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Water and Salmon Committee

WATER AND SALMON COMMITTEE

Next Meeting: Monday, May 21, 2012 - Sierra Club, 180 Nickerson Street, Ste. 202, 7 - 9 p.m. All Club members welcome.

Would you like to know which river basin you live within? Go to www.inforain.org/watershed.

WATER AND SALMON MISSION STATEMENT: To promote stewardship and responsible management of water in order to ensure its availability to sustain the natural balance between people and the environment.

Please join us, assisting with one of the programs outlined below. Following are presentations of currently active programs and proposed programs deemed important by the Committee each of which needs a leader.

In order to be considered for committee membership, you must meet two requirements: you must be a Club member and you must become actively involved in a committee project or program. Thanks.

Presented below our Active and Proposed Programs and Current Campaigns 

ACTIVE PROGRAMS

1. POLICY AND LEGISLATIVE (Contact: Pat Sumpton, patsump@juno.com)

We affect legislation of concern to the Club related to the Committee's mission. If you are the type who likes to be involved in legislative matters with the Washington State Legislature and the Governor. Contact Pat to see how your talents can be put to use.

2. AQUACULTURE (Contact: Laura Hendricks)

The Water and Salmon Committee has developed an Aquaculture Policy designed to protect the valuable natural resource in Puget Sound and off the coast of Washington. Associated with the policy, we have created a brochure that further defines the issues relating to unregulated expansion of the aquaculture business in Washington State. Contact marine@washington.sierraclub.org for further information.

Farmed salmon are threatening the health of wild salmon around the world (including British Columbia). To better understand the issues, please view the "Farmed Salmon Exposed" video provided by the Pure Salmon Campaign.

Marine debris is unfortunately a by-product of all forms of aquaculture. Plastics and PVC are used extensively in shellfish aquaculture and they contribute to debris issues in Puget Sound. You can help document the amount of debris using the Marine Debris Tracker. The Marine Debris Tracker mobile application allows you to help make a difference by checking in when you find trash on our coastlines and waterways.

3. “BUSINESSES-TO-SCHOOLS" Rain Garden Campaign (Contact: Nan Woodman, nanneroo@aol.com)

The Water and Salmon Committee is developing a relationship with the Seattle School District and its teachers to retrofit Rain Gardens at schools. Rain Gardens are landscaped areas specially designed to infiltrate rain runoff from our roofs, driveways, and lawns. The Rain Gardens will serve as a means to educate children as to the significance of stormwater, the pollutants it carries, and methods to reduce the impact of urban runoff on our urban streams and salmon habitat. We are joining businesses with schools as a means of funding the construction of the Rain Gardens. We seek additional expertise from a landscape architect and soil scientist. If you reside in the Bellingham area please contact Llyn Doremus (llynadele@yahoo.com) who is coordinating a similar effort with the Mount Baker Group.

Check out our project where we helped students at Montlake Elementary School in Seattle install a rain garden.

In addition to Rain Gardens, Storm Water Runoff is another important issue.We can all help reduce runoff and pollution with simple RainWise practices. Check out the Seattle Residential RainWise Program.

4. DEFENDING WATER IN WASHINGTON (contact Rebecca Wolfe: rr.wolfe@comcast.net). The bottled water industry is aggressively promoting bottled water. In the U.S., more than 30 billion plastic water bottles end up as garbage or litter each year. Most don’t get recycled. The bottles take up to 1,000 years to decompose and contribute to the vast vortex of plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean, which is harming wildlife.

Plastic for drinking containers as well as thousands of other uses is resulting in huge environmental damage. View the the presentation "Bottled Water -- Do we need it?" and learn more about the issues.

The withdrawal of large quantities of water from springs and aquifers for bottling has depleted household wells in rural areas, damaged wetlands, and degraded lakes. It takes 3 liters of water to produce 1 liter of bottled water. Please see the following for more information:

In late March and early April of 2010 the City of Everett was prepared to sign a contract with Tethys Enterprises of Marysville, WA, to build a one-million-square-foot plant “for water intensive purposes,” using water from the Sultan Watershed. The Sultan Watershed provides water for over 50 water districts, most of which comes from Spada Lake.

Tethys Enterprises was seeking a 30-year commitment from the City for 5 million gallons of water a day. After our Sierra Club efforts succeeded in helping defeat Tethys’ bid for Snohomish County’s water, Tethys went to Anacortes, Washington in pursuit of water from the Skagit River (again, 5 million gallons per day for 30 years). With no public process or public disclosure until just a few days prior to the approval date for this contract, the Anacortes City Council voted to approve the Tethys contract. Now we are helping organize citizens in the Skagit Basin to defend water. Our efforts include education, outreach, and consultation with community leaders who care about defending water for life. Please contact Rebecca Wolfe (rr.wolfe@comcast.net) for ways to get involved. We are learning together in our efforts on “Defending Water for Life” and we would welcome your participation.

Nestle eyes Columbia Gorge spring to bottle water. Nestle's latest proposal for its first Northwest bottling plant is for Cascade Locks, in the verdant Columbia Gorge, where the logistics appear favorable -- and the reception has been anything but hostile.

Taxpayer dollars are wasted on bottled water and its effect on public water systems. See the report titled Getting States Off the Bottle from Corporate Accountability International.

Anacortes Stealing Skagit Water. On Sept. 13, 2010, the people of Anacortes, Wash., opened their Sunday paper to read the headline, “Anacortes water, bottled?” The next evening, the City of Anacortes, Wash., approved selling five million gallons of municipal water from the Skagit River for thirty years to Tethys Enterprises of Everett, Wash. The contract can be extended to 2040 and contains two optional, five-year renewal terms. The contract allows Tethys, a startup venture capital company, to flip the proposed one million square foot beverage bottling company in three years. Read more about this issue.

5. DAMS IN EASTERN WASHINGTON (Contact: John Osborn at john@waterplanet.ws)

Dams proposed for eastern Washington. Eastern Washington already includes some of the most heavily dammed rivers on earth: the Columbia and Lower Snake. Crab Creek is at the top of the list (drowning the 19,000 acres of dedicated wildlife habitat, including the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge), followed by Hawk Creek ($8 billion and taller than Hoover Dam) and Sand Hollow Creek flooding out irrigated agriculture. See the March/April 2008 issue of the Crest for details. Learn more at http://www.waterplanet.ws/crabcreek/ccrhome/Home.htm. Also see the 2010 Frequently Asked Questions about Incentivizing Hydropower in Washington.

Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project. The historic, massive hydrologic re-engineering of Washington’s rivers using dams and irrigation projects has caused historic environmental damage. We strongly urge decision-makers to focus on future water projects that fix existing problems, not cause new ones. Check out "Yakima Water: Overview" for more details.

Crosscut.com Articles. Crosscut.com has published two articles relating to Eastern Washington water irrigation issues including An irrigation project with New Deal echoes blooms in Eastern Washington and Dreams of more irrigation meet the environmental questions.

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTSHEETS, ISSUES, and ALERTS

Marine Species Threatened with Extinction by Ocean Acidification. Adding carbon to the atmosphere contributes to global warming and climate change. Another less-discussed impact is ocean acidification—whereby carbon molecules diffuse into the ocean from the atmosphere, causing a steady rise in acidity—even though the impacts are already being felt by many species.

Australian experts link carbon dioxide emissions effects on fish brain and nervous system. Rising human carbon dioxide emissions may be affecting the brains and central nervous systems of sea fish, with serious consequences for their survival, according to Australian research.

Elwha River Restoration: For the latest Elwha news, including photos, project updates and ‘countdown’ events, visit the National Park Service site or interact with ‘Elwha River Restoration’ on Facebook.

Water Map. Governments should to invest in water management strategies that combine infrastructure with "natural" options such as safeguarding watersheds, wetlands and flood plains. See the article Water map shows billions at risk of 'water insecurity' for more information.

Factsheets. The Sierra Club Toxic Factsheets cover information on a number of issues. Check out "Consumer Products Threaten Aquatic Life: What You Can Do" for great information on aquatic issues.

Toxic Waters. The New York Times published a story titled Clean Water Laws Are Neglected, at a Cost in Suffering. In this story, they indicated that "research shows that an estimated one in 10 Americans have been exposed to drinking water that contains dangerous chemicals or fails to meet a federal health benchmark in other ways." See a video titled Toxic Waters: Coal in the Water where Jennifer Hall-Massey of Prenter, W.Va., explains how water pollution, which she believes is caused by nearby coal companies, has impacted her family and community.

Acidic Oceans. With the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere, acid levels in the oceans have been rising, which in turn could harm many marine animals including shellfish and corals. "Care2 make a difference" has a good blog outlining the issues.

Healthy Watersheds. The Washington Department of Ecology has published a report titled "Working for Washington's Future: Healthy Watersheds, Healthy People" that provides valuable information our watersheds and their relationship to our health.

Low Impact Development. The 30-minute film, "Reining in the Storm -- One Building at a Time", is about Low Impact Development (LID) in Virginia but the lessons learned could help protect water quality anywhere it rains.

Water Footprint Manual. The Water Footprint Network's Water Footprint Manual is open for public comment through the end of May 2010. The Manual covers a comprehensive set of methods for water-footprint accounting. A Water Footprint Calculator is also available so you can assess your own unique water footprint.

Interactive Map of Eutrophication & Hypoxia. This map represents 762 coastal areas impacted by eutrophication and/or hypoxia. There are 479 sites identified as experiencing hypoxia, 55 sites that once experienced hypoxia but are now improving, and 228 sites that experience other symptoms of eutrophication, including algal blooms, species loss, and impacts to coral reef assemblages.

Beef. “THE SECRET LIFE OF BEEF” reveals beef's environmental impacts.

City Water Supplies. The Ten Biggest American Cities That Are Running Out Of Water.

Stormwater in Seattle. Storm water discharges are generated by runoff from land and impervious areas such as paved streets, parking lots, and building rooftops during rainfall and snow events that often contain pollutants in quantities that could adversely affect water quality.

For more information and a quiz to test your knowledge, go to Stormwater Services and Information.

Attack of the Fish-Shredding Coal Plants! It sounds like the beginning of a horror movie, but it’s all very real. In too many of our waterways around the country, billions of fish are getting chopped up and spit back each year. No river, stream or ocean is safe -- if there is dirty coal-fired power plant nearby. See details here.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

None at this time.

UPCOMING EVENTS 

The movie Red Gold about the proposed open-pit and underground mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska, and impacts on the prolific sockeye salmon runs. Thursday, March 29, 7-9 p.m., Chapter office. Contact: Elaine Packard.

COMMITTEE OFFICERS: Elaine Packard, Chair (espackard@msn.com); Curt Puddicombe, secretary/treasurer; Pat Sumption, member-at-large; Laura Hendricks, member-at-large

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AnacortesWater.pdf81.67 KB