Notice: Undefined index: HTTP_REFERER in /home/stparch/public_html/headmid_temp_main.php on line 4394
Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
January 11, 2007     Shelton Mason County Journal
PAGE 25     (25 of 42 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
 
PAGE 25     (25 of 42 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
January 11, 2007
 
Newspaper Archive of Shelton Mason County Journal produced by SmallTownPapers, Inc.
Website Β© 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information
Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader




Parrott says geese a big polluter Does Lynch Cove need a sewer system? Gary Parrott's not so sure and fbr three straight weeks he addressed the issue at meetings of the Mason County Board of Com- missioners. He questioned the need to install a sewer system in the area. Starting on Tuesday, November 28, Parrott flooded commissioners with information pointing against the need tbr a sewer. A resident of Lynch Cove, his documentation included an article describing a technique developed in Tillamook Bay to derive figures on the non- human contribution to overall fe- cal coliform counts. "I was surprised to learn this technique is being used right now in Oakland Bay. Why not check out the numbers in Lynch Cove prior to commissioning the North Shore Sewer?" he said in reading from a prepared statement. Parrott also mentioned a recent report on National Public Radio regarding a company on the East Coast which also has a method for discriminating between human and non-human fecal coliform. In one case, he said, this company identified pets as the primary con- tributor to pollution and saved a community from having to build an expensive and unnecessary sewer. "THE NPR report astounded me when it noted that a Canada goose produces the same amount of daily tcal coliform as a human being. I have a field and an orchard n Lynch Cove. I never saw a resi- ent goose on my property before 1995. That year 30 showed up in August and stayed until Christ- mas," he said. Parrott said the geese eat grass and fallen apples and then "hang out" on the mud fiats. By his calcu- lation their number has increased to well over 100. "They are here every day con- tributing to the fecal coliform, num- bers," he continued. "What s the ontribution? Let's say there are 20 geese. It's nothing to ignore. If bfee had a permanent encampment 120 people on a Lynch Cove aca without toilet facilities, we'd have a fit." ,, He said that sewer planners use equivalent residential units," or ERUs, describing the waste gener- ated by 2.56 people. Using these numbers, he calculated that the geese are !ike 4: ERUs i:ht;om n pletely falhng sept]cs 1 the L,,ynch, Cove mud flats every uay. That s not the whole Lynch dCgo°le population. Add in the goose Is, ducks, seals, shorebirds, gs, cats," he said. "You just can't ignore it in the overall equation." PARROTT ALSO made the point that pets add to the animal Waste generated by wildli "W C all know that m the area o Lyn Cove, there is no leash law and pets have free run of the beaches," he sai - d. To make matters worse, the Belfair State Park is a popular place to exercise dogs." Meanwhile, residents of hous- ing developments run their dogs on community beaches. "With all the money we're spending on consultants and sewer planning, why not apply a few bucks toward ulscovering how much of L ch C ' yn , eve s fecal coliform is not coming rom failing septics?" he asked. These remarks were supple- aented on December 5, when Par- rott addressed the commissioners gain. On this occasion he thanked ramett Dobey, the county's direc- tor of community development, for taking prompt action to contact the Washington State Department r tiealth in Olympia and request It to review the validity of the 2002 Declaration of Severe Health Haz- ard for Lynch Cove. Parrott had challenged this designation, which is a pillar of e current North Shore Sewer Lension project. On week two of his campaign he said the com- .issioners w, ere probably wonder- g: "Who was that wild guy from ch Cove? What's all this about ecal coliform?" HE NOTED that the North Shore Sewer Extension is really about nitrogen. "Excessive nitro- gen is the most pressing issue in the Hood Canal today and I sin- cerely appreciate your zeal in try- ing to improve the health of Lynch Cove," Parrott said, again reading from a prepared statement. He reminded the commissioners that Tony Paulson, Jan Newton and other scientists at the Uni- versity of Washington have been searching for the source of the nitrogen in the cove and trying to figure out how it circulates. They recently released a report funded by federal money obtained by U.S. Congressman Norm Dicks which identifies sources of nitrogen in Hood Canal and Lynch Cove. "The reason I attacked the Declara- tion of Severe Health Hazard is because it distracts our attention from the real problem, which is dissolved inorganic nitrogen," Par- rott explained. Parrott cited a prospectus for the North Shore Sewer which in- dicates it should be constructed to address a public health problem while preventing nitrogen seep- ing out of septic systems and into Hood Canal. "When we drop the 'severe pub- lic health hazard' as the justifica- tion for a North Shore Sewer, we're forced to promote the North Shore proposal for what it really is: a ni- trogen reduction system," he said. "Once we take that path, we need to show funders it's the most cost- effective way to reduce nitrogen." HE SAID scientists are con- ducting tests to determine ni- trogen outflows from septics in Lynch Cove and have produced a study that asks three questions: Do nutrients actually make it into the canal? Are sewage inputs sig- nificant? What are the processes that control spatial and temporal distribution of ground water dis- charge? "Scientists ask questions when they don't know the answers. If they don't know the answers to these questions, we certainly don't and neither do our sewer plan- ners," Parrott said. He thinks there are some sim- ple calculations that can be used to make a "best case" estimate of how much nitrogen the sewer sys- tem would keep out of Lynch Cove. He figures the sewer will serve 293 homes and Belfair State Park with a "service population" of 927 people. He then applied the num- bers of a published report indicat- ing that on average each person puts about a quarter of a kilogram of nitrogen into a septic tank each month. Using these figures, he calcu- lated the sewer has the potential of removing as much as 227 kilo- grams of nitrogen per month from Lynch Cove. "Natural sources of nitrogen entering Lynch Cove are huge," he said. "The inflows from streams, ground water and rain- fall directly striking the cove are measured not in kilograms but in monthly metric tons." HE HAD information indicat- ing that regional ground water carries 1.7 metric tons of nitro- gen into Lynch Cove each month and the Union River and Mission Creek add three quarters of a met- ric ton while seawater contributes 17 times the total of all freshwater flows. He cited a study which found that 87 metric tons of nitrogen per month surge into Lynch Cove's water from Admiralty Inlet. "Without the challenge of cor- recting a 'severe public health haz- ard' due to fecal coliform in Lynch Cove, the current North Shore Sewer plan proposes to throw $8.5 million at the removal of 227 kilo- grams per month of nitrogen," he said. "Will this reduction have a meaningful or measurable benefit to the ecology of our canal? Will the benefit of removing 227 kilograms of nitrogen be undone by the nega- tive environmental impacts of a sewer through our sensitive wet- lands and the new development that sewer will surely bring with it? He questions whether removing 227 kilograms per month of nitro- gen is the most effective use of the $8.5 million projected to be spent on the sewer system and followed Nifty Thrifty ° Household • Clothing • Sporting Goods • Tools • Toys & Much More BRIS OJE S,E ,PdcEs oooo,/,O_,a mlmBa. I Proceeds fund the ; .Purses, walletsl, c htch : Mason Senior Center ! 1/2 OFF oags, lamps  lighting.m G 250501yHwyN  ............... .. ateway Shopping Center m Hours: Monday - Saturday 10-S 4)7-o8se Donations accepted: Monday- Saturday 10-4 SERVING J.SON COUNTY R.qtnx'v,S IN THE SJ4ME LOCATION FOR   YEARS up with more comments when he addressed the commission for a third time on December 12. This time, he questioned how up-to- date was the data the county had fbr its North Shore sewer plans. "I've come here today to talk fast and straight about an issue of truth and credibility," he said. PARROTT POINTED to docu- ments justifying the North Shore Sewer Extension which cite a state health department declara- tion of severe public health hazard in Lynch Cove dated back in 2002. Now, he said, the county is using this same declaration to justify limited areas of more intense rural development. His concern is "this truly misleading 2002 Declaration of Severe Health Hazard" will be used to generate federal funds and a bond issue. He made comments in 2005 challenging the 2002 dec- laration and complained that offi- cials have not presented 2006 data which supports the 2002 finding or contradicts the data he has sub- mitted to public health. "The fact is, 2002 water quality in Lynch Cove is irrelevant today; 2006 water quality data makes the 2002 declaration obsolete. To continue repeating 2002 data im- plying that 2002 conditions still exist, is intentionally misleading," he said. His concern is that "misleading information" might "descend to fraudulent" down "the old slippery slope" if used to obtain state or fed- eral funds or float a bond issue. "I urge you to put on the brakes," he said. "If we are successful in gaining grants and funds to clean up a problem which no longer ex- ists, we are depriving some other entity of using those funds where they could be more beneficial for our Hood Canal." PARROTT ALSO pointed to the 2002 declaration and its sug- gestion that poor soils, runoff and suspect or failing septic sys- tems are why high levels of fecal coliform may be expected in the Belfair State Park area. Noting a dearth of water quality data, he said these statements are specu- lative and their application to an order closing the area to shellfish harvesting no longer applies. Par- rott said Lynch Cove has since re- opened to recreational harvest of oysters and oyster samples from (Please turn to page 28.) 1 Now you can find helpful information about The Journal on the Web at www.masoncounty.com • Download forms for obituaries, engagements, weddings, anniversaries, births, club news and bowling results. • Download a form for a classified ad or read information about how to place a display ad. Find out about advertising rates and deadlines for placing ads. • Download a form to subscribe to the paper. • Find out how to place a news story, who to call in the newsroom to place a story and when deadlines are. • Learn about our offset printing services. • Review the guidelines for letters to the editor. • Enjoy a weekly gallery of news photos. • Read stories from the Visitor's Guide to Mason County. • Read the Year In Review or Mason County Profile. • Check Shelton High School sports schedules, find out where local 12-step meetings are held or learn how to contact your elected representatives. This is not a site to read The Journal's news. Nor is it a repository for e-mails. It is a site to help us interact with our readers, give them information about the newspaper and make it easier for them to submit things to us by traditional channels. 00the 9ourn Your nifty newspaper gets its Web feet wet. I Thursday, January 11,2007 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Page 25 Parrott says geese a big polluter Does Lynch Cove need a sewer system? Gary Parrott's not so sure and fbr three straight weeks he addressed the issue at meetings of the Mason County Board of Com- missioners. He questioned the need to install a sewer system in the area. Starting on Tuesday, November 28, Parrott flooded commissioners with information pointing against the need tbr a sewer. A resident of Lynch Cove, his documentation included an article describing a technique developed in Tillamook Bay to derive figures on the non- human contribution to overall fe- cal coliform counts. "I was surprised to learn this technique is being used right now in Oakland Bay. Why not check out the numbers in Lynch Cove prior to commissioning the North Shore Sewer?" he said in reading from a prepared statement. Parrott also mentioned a recent report on National Public Radio regarding a company on the East Coast which also has a method for discriminating between human and non-human fecal coliform. In one case, he said, this company identified pets as the primary con- tributor to pollution and saved a community from having to build an expensive and unnecessary sewer. "THE NPR report astounded me when it noted that a Canada goose produces the same amount of daily tcal coliform as a human being. I have a field and an orchard n Lynch Cove. I never saw a resi- ent goose on my property before 1995. That year 30 showed up in August and stayed until Christ- mas," he said. Parrott said the geese eat grass and fallen apples and then "hang out" on the mud fiats. By his calcu- lation their number has increased to well over 100. "They are here every day con- tributing to the fecal coliform, num- bers," he continued. "What s the ontribution? Let's say there are 20 geese. It's nothing to ignore. If bfee had a permanent encampment 120 people on a Lynch Cove aca without toilet facilities, we'd have a fit." ,, He said that sewer planners use equivalent residential units," or ERUs, describing the waste gener- ated by 2.56 people. Using these numbers, he calculated that the geese are !ike 4: ERUs i:ht;om n pletely falhng sept]cs 1 the L,,ynch, Cove mud flats every uay. That s not the whole Lynch dCgo°le population. Add in the goose Is, ducks, seals, shorebirds, gs, cats," he said. "You just can't ignore it in the overall equation." PARROTT ALSO made the point that pets add to the animal Waste generated by wildli "W C all know that m the area o Lyn Cove, there is no leash law and pets have free run of the beaches," he sai - d. To make matters worse, the Belfair State Park is a popular place to exercise dogs." Meanwhile, residents of hous- ing developments run their dogs on community beaches. "With all the money we're spending on consultants and sewer planning, why not apply a few bucks toward ulscovering how much of L ch C ' yn , eve s fecal coliform is not coming rom failing septics?" he asked. These remarks were supple- aented on December 5, when Par- rott addressed the commissioners gain. On this occasion he thanked ramett Dobey, the county's direc- tor of community development, for taking prompt action to contact the Washington State Department r tiealth in Olympia and request It to review the validity of the 2002 Declaration of Severe Health Haz- ard for Lynch Cove. Parrott had challenged this designation, which is a pillar of e current North Shore Sewer Lension project. On week two of his campaign he said the com- .issioners w, ere probably wonder- g: "Who was that wild guy from ch Cove? What's all this about ecal coliform?" HE NOTED that the North Shore Sewer Extension is really about nitrogen. "Excessive nitro- gen is the most pressing issue in the Hood Canal today and I sin- cerely appreciate your zeal in try- ing to improve the health of Lynch Cove," Parrott said, again reading from a prepared statement. He reminded the commissioners that Tony Paulson, Jan Newton and other scientists at the Uni- versity of Washington have been searching for the source of the nitrogen in the cove and trying to figure out how it circulates. They recently released a report funded by federal money obtained by U.S. Congressman Norm Dicks which identifies sources of nitrogen in Hood Canal and Lynch Cove. "The reason I attacked the Declara- tion of Severe Health Hazard is because it distracts our attention from the real problem, which is dissolved inorganic nitrogen," Par- rott explained. Parrott cited a prospectus for the North Shore Sewer which in- dicates it should be constructed to address a public health problem while preventing nitrogen seep- ing out of septic systems and into Hood Canal. "When we drop the 'severe pub- lic health hazard' as the justifica- tion for a North Shore Sewer, we're forced to promote the North Shore proposal for what it really is: a ni- trogen reduction system," he said. "Once we take that path, we need to show funders it's the most cost- effective way to reduce nitrogen." HE SAID scientists are con- ducting tests to determine ni- trogen outflows from septics in Lynch Cove and have produced a study that asks three questions: Do nutrients actually make it into the canal? Are sewage inputs sig- nificant? What are the processes that control spatial and temporal distribution of ground water dis- charge? "Scientists ask questions when they don't know the answers. If they don't know the answers to these questions, we certainly don't and neither do our sewer plan- ners," Parrott said. He thinks there are some sim- ple calculations that can be used to make a "best case" estimate of how much nitrogen the sewer sys- tem would keep out of Lynch Cove. He figures the sewer will serve 293 homes and Belfair State Park with a "service population" of 927 people. He then applied the num- bers of a published report indicat- ing that on average each person puts about a quarter of a kilogram of nitrogen into a septic tank each month. Using these figures, he calcu- lated the sewer has the potential of removing as much as 227 kilo- grams of nitrogen per month from Lynch Cove. "Natural sources of nitrogen entering Lynch Cove are huge," he said. "The inflows from streams, ground water and rain- fall directly striking the cove are measured not in kilograms but in monthly metric tons." HE HAD information indicat- ing that regional ground water carries 1.7 metric tons of nitro- gen into Lynch Cove each month and the Union River and Mission Creek add three quarters of a met- ric ton while seawater contributes 17 times the total of all freshwater flows. He cited a study which found that 87 metric tons of nitrogen per month surge into Lynch Cove's water from Admiralty Inlet. "Without the challenge of cor- recting a 'severe public health haz- ard' due to fecal coliform in Lynch Cove, the current North Shore Sewer plan proposes to throw $8.5 million at the removal of 227 kilo- grams per month of nitrogen," he said. "Will this reduction have a meaningful or measurable benefit to the ecology of our canal? Will the benefit of removing 227 kilograms of nitrogen be undone by the nega- tive environmental impacts of a sewer through our sensitive wet- lands and the new development that sewer will surely bring with it? He questions whether removing 227 kilograms per month of nitro- gen is the most effective use of the $8.5 million projected to be spent on the sewer system and followed Nifty Thrifty ° Household • Clothing • Sporting Goods • Tools • Toys & Much More BRIS OJE S,E ,PdcEs oooo,/,O_,a mlmBa. I Proceeds fund the ; .Purses, walletsl, c htch : Mason Senior Center ! 1/2 OFF oags, lamps  lighting.m G 250501yHwyN  ............... .. ateway Shopping Center m Hours: Monday - Saturday 10-S 4)7-o8se Donations accepted: Monday- Saturday 10-4 SERVING J.SON COUNTY R.qtnx'v,S IN THE SJ4ME LOCATION FOR   YEARS up with more comments when he addressed the commission for a third time on December 12. This time, he questioned how up-to- date was the data the county had fbr its North Shore sewer plans. "I've come here today to talk fast and straight about an issue of truth and credibility," he said. PARROTT POINTED to docu- ments justifying the North Shore Sewer Extension which cite a state health department declara- tion of severe public health hazard in Lynch Cove dated back in 2002. Now, he said, the county is using this same declaration to justify limited areas of more intense rural development. His concern is "this truly misleading 2002 Declaration of Severe Health Hazard" will be used to generate federal funds and a bond issue. He made comments in 2005 challenging the 2002 dec- laration and complained that offi- cials have not presented 2006 data which supports the 2002 finding or contradicts the data he has sub- mitted to public health. "The fact is, 2002 water quality in Lynch Cove is irrelevant today; 2006 water quality data makes the 2002 declaration obsolete. To continue repeating 2002 data im- plying that 2002 conditions still exist, is intentionally misleading," he said. His concern is that "misleading information" might "descend to fraudulent" down "the old slippery slope" if used to obtain state or fed- eral funds or float a bond issue. "I urge you to put on the brakes," he said. "If we are successful in gaining grants and funds to clean up a problem which no longer ex- ists, we are depriving some other entity of using those funds where they could be more beneficial for our Hood Canal." PARROTT ALSO pointed to the 2002 declaration and its sug- gestion that poor soils, runoff and suspect or failing septic sys- tems are why high levels of fecal coliform may be expected in the Belfair State Park area. Noting a dearth of water quality data, he said these statements are specu- lative and their application to an order closing the area to shellfish harvesting no longer applies. Par- rott said Lynch Cove has since re- opened to recreational harvest of oysters and oyster samples from (Please turn to page 28.) 1 Now you can find helpful information about The Journal on the Web at www.masoncounty.com • Download forms for obituaries, engagements, weddings, anniversaries, births, club news and bowling results. • Download a form for a classified ad or read information about how to place a display ad. Find out about advertising rates and deadlines for placing ads. • Download a form to subscribe to the paper. • Find out how to place a news story, who to call in the newsroom to place a story and when deadlines are. • Learn about our offset printing services. • Review the guidelines for letters to the editor. • Enjoy a weekly gallery of news photos. • Read stories from the Visitor's Guide to Mason County. • Read the Year In Review or Mason County Profile. • Check Shelton High School sports schedules, find out where local 12-step meetings are held or learn how to contact your elected representatives. This is not a site to read The Journal's news. Nor is it a repository for e-mails. It is a site to help us interact with our readers, give them information about the newspaper and make it easier for them to submit things to us by traditional channels. 00the 9ourn Your nifty newspaper gets its Web feet wet. I Thursday, January 11,2007 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Page 25