepting human beings. They eat salmon, seals and other fish. If resident pods and migratory pods were suffering or dropping in numbers, that would be an indication of further trouble, or if growing, an indication of recovery. A recent report suggested that the resident pods, J, K and L of 82 orcas are looking healthy and had several pregnant females (Mapes, 2015), using photogrammetry, special measurements taken from photos and video from drones operated by the NOAA Fisheries (Press, 2015). (See 12-minute video at http://bcove.me/oe4y9iwi). The count of 82 orcas is 4 more than last year. A 2014 special report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, 2014) on southern-resident killer whales pointed to limited salmon populations, vessel traffic and noise, and chemical contamination as the main threats to the whales. They have been listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act since 2005, but their numbers have continued to decline, until last year. Their favorite diet is chinook salmon and they will range as far south as California, if they need to search for food, although these 3 pods are typically resident in the Puget Sound. Lynne Barre, branch chief for the protected resources division in NOAA