State of the Waters Sequim Bay, Washington

2013

Sequim Bay is located along the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca on the northern Olympic Peninsula of Washington State (Figure 1). It is one of two primary watersheds on which the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe focuses its treaty resources protection and restoration efforts. Many of Jamestown’s tribal citizens reside and/or work in the Sequim Bay watershed, and have relied on treaty rights to harvest fish and shellfish from Sequim Bay for ceremonial, subsistence and commercial purposes. Sequim Bay is adjacent to Tribal Trust and reservation lands. Several of the Tribe’s service establishments are located near the head of Sequim Bay, including an administrative center, health and human services facility, casino, library, market and gas station complex, among other support facilities. Jimmycomelately (JCL) Creek is the largest drainage in the basin and enters the head of the Bay east of the Tribe’s administrative facilities. The Tribe has been one of the lead partners in an extensive restoration effort of the JCL creek channel and estuary. Figure 1: Sequim Bay watershed location

Sequim

Bay

Watershed

The Sequim Bay Watershed provides habitat for coho salmon, cutthroat trout, and ESA listed summer chum and steelhead. Today the Tribe is actively growing aquaculture in south Sequim Bay on its tidelands. Tribal citizens commonly harvest subsistence shellfish and commercial clam digs are held throughout the year to Tribal harvesters.

The Tribe monitors freshwater sites quarterly in the Sequim Bay watershed. A Quanta Hydrolab is used to measure DO, pH, Conductivity, Turbidity and Temperature. Marsh McBirney flow meters are used to measure in-stream flow. Water chemistry and fecal coliform results from 2008-2012 are presented in this report. In 2009 nutrients were added to the Sequim Bay monitoring plan, data from 2009-2012 are included in this assessment.

Sequim Bay Freshwater Sites and Parameters

Sequim Bay Freshwater Sites and Parameters

Site Name with River Mile

Monitoring Status and Frequency

DO Temp

pH Turbidity

Nutrients

Macroinverts.

Fecal

coliform

Lat. Long.

Chicken Coop Creek RM 0.18 Active – Quarterly

1999-2013

X X X X X X

48.03028 -122.994341

Jimmycomelatley Creek RM 0.15

Active – Quarterly 1999-2013

X X X X X X X

48.01938 -123.006729

No Name Creek RM 0.17

Active – Quarterly 1999-2012

X X X X X X

48.02578 -122.996343

Dean Creek RM 0.17 Active – Quarterly 1999-2013

X X X X X X

48.02421 -123.011028

Sequim Bay tideflats – Tribal staff planting Geoduck Tribal citizens harvesting clams in Sequim Bay.

Water Chemistry The parameters; temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH and turbidity were all compared against the state water quality standards. The maximum, minimum and mean value were calculated. These data are from 2006-2012. All Creeks sampled met the water quality standards for all parameters except dissolved oxygen and turbidity. Chicken Coop, Dean and Jimmycomelately creek all failed to meet the dissolved oxygen and turbidity criteria. No name creek failed to meet the dissolved oxygen criteria. Extraordinary Aquatic Life criteria (WAC 173-201A-200) apply to these waters. The criteria require that the dissolved oxygen not drop below 9.5 mg/L at a frequency of more than once every 10 years.

Water Chemistry Results in Sequim Bay Drainages, 2006-2012.

Parameter Max. Value Min. Value Mean Sample Count Standard Met?

Chicken Coop Creek RM 0.18

Temperature C 13.7 3.9 7.8 22 Yes

DO mg/L 13.8 8.5 11.4 21 No

pH 8.1 7.4 7.8 17 Yes

Turbidity 312 1.0 44.6 14 No

Dean Creek RM 0.17

Temperature C 13.5 3.1 6.8 16 Yes

DO mg/L 13.8 9.3 11.7 16 No

pH 8.3 7.6 7.9 15 Yes

Turbidity 118.0 7.7 35.4 10 No

Jimmycomelately Creek RM 0.15

Temperature C 15.0 2.9 8.5 22 Yes

DO mg/L 13.7 7.8 11.1 21 No

pH 8.1 7.4 7.8 19 Yes

Turbidity 88.1 0.8 16.5 15 No

No Name Creek RM 0.17

Temperature C 14.5 4.4 8.4 22 Yes

DO mg/L 13.5 7.7 10.7 20 No

pH 8.2 7.1 7.7 18 Yes

Turbidity 48.2 5.3 21.0 13 Yes

Fecal Coliform Fecal Coliform results for time period of February 2004-August 2012 show that all sites are well below the state water quality standard for the geometric mean of 50 cfu/100mL. Although all the sites meet the state geometric mean standard, one site failed to meet the 90%tile criteria of 100 cfu/100mL and another was close at 88 cfu/100mL. Fecal coliform results for marine waters monitored by Washington State Department of Health are well within the approved classification standards (DOH annual growing area review 2012).

Bacteria compared to the State Water Quality Standards, February 2004-2012

Nutrients The Tribe started a nutrient monitoring program in 2009 and has been sampling quarterly at 4 freshwater sites in the Blyn Watershed. According to the State-EPA Nutrient Innovations Task Force (2009), nutrient pollution ranks as one of the top causes of surface water quality impairment in the United States. Nutrients are chemical compounds that contain nitrogen and phosphorus. Both these compounds are essential nutrients for plant growth but in high concentration they can become a contaminant. Nutrient over enrichment can cause a host of problems in both fresh and marine waters. Harmful algal blooms, fish kills, eutrophication, outbreaks of shellfish poisoning and hypoxia/anoxia are all related to elevated nutrients. This is a serious concern for JCL and Dean Creek due to their location being so close to the intertidal area in which we grow shellfish and practice treaty harvest. Washington State has not developed water quality criteria for nutrients in streams or estuaries. However EPA has developed ecoregions within the U.S., defined as “regions of relative homogeneity in ecological systems” (EPA 2000). The Sequim Bay tributaries are in Ecoregion II - Western Forested Mountains. Within Ecoregion II, JCL creek, Dean Creek, Chicken Coop Creek and No Name Creek are classified as Level III – Puget Sound Lowlands. EPA had developed water quality recommendations for Total Nitrogen (TN) and Total Phosphorus (TP) for the Puget Sound Lowlands.

19

8 12 10

209

57 79 88

1

10

100

1000

CC0.18 DEA0.17 JCL 0.15 NN 0.03 Fec

al

Co

lifo

rm (

cfu

/10

0m

L)

.

Sequim Bay Tributaries - Bacteria Compared to State WQ Standards

2004-2012

geometric mean 90th percentile

90th Percentile Geometric Mean Standard (50 )cfu/100

EPA ambient water quality recommendation for Total Nitrigen (TN) and Total Phosphorus (TP) in the Puget Sound Lowlands based on the 25th percentile.

Reported Values 25th percentile based on all seasons for the decade

Parameter No. of Streams Min Max P-25 all seasons

TN (mg/L) 37 0.08 2.62 0.25 (240 ug/L)

TP (ug/L) 133 2.5 330 19.5

The criteria are intended to evaluate whether elevated nutrient concentrations may impact aquatic life and resources. Using these EPA recommendation criteria for Puget Sound Lowlands, TN in JCL creek (653 ug/L) is nearly three times above the recommended 240 ug/L and TP in JCL Creek (35 ug/L) is nearly twice the recommended 19.5 ug/L. Nearly 90% of all JCL Creek samples from January 2009-December 2012 exceed the EPA criteria for TN and TP. Dean Creek TN is more than 5 times above the EPA criterion, and TP (72 ug/L) is more than 3 times above the EPA criterion. Dean Creek exceeds the EPA criteria for both TN and TP 100% of the time from 2009-December 2012. Chicken Coop and No Name Creeks are both showing similar results. No Name creek fails to meet the recommended TN and TP criteria 100% of the time. Chicken Coop Creek fails to meet the TN 100% of the time while TP meets criteria 90% of the time.

Sequim Bay Drainages nutrient results, 2009-2012

Parameter Max Value ug/L

Min Value ug/L Mean ug?L

Sample Count

Jimmycomelately Creek 0.15

Total Nitrogen 2409 215 653 12

Total Phosphorus 142 6 35 12

Dean Creek 0.17

Total Nitrogen 5390 506 1403 11

Total Phosphorus 323 32 72 11

Chicken Coop

Total Nitrogen 7543 250 1566 12

Total Phosphorus 613 8 79 12

No Name

Total Nitrogen 2498 343 714 10

Total Phosphorus 226 38 67 10

Biotoxins The first confirmed cases of Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP) in the United States occurred at the end of June, 2011 from recreationally harvested mussels at Sequim Bay State Park, less than two miles from the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Center and shellfish beds. Subsequently, Sequim Bay shellfish beds were closed for recreational, subsistence and commercial harvest until costly and time consuming tests from the FDA lab could prove that shellfish were again safe to eat. In 2012 DSP was present above advisory levels in mussels from May through October in Sequim Bay. During parts of this closure, Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) was also above the advisory level. So far in 2013, levels of DSP toxins in shellfish are lower than in 2012 but still led to a closure of recreational shellfish harvest for a period during the early summer. Clearly, HABs, nutrient loading, and biotoxin levels warrant further study and have repercussions to the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s subsistence and commercial shellfish harvests. The Tribe has identified next steps for protecting the marine waters of Sequim Bay and the recreational, subsistence, commercial and ceremonial harvest of shellfish and finfish. Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe Administration Campus – on the edge of Sequim Bay

Next Steps and Recommendations These recommendations can be used as a starting point to improve water quality of the freshwater tributaries flowing into Sequim Bay; as well as improve and protect the marine waters and resources of Sequim Bay itself.

FOREST • Check the status of the hillside failure above Johnson Creek, and investigate whether the

outfall is still contributing to high turbidity. • Gain a better understanding of forest practices in Sequim Bay, parcel by parcel. • Take a closer look at vegetation/forest removal and its potential to erode the Bay’s western

feeder bluffs. RESIDENTIAL • Consider what needs to happen to ensure the 270 septic systems in need of an inspection

(per Clallam County septic system status database) get inspected. • Update WA Department of Health’s 2008 Shoreline Survey and then cross-check the survey

results with the most current Clallam County septic system statuses. • Compare in detail current land use and septic status maps, and then use that information to

prioritize the list of parcels without a current inspection. For example, parcels that may have larger daily volumes or commercial kitchens would likely be higher on the priority list for inspections.

• Monitor the streams, with Bell Creek as a top priority, draining into Sequim Bay for nutrients, and consider nutrient results from Woodruff’s study when analyzing new data.

• Consider whether the Tribe’s 2006 bank hardening reconnaissance should be updated and/or whether the structures identified should be prioritized according to which armoring and/or structures are having the greatest detrimental impacts.

• Re-install a pet waste station at the Port Williams beach location, and consider ways to promote its proper use/management.

• Further investigate pet waste impacts to Sequim Bay. • Consider further outreach to shoreline landowners regarding Best Management Practices

for landscaping and the impacts of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides on waterways. • Consider further outreach to shoreline landowners regarding Best Management Practices

for improving buffers and the impacts of insufficient buffers on waterways. OPEN SPACE

• Consider ways to promote low impact development in OPEN SPACE parcels slated for development.

ROADS • Promote BMPs for stormwater management. COMMERCIAL • Ensure FOG are pretreated per Sequim Municipal Code. • Ensure all septic systems and pumping operations related to the Marina are inspected to

make sure they are all properly functioning. • Ensure the corrosion occurring in the manhole downstream from Sequim Bay Lodge’s

discharge is remedied. • Track the status of recreational vehicle use in upper Johnson Creek.

AGRICULTURE • Determine if the issues documented in 2008 by DOH, with lack of vegetation cover in the

pasture adjacent to Bell Creek, still exist. • Request status of Clallam Conservation District’s 2006 high priority farms. • Consider whether DOH’s 2008 Shoreline Survey should be updated. • Follow up on the Potential Indirect Impact and Potential Source agricultural sites referenced

in the 2008 survey. • Conduct full nutrient assessment of Bell Creek. OTHER/NONCOMMERCIAL • Develop internal database at Tribe to formally track septic systems on Tribal properties. • Monitor Battelle’s NPDES-permitted discharges. RECREATION FACILITIES • Continue monitoring the marine station near Sequim Bay State Park for nutrients. • Consider ways to provide outreach to park visitors regarding pet waste (e.g., signage?). • Monitor pet waste stations at park. SAND/GRAVEL QUARRY No recommendations at this time.