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Quartermaster Harbor Nitrogen Management Study: Final Study Report
January 2014
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Quartermaster Harbor Nitrogen Management Study: Final Study Report Prepared for: U.S. EPA West Coast Estuaries Initiative Grant Quartermaster Harbor Nitrogen Management StudySubmitted by: Curtis DeGasperi King County Water and Land Resources Division Department of Natural Resources and Parks Funded in part by U.S EPA West Coast Estuaries Initiative Grant
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Acknowledgements TheauthoracknowledgesthecontributionsoftheQuartermasterHarborstudyteamthatprovidedthefoundationforworksummarizedinthisreport,including:KingCounty–SevinBilir,EricFerguson,JimSimmonds,KimStark,andLarryStockton;UniversityofWashington‐Tacoma–Dr.CherylGreengroveandJulieMasura;andtheWashingtonDepartmentofEcology–SkipAlbertsonandCarolMaloy.ThanksarealsoduetootherEcologystaffthatcontributedtheirtechnicalexpertisetothisstudy,includingAniseAhmed,GregPelletier,MindyRoberts,BrandonSackmann,andAnthonyWhiley.ThanksalsogotoEPARegion10fortheirsupportandguidance,includingProjectOfficerspast(TonyFournier,MelisaWhitakerandJillGable)andpresent(JayshikaRamrakha),QualityAssuranceOfficerGinnaGrepo‐Grove,andProjectMonitorBenCope.ThanksespeciallytothefieldsupportprovidedbytheKingCountyFieldScienceUnit(BobKruger,JimDevereaux,JeffDroker,ChristopherBarnes,StephanieHess,andDavidRobinson)andstudentsfromtheUniversityofWashington‐Tacoma(NickSchlaferandNannetteHuber).LaboratorysupportforsamplingconductedbyKingCountywasprovidedbytheKingCountyEnvironmentalLaboratory(KatherineBourbonais,LaboratoryProjectManager)andlaboratorysupportfortheUniversityofWashington‐TacomawasprovidedbyKathyKrogslund,DepartmentofOceanography,UniversityofWashington‐Seattle.ThesupportandparticipationoftheVashon‐MauryIslandGroundwaterProtectionCommitteeisalsogratefullyacknowledged,includingpresentandformermembers:Presentmembers:JayBecker,StephenBuffington,JamesDam,GibDammann,Laurie
Geissinger,FrankJackson,PhilipMcCready,BillRiley,GreggRocheford,andArminWahanik
Formermembers:JohnGerstle,DonnaKlemka,YvonneKuperberg
Citation
KingCounty.2014.QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudy
Report.PreparedbyCurtisDeGasperi,WaterandLandResourcesDivision.Seattle,Washington.
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Table of Contents ExecutiveSummary...............................................................................................................................................vii
1.0 Introduction.................................................................................................................................................1
1.1 StudyArea................................................................................................................................................1
1.2 ProjectOverview...................................................................................................................................3
1.3 GoalsandObjectives............................................................................................................................4
1.4 OrganizationofReport.......................................................................................................................8
2.0 MarineEutrophication............................................................................................................................9
3.0 Historicalcontext....................................................................................................................................14
3.1 InitialEuropeanDiscoveryandSettlement............................................................................14
3.2 IndustrialandAgriculturalDevelopment...............................................................................15
3.3 TransportationDevelopment.......................................................................................................15
3.4 ResidentialDevelopment...............................................................................................................16
3.5 RecreationalDevelopment............................................................................................................17
3.6 Implications..........................................................................................................................................19
4.0 Freshwater.................................................................................................................................................21
4.1 SurfaceWater......................................................................................................................................21
4.2 Groundwater........................................................................................................................................30
4.3 Synthesis................................................................................................................................................38
5.0 MarineWater............................................................................................................................................41
5.1 WaterQualityStandards.................................................................................................................41
5.2 PhysicalCharacteristics..................................................................................................................43
5.3 WaterQuality.......................................................................................................................................43
5.4 HarmfulAlgalBlooms......................................................................................................................52
5.5 SedimentNutrientandDissolvedOxygenFlux....................................................................52
5.6 Synthesis................................................................................................................................................53
6.0 NitrogenLoading....................................................................................................................................57
6.1 Groundwater........................................................................................................................................57
6.2 MarineBoundary...............................................................................................................................58
6.3 MarineVessels.....................................................................................................................................62
6.4 NearshoreSepticSystems..............................................................................................................62
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6.5 SurfaceWater......................................................................................................................................63
6.6 AtmosphericDeposition.................................................................................................................63
6.7 BenthicFlux..........................................................................................................................................63
6.8 Synthesis................................................................................................................................................63
7.0 ConclusionsandRecommendations...............................................................................................66
8.0 References..................................................................................................................................................68
Figures Figure1. MapofVashon‐MauryIslandhighlightingthedrainageareato
QuartermasterHarbor.................................................................................................................2
Figure2. MonthlydissolvedoxygenconcentrationsmeasuredinbottomwatersofQuartermasterHarborbyKingCounty.................................................................................4
Figure3. Conceptualdiagramofmarinenutrient‐oxygendynamics..........................................5
Figure4. Monthlyconcentrationsofsurfacewateralgalbiomass(basedonmeasurementsofchlorophylla),surfaceconcentrationsofnitratenitrogen,andbottomwaterdissolvedoxygenconcentrationsattheYachtClub(StationMSWH01)inInnerQuartermasterHarbor........................................................6
Figure5. Schematicrepresentationofthecontemporary(PhaseIIconceptualmodelofcoastaleutrophicationproposedbyCloern(2001).................................................13
Figure6. GraphshowingchangeinforestcoverinselectedbasinsonVashon‐MauryIsland,1911‐2007........................................................................................................................16
Figure7. GraphshowingthepopulationchangeonVashon‐MauryIsland,1920‐2010..17
Figure8. MapshowingcurrentserviceareafortheVashonIslandWastewaterTreatmentSystem........................................................................................................................18
Figure9. MapshowingearlydistributionpatternofdevelopmentactivitiesaroundQuartermasterHarbor...............................................................................................................20
Figure10. Mapshowinglocationsofstreamdischargegaugingandwaterqualitymonitoringstations.....................................................................................................................22
Figure11. Graphsshowingstreamdischarge(gauge28a)andwaterqualitydata(stationVA42A)forJuddCreek..............................................................................................23
Figure12. Graphsshowingstreamdischarge(gauge65B)andwaterqualitydata(stationVA41A)forFisherCreek..........................................................................................24
Figure13. Graphsshowinginstantaneousstreamdischargeandwaterqualitydata(stationVA45A)forMiletaCreek..........................................................................................25
Figure14. Graphsshowingstreamdischarge(gauge43a)andwaterqualitydata(stationVA12A)forShingleMillCreek...............................................................................26
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Figure15. Graphsshowingstreamdischarge(gauge65A)andwaterqualitydata(stationVA37A)forTahlequahCreek.................................................................................27
Figure16. Boxplotofmonthly(November2006throughDecember2010)nitrate+nitritenitrogenconcentrationsmeasuredinroutinemonthlywaterqualitysamplesfromthethreecreeksthatdischargedirectlytoQuartermasterHarbor(Judd,Fisher,andMiletacreeks)...........................................29
Figure17. Nitrate+NitritenitrogenconcentrationsmeasuredinroutinemonthlywaterqualitysamplesfromfourVashon‐MauryIslandCreekscollectedfromNovember2006toSeptember2012....................................................................................29
Figure18. BoxplotcomparingnitrateconcentrationsobservedatfreshwaterinputsalongtheshoreofQuartermasterHarborinOctober2010andtheconcentrationsmeasuredinOctoberfrom2007to2010inthethreeroutinelymonitoredtributaries–Fisher,JuddandMiletacreeks..........................30
Figure19. EstimatedbottomelevationsoftheVashonadvanceoutwashgeologiclayer(elevationdatumisNAVD88–2.9ftisequaltoMeanLowerLowWater).........32
Figure20. Geologiccrosssectionfromwesttoeast(lefttoright)throughinnerQuartemasterHaborandBurtonPeninsula.....................................................................33
Figure21. Mapshowinglocationsofprecipitationgaugingstationsandshallowanddeepgroundwaterwaterqualitymonitoringwells......................................................34
Figure22. BoxplotsshowingShallowandDeepgroundwaterconcentrationsofdissolvednutrients:A)nitrate,B)ammonia,C)solublereactivephosphorusandD)dissolvedsilica................................................................................................................35
Figure23. BoxplotshowingShallowandDeepgroundwaterconcentrationsofnitratenitrogeninKingCountyroutinemonitoringwellsandavailabledatacompiledforGroupAandGroupBwatersupplysystems.........................................36
Figure24. MapandassociatedboxplotshowingnitrateconcentrationsmeasuredinShallowAquiferwellsandCritcalAquiferRechargeArea(CARA)categories..37
Figure25. Responseofnitrateinshallowgroundwaterwellstouplandlandclearingandagriculturalactivities.........................................................................................................39
Figure26. GraphcomparingmonthlystreamnitrateconcentrationsinVashon‐MauryIslandCreekswithrelativelyundevelopedGriffinCreek...........................................40
Figure27. Colorcontourmapsshowingthelongitudinaldistributionofdensity(sigma‐t)inQuartermasterHarborbasedonmonthlycruisesconductedbyUWTacomain2011(KingCounty2014)...................................................................................44
Figure28. GraphshowingQuartermasterHarborflushingtimes(days)determinedfor2009conditionsfromthefineresolutionhydrodynamicmodeldevelopedforthisstudy...................................................................................................................................45
Figure29. MapofthefineresolutionhydrodynamicmodelgridofQuartermasterHarborillustratingthepredictedOctober2009flushingtime(Albertson2013)..................................................................................................................................................45
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Figure30. TimeseriesplotscomparingsurfacewaterconcentrationsofchlorophyllaandnitratenitrogenandbottomwaterconcentrationsofdissolvedoxygenatA)theYachtClubandatB)EastPassagefrom2006through2012.................46
Figure31. MapshowingmarinemonitoringstationssampledbyKingCountyandUWTaspartofthisstudy.....................................................................................................................47
Figure32. TimeseriesplotsofKingCountycontinuousmooring(DocktonandYachtClub)andweather(Dockton)datacollectedbyKingCountyinQuartermasterHarborsincelate2008...............................................................................49
Figure33. TimeseriesplotsofKingCountycontinuousmooring(DocktonandYachtClub)andweather(Dockton)datacollectedbyKingCountyinQuartermasterHarborduringperiodsoflowdissolvedoxygenattheYachtClubinSeptember2012............................................................................................................50
Figure34. TimeseriesplotsofKingCountycontinuousmooring(DocktonandYachtClub)andweather(Dockton)datacollectedbyKingCountyinQuartermasterHarborduringperiodsoflowdissolvedoxygenattheYachtClubinOctober2013..................................................................................................................51
Figure35. Mapshowinglocationsofbenthicnutrientfluxchambers........................................54
Figure36. Mapshowinglocationsofbottom‐mountedacousticdopplercurrentprofilers.............................................................................................................................................61
Figure37. BarchartillustratingtherelativecontributionofDINtoQuartermasterHarborinOctober,thecriticalperiodwhendissolvedoxygenconcentrationsaretypicallylowest......................................................................................................................64
Tables Table1. VariousdefinitionsofVashon‐MauryIslandaquiferunits,includingthe
definitionsusedinthisstudy..................................................................................................31
Table2. Washingtonmarinedissolvedoxygenstandards(WAC173‐201A‐201)............42
Table3. Comparisonofdissolvedoxygenandnutrientfluxestimatestosurfacesediment(0‐2cm)chemistrymeasuredinthevicinityofeachbenthicfluxchamber............................................................................................................................................55
Table4. Waterbalance‐basedestimateofrechargeintheQuartermasterHarbordrainagebasin................................................................................................................................57
Table5. SalinityboxmodelresultsformonthlymarineboundaryinorganicnitrogeninputstoQuartermasterHarbor............................................................................................60
Table6. SalinityboxmodelresultsformonthlymarineboundaryinorganicnitrogeninputstoinnerQuartermasterHarbor................................................................................60
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Table7. MarineboundaryinorganicnitrogeninputtoQuartermasterHarborinOctober2009basedonresidualflowestimatesprovidedbyAlbertson(2013)................................................................................................................................................60
Table8. SummaryofestimatedDINinputstoQuartermasterHarborinOctober............64
Appendices AppendixA:OutreachActivitySummaryandChangeIncorporatedintothe2012KingCountyComprehensivePlan……………………………………………………………………………………….A‐1
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In2008,Region10oftheUnitedStatesEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)awardedKingCountyaWestCoastEstuariesInitiative(WEI)granttoconducttheQuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy,whichwasfundedthroughtheendof2013.Theoverallpurposeofthisstudywastodeterminehownitrogenfromavarietyofsources,includinghumans,affectsdissolvedoxygenlevelsinQuartermasterHarbor.TheexpectedlongtermoutcomeswereimprovedwaterqualitymanagementpoliciesintheKingCountyComprehensivePlanandtheprotectionandenhancementofwaterqualityinQuartermasterHarbor.Inaddition,theeffectofhumaninputsofnitrogenondissolvedoxygenlevelsinPugetSound,includingHoodCanalandothershallowembaymentslikeQuartermasterHarbor,havebeenthesubjectofresearchandpolicydevelopmentforalmostfourdecades.Thisstudycontributestothatbodyofknowledge.PartnersworkingwithKingCountyonthisgrant‐fundedstudyincludedtheUniversityofWashington‐Tacoma(UWT)andtheWashingtonDepartmentofEcology(Ecology).Thisprojectsupportedtheenhancementofaquaticresourceprotectioninanareathreatenedbypopulationgrowthpressures.ThisfinalreportsummarizestheworkconductedaspartoftheQuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudyandprovidesanoverviewofstudyfindings.Detailedfindingsonspecifictopicsarecontainedinotherprojectreports.SummaryofWorkCompletedintheWEIgrantTheworkproductscompletedaspartofthisstudyincludedthefollowing:
QualityAssuranceProjectPlan(QAPP)toidentifyprojecttasks,fieldandlaboratorymethodsandqualitycontrolprocedures,anddeliverableschedule
IndividualQAPPsforspecificprojecttasks,includingharborcurrentmeterdeployment,marinesedimentbenthicfluxstudy,nearshorefreshwaternitrogeninputsstudy,MiletaCreeknitrogensourcetrackingstudy,anddevelopmentofhydrodynamicandwaterqualitymodeloftheharbor
Anumberofreportsdocumentingthetasksthatwereaccomplished,including:
o InitialAssessmentofNutrientLoadingtoQuartermasterHarbor(2010)
o QuartermasterHarborNearshoreFreshwaterInflowsAssessment(2012)
o MiletaCreekNitrogenSourceTrackingStudy(2012)
o QuartermasterHarborBenthicFluxStudy(2012)1
o HydrodynamicModelReport.QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy(2013)
1Benthicfluxreferstothebiologicalandchemicalprocessesthatoccurinsedimentsthatresultinuptakeofoxygen(oftenreferredtoassedimentoxygendemand)andthereleaseoruptake(flux)ofnutrientsbetweenthewaterandsediment.
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o QuartermasterHarborMarineWaterQualityDataReport2007‐2011(2014)
o Vashon‐MauryIslandWaterResources–ARetrospectiveofContributions&Highlights(2013)
Monthlystreamwaterqualitydataandcontinuousflowandtemperature
observationsofimportantcreeks,includingJudd,FisherandMiletacreeks
Routinemarinemonitoringdataandcontinuousmooringdataatanumberofstationslocatedthroughouttheharbor,includingstationsattheYachtClubintheinnerharborandattheDocktonmarinaintheouterharbor
Publiccommunicationandoutreach,primarilythroughpublicpresentationsandpressreleases(documentedinAppendixAofthisreport)
Recommendedchangesforincorporationintothe2012updateoftheKingCountyComprehensivePlan(seeAppendixA)
SomeoftheinitialprojectobjectivesintheprojectworkplanprovedoverlyambitiousandwereadjustedinconsultationwithEPAduringthecourseoftheprojecttobetteralignthegoals,objectivesandresourcesofthestudy.Theinitialobjectivestoconductafieldstudyofonsitesepticsystem(OSS)nitrogenremovaleffectivenessandanitrogensourcetrackingstudy(usingstableisotopes)werereplacedwithotherfocusedstudiesthatweremorelikelytobeinformativeandsuccessful.Thisworkwasreflectedinthelistoftaskscompletedabove:harborcurrentmeterstudy(usedincalibrationandtestingofthehydrodynamicmodel),marinebenthicfluxstudy(toprovidesedimentnutrientreleasedataspecifictotheharbor),freshwaterinflowsassessment(toevaluatethereliabilityofscalingnitrogenloadingestimates)andtheMiletaCreeknitrogensourcetrackingstudy(toattempttoidentifythecauseofseasonallyelevatednitrateconcentrationsinthiscreek).Althoughahydrodynamicmodel(thefirststepindevelopmentofareceivingwaterqualitymodel)oftheharborwasdevelopedaspartofthisstudy,thedevelopmentofanadequatelycalibratedwaterqualitymodelwasnotaccomplished.Aworkingwaterqualitymodelwasdevelopedbasedonthehydrodynamicmodel,butprojectresourceswerenotsufficienttofullycalibrateandtestthemodel.Therefore,thestudydidnotdeterminethedegreeofhumaninfluenceondissolvedoxygenconcentrationsnorevaluatetheeffectivenessofvariousnitrogenmanagementscenarios.Nonetheless,thisstudydoesprovideasolidfoundationofinformationandafunctioning,albeitun‐calibrated,waterqualitymodeloftheharborthatcouldbeusedbyEcologytodevelopadissolvedoxygenTotalMaximumDailyLoadstudyforQuartermasterHarbor–listedasCategory5inWashington’s2012listofimpairedmarinewaters.2
2Category5‐PollutedwatersthatrequireaTMDLorotherWaterQualityImprovement(WQI)project:thetraditionallistofimpairedwaterbodiesalsoknownasthe303(d)list.PlacementinthiscategorymeansthatEcologyhasdatashowingthatthewaterqualitystandardshavebeenviolatedforoneormorepollutants,andthereisnoTMDLorpollutioncontrolplan.TMDLsorotherapprovedWQIprojectsarerequiredforthewaterbodiesinthiscategory.
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Summary of Study Results Thisfinalstudyreportsummarizesfreshwater(groundwaterandsurfacewater)inputstoQuartermasterHarbor,marinewaterqualityandsourcesofnitrogen.Italsoprovidesrecommendationsforfuturestudiestoaddressmanagementchallenges.DissolvedoxygenlevelsbelowtheWashingtonStatemarinewaterqualitystandard(WashingtonAdministrativeCode173‐201A)havebeenobservedinQuartermasterHarboroverthelastsevenyearsbyKingCounty.OxygenconcentrationsaretypicallylowestinSeptemberorOctober.Dissolvedoxygenisessentialforfishandothermarinelife‐whenlevelsfallbelowcriticalthresholdsmarinelifecanbecomestressedorkilledorforcedtoescapetomoreoxygenatedwatersifpossible.AlgalbiomassgenerallypeaksduringspringandsummerinQuartermasterHarbor,whichcoincideswithareductionofnitrateconcentrationstobelowthelimitoflaboratorydetectionasaresultofalgaluptakeandgrowth.Theminimumoxygenconcentrationsobservedinlatesummerandfallareassociatedwiththefinaldeclineinthesummerpeaksinalgalbiomass.Thesedataprovideevidencethatphytoplanktongrowthintheharborislimitedbynitrogenandthatadditionalinputsofnitrogenhavethepotentialtofueladditionalalgalgrowth,causingevenloweroxygenlevelswhenthealgaerespireatnightordieandaredecomposedinthewatercolumnandsediments.HistoricaldataandinformationcollectedaspartofthisstudysuggestthathumanactivityonVashon‐MauryIslandhasresultedinelevatedsurfaceandgroundwaterconcentrationsofnitrogen,particularlyasnitrate.Increasesobservedinthemostsusceptibleaquifersnearthegroundsurfacehavenotexceededthedrinkingwatermaximumcontaminantlevel(MCL)of10mg/LandconcentrationsappeartovaryspatiallytosomedegreeinrelationtosusceptibilitytocontaminationbasedontheCriticalAquiferRechargeArea(CARA)designations.Itisuncertaintowhatextentanyparticularsourcecontributestoelevatednitrateconcentrationsinislandfreshwatersystems,butsourcesincludeonsitesepticsystems,applicationofnitrogencontainingfertilizerormanure,uncoveredmanurestorage,animalmanure/urine(urineistheprimarysourceofnitrogenfromanimals,includinghumans)andredalder.3However,ofthesesources,onsitesepticsystemsareclearlyacontributortonitrateingroundwaterbecausetheyaredesignedtodeliversolublenitrogenbelowthesoilsurfacetobedilutedintothelocalgroundwatersystembeforereachingastreamorthemarineshoreline.Anonsitesepticsystemdoesnotneedtofailinordertodischargeinorganicnitrogentogroundwaterandultimatelytoreceivingwaters.Upgradingconventionalsepticsystems,particularlysystemsalongtheshorelinelimitedbyareaandsoilquality,wouldbecostly.Developmentoflocaldecentralizedsystemsorconnectiontotheexistingcentralizedwastewatertreatmentsystemontheislandisnotanewideaand
3Redalderisanitrogenfixingtreecommonindisturbedareas,includingsecondandthirdgrowthforests.
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wasevaluatedasrecentlyas2008byKingCounty(HarborCommunitiesWastewaterManagementOptions).4Thereremainsagreatdealofuncertaintyregardingthehumancontribution,particularlyhumanactivityonVashon‐MauryIsland,tonitrogenandotherfactorsthatmaycauselowdissolvedoxygenconcentrationsandharmfulalgalbloomsinQuartermasterHarbor.ThecurrentbestestimatesoftherelativecontributionofnitrogensourcestotheharbordevelopedaspartofthisstudyandinformationgeneratedinotherrelatedstudiesofPugetSoundsuggestthatonlyaportionoftheobservedlowdissolvedoxygeninlatesummerisduetohumaninfluence.ThisisconsistentwithotherstudiesinPugetSound.However,thestateanti‐degradationstandardfordissolvedoxygenisbasedonadeterminationofanexpliciteffectofnomorethan0.2mg/Ldeclineinoxygenduetohumaninfluence.DeterminationofwhetherornotthisthresholdhasbeenexceededhasbeenachallengethroughoutPugetSound,particularlyforworkconductedonthisissueinHoodCanal.Theapproachthatistypicallytakentodeterminethehumancontributiontotheobservedlowoxygenlevels,andonethatwasoriginallyintendedforthisproject,istodevelopandcalibrateanumericaleutrophicationmodelandcomparecurrentconditionandnaturalconditionmodelscenariostoassesscompliancewiththeanti‐degradationstandardfordissolvedoxygen(nomorethan0.2mg/Ldeclineduetohumaninfluence).Thisapproachischallengingforanumberofreasons,especiallyconsideringtheoccurrenceofspeciesofpotentiallyharmfulalgaeandcomplicatedinteractionswithsedimentandweatherconditions.Managingwaterqualityunderthislevelofuncertaintypresentschallengesthatshouldbeacknowledgedandaddressed.AdditionalscientificinformationthatcouldhelpaddresssomeofthesechallengesinQuartermasterHarborincludesthefollowing:
Reviewcurrentfreshandmarinemonitoringprogramsandrecommendchangestoensurethatsamplingdesignsarerobusttodetectingchange,particularlywithrespecttoseparatingnaturalvariabilityfromanthropogeniceffects
Investigatethecausesoffishkills,includinganalysesofkeywaterqualityandplanktonicvariablesandanalysisoffishtissuesbypathologists
Standardizeandperformtrendanalysisofparalyticshellfishpoison(PSP)monitoringdatacollectedbytheWashingtonStateDepartmentofHealth
UsetheexistingEcologyPugetSound/GeorgiaBasinmodeltosupplyboundaryconditionstothecurrentQuartermasterHarborhydrodynamic/waterqualitymodelorincreasetheresolutionofthePugetSound/GeorgiaBasinmodelwithinQuartermasterHarbor
4TheseplanningeffortswereintendedtoaddressconcernsregardingcontaminationofshellfishbedswithhumanpathogensnowbeingaddressedbytheMarineRecoveryArea(MRA)designationhttp://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/ehs/wastewater/mra/quartermaster.aspx
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Collectandanalyzesedimentcorestoattempttobetteridentifythehistoryofcarbon,nutrientsandphytoplankton(andlevelsofanoxia)sincebeforeextensiveinhabitationanddevelopment
Conductastudythatattemptstoseparatetherelativecontributionofalder,OSS,fertilizeranddomesticanimalwastetoharbornitrogenloading
Developgroundwatersusceptibility/vulnerabilitymapsbasedonavailablenitratedataandlandcharacteristicsspecifictoVashon‐MauryIsland
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1.0 INTRODUCTION In2008,Region10oftheUnitedStatesEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)awardedKingCountyaWestCoastEstuariesInitiative(WEI)granttoconducttheQuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy,whichwasfundedthroughtheendof2013.ThegoalofthisstudywastosupporttheprotectionandrestorationofQuartermasterHarbor–ahighvalue,coastalaquaticresourceonVashon‐MauryIslandinPugetSound.PartnersworkingwithKingCountyonthisgrant‐fundedstudyincludedtheUniversityofWashington‐Tacoma(UWT)andtheWashingtonDepartmentofEcology(Ecology).Thisprojectsupportedtheenhancementofaquaticresourceprotectioninanareathreatenedbypopulationgrowthpressures.ThisfinalreportsummarizestheworkconductedaspartoftheQuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudyandprovidesanoverviewofstudyfindings.
1.1 Study Area QuartermasterHarbor,locatedbetweenVashonandMauryIslandsinPugetSound,isshelteredfromthewindandwavesandreceivesrunofffromabout40percentofVashon‐MauryIsland(Figure1).Itisashallowembaymentthatcomprisesapproximately12.1km2(3,000acres)ofwatersurfaceareainaninnerandouterharbor.InnerQuartermasterHarborisespeciallyshelteredandJuddCreek,locatedinthenorthwesternportionoftheinnerharbor,isthelargestfreshwaterinput.InnerQuartermasterHarborisshallow,withgreatestdepthsof5to6m(16to20ft)relativetomeanlowerlowwater.OuterQuartermasterHarborwaterdepthsrangefromabout11to46m(36to150ft).Theharborisaregionallysignificantnaturalresourceareaandprovidesrearingandspawninghabitatforherring,surfsmelt,sandlance,andsalmon(i.e.,Chinook,coho,chum,andcutthroat).Itisanimportantwinteringgroundformigratorymarinebirdsincludingwesterngrebes,commonloons,surfscoters,blackscoters,goldeneyes,mergansers,andruddyducks.Inall,approximately60speciesoffish,78speciesofbirds,severalspeciesofmarinemammals,andavarietyofmarineinvertebratesinhabitoruseQuartermasterHarbor.QuartermasterHarborcurrentlycontainsthelargestPacificherringspawningpopulationinthisregionofPugetSoundandthethirdlargestinallofPugetSound.TheharborwasdesignatedasanImportantBirdAreabytheNationalAudubonSocietyin2001.QuartermasterHarboralsosupportsshellfishresources,includinggeoduckclams.AspartoftheWashingtonDepartmentofNaturalResources’effortstoprotectareaswithimportecologicalfeaturesandhabitats,amajorportionofQuartermasterHarborandtheeastsideofMauryIsland(subtidalandintertidalareasownedbythestate)wasdesignatedaspartoftheMauryIslandAquaticReservein2004.5Theislandiscomposedofglacially‐derivedsedimentdeposits.Thepredominantgeologyisglacialtill.Glacialtillcoversapproximately68percentoftheisland.Theremaining32percentoftheislandiscomposedofglacialoutwashandalluvialdeposits.Alloftheisland5WashingtonDepartmentofNaturalResourcesMauryIslandAquaticReserve:http://www.dnr.wa.gov/ResearchScience/Topics/AquaticHabitats/Pages/aqr_rsve_maury_island.aspx
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Figure 1. Map of Vashon-Maury Island highlighting the drainage area to Quartermaster Harbor.
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isdesignatedasruralzonedlandandisoutsideKingCounty’sGrowthManagementAct(GMA)‐designatedurbangrowthboundary.Low‐densityresidentialdevelopmentcoversmuchoftheisland—typicallyzoningofonehouseperfivetotenacres.Landcoverispredominatelyforestwithothercoverbeingnon‐forestvegetationanddevelopedland.Vashon‐MauryIslandhasnoexternalsourceofdrinkingwaterandtheunderlyinggroundwatersystemwasdesignatedaSoleSourceAquiferbytheEPAinJune1994.TheislandisoneoffiveGroundwaterManagementAreas(GWMAs)inKingCountydesignatedin1986‐87undertheprovisionsofWashingtonAdministrativeCode(WAC)173‐100.TheKingCountygroundwaterprotectioncodeestablishedaGroundwaterProtectionCommitteeforeachGWMAwithacertifiedgroundwaterprotectionplan.TheplanforVashon‐MauryIslandwascertifiedbyEcologyandtheVashon‐MauryIslandGroundwaterProtectionCommittee(GWPC)wasformedin2001alongwithacounty‐widegroundwaterprotectionprogram.TosupporttheGWPC,theKingCountygroundwaterprotectionprogramdesignedseveralprojects,includingtheWaterResourcesEvaluation(WRE)todescribeandassessthewaterresourcesoftheisland(KingCounty2013a).In2004,KingCountydesignatedthreecategoriesofCriticalAquiferRechargeAreas(CARAs)forruralareasofthecountyincludingVashon‐MauryIsland.6LikemuchofruralPugetSound,nearlyalltheresidentsinthestudyareatreatdomesticwastewaterwithonsitesepticsystems(OSSs).AwatershedplanforVashon‐MauryIslandwascreatedbyKingCounty(2005a),whichidentifiedOSSasapotentialthreatandlistedpriorityactionareasincludingregularmonitoringfornitratesandotherpotentialsystemcontaminants,developmentofpoliciesfortheircontrol,education,andBestManagementPractices(BMPs)forOSSoperations.In2008,SeattleandKingCountyPublicHealthdesignatedareasonVashon‐MauryIsland,includingthewesternshorelinealongouterQuartermasterHarborasMarineRecoveryAreas(MRAs)basedoninformationindicatingthatshellfishharvestinginthoseareaswasthreatenedorrestrictedbecauseofcontaminationoriginatingfromsepticsystems.7
1.2 Project Overview DissolvedoxygenlevelsbelowtheWashingtonStatemarinewaterqualitystandard(WashingtonAdministrativeCode173‐201A)havebeenobservedinQuartermasterHarboroverthelastsevenyearsbyKingCounty(Figure2).OxygenconcentrationsaretypicallylowestinSeptemberorOctober.Dissolvedoxygenisessentialforfishandothermarinelife‐whenlevelsfallbelowcriticalthresholdsmarinelifecanbecomestressedorkilledorforcedtoescapetomoreoxygenatedwatersifpossible.QuartermasterHarborwasoneof19areasofPugetSoundjudgedtoberelativelysensitivetoanthropogenicnutrientinputs(RenselAssociatesandPTI1991).Nitrogenandphosphorusareessentialnutrientsformarineplantsandphytoplankton.Excessnutrients,
6ForadescriptionofthethreeCARAcategoriesseehttp://your.kingcounty.gov/ddes/cao/Manual/II‐CARA.pdf.7SeePublicHealth–SeattleandKingCountyVashon‐MauryIslandMarineRecoveryArea(http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/ehs/wastewater/mra.aspx).
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Figure 2. Monthly dissolved oxygen concentrations measured in bottom waters of
Quartermaster Harbor by King County.
nitrogencompoundsinparticular,canleadtoexcessivephytoplanktonandalgaegrowthwhichcandepleteoxygenconcentrationswhenthealgaerespireatnightordieandaredecomposedbybacteriainthewatercolumnandsediments(Figure3).Althoughphosphoruscompoundsareimportantforphytoplanktongrowth,nitrogenisgenerallyconsideredtobethelimitingnutrientinmarinewatersofPugetSound(RenselAssociatesandPTI1991).Theinteractionsbetweennitrate(themostabundantformofnitrogenavailableforphytoplanktongrowth),algalbiomassanddissolvedoxygenininnerQuartermasterHarborareillustratedinFigure4.Algalbiomassgenerallypeaksduringspringandsummer,whichcoincideswithareductionofnitrateconcentrationstobelowthelimitoflaboratorydetectionasaresultofalgaluptakeandgrowth.Theminimumoxygenconcentrationsobservedinlatesummerandfallareassociatedwiththefinaldeclineinthesummerpeaksinalgalbiomass.Thesedataprovideevidencethatphytoplanktongrowthintheharborislimitedbynitrogenandthatadditionalinputsofnitrogenhavethepotentialtofueladditionalalgalgrowth,causingevenloweroxygenlevelswhenthealgaerespireatnightordieandaredecomposedinthewatercolumnandsediments.
1.3 Goals and Objectives TheoverallpurposeofthisstudywastodeterminehownitrogenfromavarietyofsourcesaffectsdissolvedoxygenlevelsinQuartermasterHarbor.TheexpectedlongtermoutcomeswereimprovedpoliciesintheKingCountyComprehensivePlanandtheprotectionandenhancementofwaterqualityinQuartermasterHarbor.
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Figure 3. Conceptual diagram of marine nutrient-oxygen dynamics.
Source:Downingetal.(1999)
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Figure 4. Monthly concentrations of surface water algal biomass (based on measurements of
chlorophyll a), surface concentrations of nitrate nitrogen, and bottom water dissolved oxygen concentrations at the Yacht Club (Station MSWH01) in Inner Quartermaster Harbor.
Note:Redtrianglesinthecenterpanelrepresentnitrateconcentrationsthatwerebelowthelaboratorydetectionlimitof0.02mg/L.Thestatestandardfordissolvedoxygenisshownasadashedredlineinthebottompanel.
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SomeoftheinitialprojectobjectivesdescribedintheQualityAssuranceProjectPlan(KingCounty2009a)provedoverlyambitiousandwereadjustedinconsultationwithEPAduringthecourseoftheprojecttobetteralignthegoals,objectivesandresourcesofthestudy.Forexample,theinitialstudyproposalincludedafieldstudyofislandOSSnitrogenremovaleffectivenessandanitrogensourcetrackingstudyusingstableisotopes.UponfurtherconsiderationandconsultationwithEPAandreviewofexistinginformation,thesestudieswereconsideredtobetooexperimentaland/ortoodifficulttoimplementsuccessfully,andwerereplacedwithfourotherfocusedstudiesthatweremorelikelytobeinformativeandsuccessful:
Hydrodynamicstudy(currentmeterdeployments)oftheharbortosupportthedevelopmentandtestingofamarinecirculation/hydrodynamicmodel(KingCounty2009b)
Marinebenthicfluxstudytoprovidelocalestimatesofsedimentnutrientreleaseduringthecriticalperiodoflowdissolvedoxygen(KingCounty2010a)
Nearshorefreshwaterinputsstudytoprovideinformationonthenutrientlevelsandinputsfromsmall,previouslyunmonitoredtributariesandoutfallstotheharbor(KingCounty2010b)
MiletaCreeknitrogensourcetrackingstudytoprovidemoreinformationregardingseasonallyhighnitratelevelsinthiscreek(KingCounty2010c)
Estimatesofnitrogenloadingdirectlytotheharborweredevelopedaspartofthisstudyandincludeinputsfromtributaries,nearshoresepticsystems,atmosphericdeposition,marinevessels,bottomsedimentsandinputsfromtheexchangeofPugetSoundwaterattheentrancetotheharbor.Otherobjectivesofthestudyweretodevelopareceivingwaterqualitymodeloftheharbortoevaluatescenariosdesignedtodeterminethedegreeofhumaninfluenceondissolvedoxygenconcentrationsandtoevaluatetheeffectivenessofvariousnutrientmanagementscenarios(KingCounty2010d).Thehypotheticalnutrientinputreductionsweretobetiedtoplanninglevelestimatesofthecostsofachievingthosereductions,withrecommendationsforpoliciesandmanagementactions.Althoughahydrodynamicmodel(thefirststepindevelopmentofareceivingwaterqualitymodel)oftheharborwasdevelopedaspartofthisstudy(Albertson2013),thedevelopmentofanadequatelycalibratedwaterqualitymodeloftheharborwasnotaccomplished.Aworkingwaterqualitymodelwasdevelopedbasedonthehydrodynamicmodel,butprojectresourceswerenotsufficienttofullycalibrateandtestthemodel.Therefore,thestudydidnotdeterminethedegreeofhumaninfluenceondissolvedoxygenconcentrationsnorevaluatetheeffectivenessofvariousnutrientmanagementscenarios.Nonetheless,thisstudydoesprovideasolidfoundationofinformationandafunctioning,albeitun‐calibrated,waterqualitymodeloftheharborthatcouldbeusedbyEcologyto
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developadissolvedoxygenTotalMaximumDailyLoadstudyforQuartermasterHarbor–listedasCategory5inWashington’s2012listofimpairedmarinewaters.8
1.4 Organization of Report ThisfinalstudyreportprovidesasummaryofalltheworkconductedaspartoftheQuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy.Section2.0ofthisreport,providesanintroductiontotheconceptandcurrentunderstandingofmarineeutrophicationwithanemphasisonPugetSoundandQuartermasterHarbor.Section3.0describesthehistoricalandcurrentconditionsinthewatershedsonVashon‐MauryIslandthatdraintoQuartermasterHarbor.AnoverviewofresultsandconclusionsfromthesurfaceandgroundwatermonitoringeffortsispresentedinSection4.0.Section5.0providesanoverviewoftheavailablemarinewaterandsedimentqualitydata,withanemphasisonrelationshipsbetweennitrogen,phytoplanktonbiomassanddissolvedoxygen;includingasummaryofbenthicnitrogenfluxmeasurementsmadeinQuartermasterHarboraspartofthisstudy.Section6.0providesasummaryofthemethodsandresultsofQuartermasterHarbornitrogenloadingestimatesdevelopedaspartofthisstudy,includingestimatesofnitrogenreleasedfromharborsedimentsdescribedinSection5.0andanestimateofthenitrogeninputdeliveredthroughtheharborentranceboundarywithPugetSound.StudyconclusionsandrecommendationsareprovidedinSection7.0.AppendixAprovidesasummaryoftheoutreachandeducationactivitiesundertakenaspartofthisstudyandthechangesincorporatedintothe2012ComprehensivePlanrelatedtonitrogenmanagementonVashon‐MauryIsland.
8Category5‐PollutedwatersthatrequireaTMDLorotherWaterQualityImprovement(WQI)project:thetraditionallistofimpairedwaterbodiesalsoknownasthe303(d)list.PlacementinthiscategorymeansthatEcologyhasdatashowingthatthewaterqualitystandardshavebeenviolatedforoneormorepollutants,andthereisnoTMDLorpollutioncontrolplan.TMDLsorotherapprovedWQIprojectsarerequiredforthewaterbodiesinthiscategory.
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2.0 MARINE EUTROPHICATION Nitrogenisoneoftheearth’smostabundantelementsanditisalsoanessentialplantandanimalnutrient.Ironically,muchofthenitrogeninthebiosphereexistsinaformthatisunavailabletomostlifeforms–nitrogengas(N2).Throughaprocesscallednitrogenfixation,N2isconvertedtoaformofnitrogencallednitrate(NO3‐N)thatisavailableforuptakebyplants,includingmarinephytoplankton.Inthenaturalenvironment,nitrogenfixationiscarriedoutbyavarietyofspecializedbacteria.Othernaturalprocessessuchaslightningcanalsofixnitrogenfromtheatmosphere.Thenitrogencycleiscompletedbythedecompositionoforganicmatter,whichgeneratesammonia(NH3‐N).Ammoniacanbeconvertedviabacteriallymediatedprocessestonitrate,whichinturnisdenitrifiedbycertainbacteriatoN2.Overthepastseveraldecades,humanshavemodifiedtheglobalnitrogencycleprimarilythroughthecombinationofindustrialfixationofatmosphericnitrogenforfertilizerandtheuseofthisfertilizertomaintainandimprovecropyieldstofeedthegrowinghumanpopulation(Vitouseketal.1997,Gallowayetal.2004).Globally,othersignificanthumansourcesofnitrogenincludeincreasedcultivationofnitrogenfixingcropsandfossilfuelcombustion(Gallowayetal.2004).Muchoftheseadditionalinputsofnitrogentotheenvironmentaredeliveredtogroundwater,streams,rivers,lakes,estuariesandcoastalmarinewaters.Thenutrientenrichmentofreceivingwatersisknownaseutrophication.Thenutrientofmostconcerninmarineandestuarinewatersistypicallynitrogen,whichundercertainconditionscanbethelimitingfactorformarinealgaeandplantgrowth(HowarthandMarino2006).Increasedinputsofnitrogencanundercertainconditionsresultinexcessivegrowthofaquaticplantsand/oralgaeandmayalsoaffectwhichspecies,someofwhichcanbeharmful,arefavored.9Theprocessbywhichharmfulspecies,particularlyspeciesofphytoplankton,arepreferredremainspoorlyunderstood(Horneretal.1997,SmaydaandReynolds2001,Andersonetal.2002,Gilbertetal.2005).Whethernutrientenrichmentresultsinexcessiveplantoralgalgrowthinanyparticularestuarydependsonanumberofnaturalcharacteristicsthataffectanestuary’ssusceptibilitytoadditionalnutrientinputs.Thesecharacteristicsincludespatialandtemporalvariationinlightavailability,zooplanktongrazing,verticalmixing,flushing,salinity,temperatureandnutrientregeneration(RenselAssociatesandPTI1991,Brickeretal.2007).Aroundtheworld,theimpactsofthemodificationofthenitrogencyclebyhumanshavebeenobserved,particularlyincoastalmarineandestuarineecosystemswherephytoplanktonwerehistoricallylimitedbytheavailabilityofnitrogen(HowarthandMarino2006).Theimpactsthathavebeenidentifiedincludeincreasesinalgalandaquatic
9Notethatthereareanumberofotherpotentialcausesofexcessivealgalgrowthand/orincreasesintheamountandextentofoxygendepletion.Theseothercausesinincludelossofhighertrophiclevels,anthropogenicinputsofoxygendemandingsubstances,algalgrowthlimitationbynutrientsotherthannitrogen(Sharp2010).
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plantbiomassandproductivity;reductionsintransparency;increasedincidencesanddurationofharmfulalgalblooms;degradationofseagrassandkelpbedsandcoralreefs;increasesinextentandseverityofhypoxicandanoxicwaters;andreducedpopulationsoffishandshellfish(ScaviaandBricker2006,Smith2006).IntheU.S.,significantproblemsrelatedtoestuarineeutrophicationhavebeenobservedinChesapeakeBay,LongIslandSoundandthenorthernGulfofMexico(Brickeretal.1999),althoughasmoreinformationbecomesavailableitappearsthatmanyU.S.estuariesexhibitsymptomsofeutrophicconditions(Brickeretal.2007).ConcernsregardingtheeutrophicationofPugetSoundhavebeenraisedatleastsincethe1970s,althoughinitiallythenutrientofconcernwasdissolvedphosphate,driventoalargeextentbythelackofnitrogendata(Duxbury1975,ColliasandLincoln1977).Atthattime,nosignificanteffectofapopulationincreasefromabout750,000toalmost2millionpeoplebetween1930and1970wasdetectedontheoxygenconcentrationinthemainbasinofPugetSound.Duxbury(1975)didacknowledgethathumaninfluencemightberegisteredindenselypopulated,small,confinedembayments.Thesestudiesalsohighlightedtheimportanceofinterannualvariabilityincoastalupwellingasamajorfactorcontrollingnutrientsanddissolvedoxygenconcentrationsinthesound.TheinitialattentiontothepotentialforeutrophicationofPugetSoundledtomoreextensivemonitoring,includingroutinemeasurementsofnitrate(thedominantnutrientformofnitrogen)andchlorophylla–asurrogatemeasureofphytoplanktonbiomass.Inthelate1980s,aneffortwasmadeagaintoevaluatetheavailabledatafortrends,bothspatialandtemporal,especiallyfortrendsinnutrients,dissolvedoxygenandindicatorsofphytoplanktongrowth(TetraTech1988).Ingeneral,dissolvedoxygenconcentrationsappearedtohaveincreasedornotchangedsignificantlyovertime.Afewareaswerejudgedtobesensitivetothedeleteriouseffectofalgaebloomsduetotheirphysicalconditionsand/ortheirproximitytolargehumanpopulationcenters:
SinclairInlet
BuddInlet
OaklandBay
SouthHoodCanalCitingevidenceofwaterqualityproblemsrelatedtonutrientenrichmentandphytoplanktonblooms,aswellasdepletionofdissolvedoxygenandrelatedfishkillsinpoorlyflushedembaymentsofPugetSound,areportwaspreparedthatreviewedthestateofknowledgeregardingnutrient‐phytoplanktonrelationshipsinPugetSoundandquantifiedtherelativesensitivityofvariousareasofthesoundtoadditionalinputsofnutrients(RenselAssociatesandPTI1991).Basedontheanalysespresentedintheirreport,primarilyanalysesofthefrequencyofwatercolumndepletionofnitrogenavailableforphytoplanktongrowth,RenselAssociatesandPTI(1991)expandedthelistofpotentiallynutrientsensitiveareastoincludeseveralotherlocationsinPugetSound.QuartermasterHarborwasalsolistedaspotentially
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sensitivetonutrientadditions,butatthattimenonitrogendatawereavailablefortheharbor.QuartermasterHarborwaslistedonthebasisofastudyoftheoccurrenceofAlexandriumcatenellaintheharbor,amotiledinoflagellatethatcanproducetoxinsthataccumulateinshellfishtissueandcauseparalyticshellfishpoisoning(PSP)(Nishitanietal.1988).InterestinthepotentialfortheeutrophicationofPugetSoundcontinuesandhasleadtoatleastfourmajorstudies:
HoodCanalDissolvedOxygenProgram10
SouthPugetSoundDissolvedOxygenStudy11
PugetSound/SalishSeaModel12
DeschutesRiverWatershed(includingBuddInlet)WaterQualityImprovementProject13
FinalstudyreportsareavailablefortheHoodCanalandBuddInletstudies.TheBuddInletstudyissummarizedinRobertsetal.(2012)andtheHoodCanalstudyisdescribedinanumberofonlinereportchapters(http://www.hoodcanal.washington.edu/news‐docs/publications.jsp).Inaddition,areportsynthesizingavailableinformationrelatedtotheassessmentoftherelativehumaninfluenceonHoodCanaldissolvedoxygenwaspublished(CopeandRoberts2013).Overall,thesestudiesindicatethatoxygenlevelsinPugetSoundarenaturallylessthantheapplicableabsolutewaterqualitystandardatcertainplacesandtimesduringtheyearandthatthemaximumhumaninfluenceonthe“natural”(i.e.,withouthumaninfluence)oxygenlevelsisontheorderof0.5mg/LinisolatedportionsofBuddInlet(Robertsetal.2012).BuddInletcurrentlyreceivespointandnonpointsourceinputsofnitrogen(Robertsetal.2012).CopeandRoberts(2013)determinedthathumansarenotresponsibleforthefishkillsthathaveoccurrednearHoodsportinCentralHoodCanal,norforthelowdissolvedoxygenlevelsobservedinthisarea.TherelativeinfluenceofhumansondissolvedoxygeninLynchCoveatthemostsouthernendofHoodCanalwasdeterminedtoberelativelyuncertain,butsomewherebetween0.03and0.3mg/Lrelativetothenaturallyoccurringdissolvedoxygenconcentrations.DraftreportsoftheSouthPugetSoundandPugetSound/SalishSeastudieshavebeenpreparedandmadeavailableforreview(Ahmedetal.2013,Robertsetal.2013).TheSouthPugetSoundStudydeterminedthatthemaximumhumaninfluenceondissolvedoxygenwas0.4mg/LintheinnerportionsofBudd,Carr,EldandTotteninletscausedprimarilybydirectpermittedpointsourcedischargesoftreatedwastewatertoPugetSound–includinginputstoCentralPugetSound(Ahmedetal.2013).
10HoodCanalDissolvedOxygenProgram(http://www.hoodcanal.washington.edu/)11SouthPugetSoundDOStudy(http://www.ecy.wa.gov/puget_sound/dissolved_oxygen_study.html)12PugetSound/SalishSeaModel(http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/PugetSound/DOModel.html)13DeschutesRiverWatershedProject(http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/tmdl/deschutes/index.html)
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ThePugetSound/SalishSeastudyidentifiedasomewhatsmallereffectofhumansondissolvedoxygenlevelsinPugetSound.Amaximumeffectof0.2mg/LwasnotedintheinnerportionofCaseInlet.AsintheSouthSoundstudy,themajorityofthehumaninfluencewasduetoexistingpointsourcewastewaterdischargestoPugetSound.ThePugetSound/SalishSeastudyalsoevaluatedtheeffectoffutureincreasesinthePugetSoundpopulation(withoutadditionaltreatmentrequirements)andclimatechangeondissolvedoxygen.Thesescenariosindicatedthepotentialforamuchlargerinfluenceofhumans,primarilyastheresultofuncheckedincreasesinnitrogenloadingfromwastewatertoPugetSound,ofuptoa1.1mg/Ldeclineofdissolvedoxygenfrompredictednaturalconditions(Robertsetal.2013).TherelativelysmalleffectofthetotalincreaseinnitrogenloadingfromallcurrenthumansourcesondissolvedoxygeninthemainbasinofPugetSound(0.04‐0.08mg/L)andinHoodCanal(0.02‐0.04mg/L)estimatedbyRobertsetal.(2013)issupportedbyanalysesofsedimentcoresconductedbyBrandenbergeretal.(2008).CorescollectedfromHoodCanalandthemainbasinofPugetSoundrevealedtheeffectsoflandusechanges,includingforestclearingandurbanization,buttheydidnotrecordanyincreasingtrendinhypoxiainthelast100yearsthatwouldbeexpectedinresponsetolandusechangesandgrowthofthehumanpopulationinthePugetSoundbasin(Brandenbergeretal.2009).ThattheresponseofthemainbasinofPugetSoundandHoodCanalwascontrarytowhatwasexpected(i.e.,greaterimpactofnitrogeninputsonDOlevels)isconsistentwiththeevolvingconceptualmodelofcoastaleutrophication(Cloern2001).Theinitialconceptualmodelofcoastaleutrophicationwasbasedonexperiencewithfreshwatersystemsandassumedaproportionalrelationshipbetweenthemagnitudeofnutrientloadingandresponsereflectedinincreasedprimaryproductionandbiomassandadeclineindissolvedoxygen.Morerecentresearchhasleadtoamorecomplexconceptualmodelthatincludesafilterthatmodulatestheresponseofaparticularcoastalmarinesystemtonutrientloading(Figure5).Thepotentialresponsesarealsoexpandedtoincludechangesinnutrientratiosthatmayplayaroleinalteringthephytoplanktoncommunityorpromotingtoxicand/orharmfulalgalbloomsandalonglistofpotentialindirecteffectsthatincludefishkills,changesinwatertransparencyandalterationoffoodwebstructure(seeFigure5).InthemainbasinofPugetSound,themainfilterappearstobeageneraltendencyforlightlimitationofspringandsummerphytoplanktongrowth,whichmoderatestheeffectofnutrientinputstothesound(Duxbury1975,Winter1975).ThemaindriverhistoricallyofoxygenlevelsinthemainbasinofPugetSoundaredecadalclimatecyclesthataffecttheventilationofPugetSoundandtheoxygencontentofcoastalmarinewatersexchangedthroughtheStraitofJuandeFuca(Brandenbergeretal.2008).AlsoconsistentwiththeconceptualmodelofCloern(2001)isthefindingbyBrandenbergeretal.(2008)thattheredoappeartobesomeshiftsintheprimaryproducercommunityidentifiedinthesedimentcores,includingincreasedrelativeabundanceofspeciesgenerallyassociatedwitheutrophicationoverthelastseveraldecadessuchasPseudo‐nitzschia,whichiscapableofproducingthetoxindomoicacid.Alexandriumisanothertoxinproducingspeciesthat,althoughpresenthistoricallyincoastalmarine
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waters,hasspreadtoPugetSoundsincethe1960salongwiththeobservedfrequencyofexceedancesofparalyticshellfishtoxinlevels(Mooreetal.2009).
Figure 5. Schematic representation of the contemporary (Phase II conceptual model of coastal
eutrophication proposed by Cloern (2001).
Source:Cloern(2001)PerhapsthemostchallengingthoughtprovidedbyCloern(2001)inresponsetothequestionposedregarding“Howcanthisscienceadvance?”isthatourviewoftheproblemistoonarrowandneedstoconsiderthatnutrientenrichmentdoesnotoperateasanindependentstressor,butratheroperatesinthecontextofmanyotherstressors.Theseadditionalstressorsincludehabitatloss,invasivespeciesandclimatechange.Thisbroaderviewthatincludesmultiplestressorsandresponsesrequiresamoresustainedandintegratedresearchandmonitoringeffort(Cloern2001).
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3.0 HISTORICAL CONTEXT Researchhashighlightedtherolethatpastlanduseactivitymayplayinaffectingthecurrentenvironmentalconditions(Hardingetal.1998,Fosteretal.2003).OfspecificrelevancetothisstudyaretherecentfindingspublishedbySanfordandPope(2013)whoshowedadelayinnitrogenloadreductiontoChesapeakeBayduetothelagresultingfromnitrogenapplicationatthelandsurfaceandtransportviagroundwatertoreceivingwaters.Toprovidehistoricalcontextforthecurrentconditionsontheislandandintheharbor,thefollowinghistoricaloverviewisprovided.ThehistoryofVashon‐MauryIslandandQuartermasterHarborinparticularhasbeendocumentedpreviously–thebestexamplesbeingpublicationsbyVanOlinda(1935),Lynn(1975),andUniversityofWashington(1976),thelatterheavilydependentonthefirsttwosourcesandthereferencestherein.TheUniversityofWashington(1976)studyfocusedonQuartermasterHarborandwasconductedintheearly1970sfortheKingCountyDepartmentofParksandRecreation.ThestudywasconductedinresponsetopublicconcernsovertheexpansionofovernightrecreationalboatmooragefacilitiesatDocktonParkinQuartermasterHarbor.Thestudyincludedinvestigationofhistoricalrecreationpatterns,landuse,andenvironmentalimpacts;surficialsoilsandgeology,landslidehazards,drainfieldperformance,andbeachformingprocesses;marinecirculation,flushingrates,andwatertemperatures;marinebiologicalconditions;magnitudeandspatialextentofmarinefecalcontamination;andterrestrialvegetationandwildlifeprimarilyinrelationtorecreationalactivitiesandvalues.ThehistoricalbackgroundonQuartermasterHarborprovidedbelowisdrawnfromthethreesourcesofhistoricalinformationidentifiedabove.
3.1 Initial European Discovery and Settlement TheoriginalinhabitantsoftheislandweretheShomamish,abranchoftheSuquamishTribe,whohunted,fished,harvestedclams,andgatheredrootsandberriesontheisland.ThefirstEuropeantoidentifyVashonIslandwasCaptainGeorgeVancouverin1792.In1841theU.S.ExplorationExpedition,ledbyCaptainCharlesWilkes,gaveseparatenamesforVashonandMauryIsland.ItisnotcompletelyclearfromthehistoricrecordwhyWilkesgaveseparatenamestotheislandandVancouverdidnot,althoughthiswasmostlikelyduetothemorespecificsurveyingandmappingobjectivesoftheWilkesexpedition,ratherthangeneraldocumentationandmappingofnewdiscoveries.OneexplanationthathasbeengivenisthatVancouverchartedtheislandatlowtide,whileWilkesvisitedathightide–althoughLynn(1975)arguesthatVancouveralsopassedathightide.Wilkeschartedanarrowconnectionbetweenthetwomainlandmassesandtheexistenceofasandbarconnectingthetwoislandsduringlowtide(Blumenthal2009).Althoughthejournalentryofoneparticipant(JosephPerrySanford)intheExplorationExpeditionsurveyofVashonin1841describedthePortageconnectionas“averynarrow
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isthmusofwhitesand,”themorecorrecttermwouldhavebeen“tombolo”–adepositionlandforminwhichtwolandmassesareattachedbyaspitorbar.Historically,thisareawasovertoppedandperhapserodedwithunknownfrequencyduringhightidesand/orstormsurges.Turnbeaugh(1976)suggeststhattheovertoppingoccurredatthehighestspringtides.Lynn(1975)doesmentionanearlysettler’swrittenaccount(W.T.Rendell,undatedmanuscript)ofseeingacoupleoffeetofwaterbetweenVashonandMauryathightide.ThepossibilityofopeningapermanentchannelatPortage–initiallyforvesseltraffic–wasproposedasearlyas1911.Thesuggestionhascomeupoffandonsincethen–mostrecentlyaspartoftheUniversityofWashington(1976)studieswhichexploredtheadditionalpossibilityofimprovingwaterqualitybyincreasingflushing–particularlyoftherelativelypoorlyflushedinnerharbor.TheVancouverandWilkesexpeditionswerefollowedinthemid‐1800sbytransientloggingsettlements,someofwhichwerelocatedinQuartermasterHarbor.AvillageofChineseimmigrantsdedicatedtocatching,drying,andexportingfishwasrumoredtohavebeenthefirstnon‐nativesettlement(atManzanitainQuartermasterHarbor)thatexisteduntilabout1885whenanti‐Chinesesentimentintheregionmayhavedriventhemfromthearea.ThefirstpermanentsettlersestablishedthemselvesonthenorthernshoreofQuartermasterHarborin1877.
3.2 Industrial and Agricultural Development Morepeoplecametotheislandandbythe1890s,industriessuchasshipbuilding,clayminingandbrickmaking,lumberandshingleproduction,fishcanninganddrying,farmcropprocessing,andshippinghaddevelopedinQuartermasterHarbor.Uplandareaswerebeingloggedandconvertedtofarmsandareasforsheepgrazing.Withtheexhaustionofthenativetimberontheisland,mostofthelumbermillsclosedby1916or1917.Docktoninparticularwasthesiteofasubstantialfishprocessingfacilitythatshippedcannedanddriedcodtolocationsthroughouttheworld.Asmuchas15tonsofdriedfishwereshippedinoneweekand200tonswereshippedin1920.Berryfarming(particularlystrawberriesandcurrants)onVashon‐MauryIslandwasasignificantcontributiontothelocaleconomyfromabout1890to1934–strawberryshipmentsin1908wereestimatedat75,000crates.However,thisboomcametoanendinthe1920sduetodrought,pests,disease,andcompetitionfrommainlandfarms.Eggproductionfollowedtheberryboom–in1923itwasestimatedthattherewere150,000layinghensontheislandwithanannualoutputof35,000casesofeggs.StrawberryfarmingwasstillnotedbyVanOlinda(1935)in1934,buttheproductionofabout31,000cratesofeggswasalsoreportedthatyear.
3.3 Transportation Development Initially,wagonroadsfollowedexistingdeertrails.By1890thereweresevenmilesofwagonroads–oneofthefirstroadsontheisland,DougwayRoad,hadbeenadeertrail.Availabletopographicmapsdevelopedfromsurveysconductedinthe1890sindicatethata
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permanentroadofsomekindhadbeenbuiltacrossPortagearoundthattime.However,thisroadprimarilyconnectedPortagetothecentralbusinessareaonthenorthernportionofVashonviauplandroutes.ThefirstwaterfrontroadwasbuiltbetweenPortageandEllisportin1916andtheroadfromPortagewasextendedtoDocktonviaanuplandroutein1925.Lynn(1975)suggeststhatthedepressionatPortagewasfilledatthistimeaspartofconstructionoftheroadtoDockton.Althoughavarietyofvesselsprovidedtransportationaroundtheislandandtothemainlandintheearlyyearsofsettlement(i.e.,theMosquitoFleet14),thefirstdedicateddailypassengerferryservicebeganin1916betweenPortageandDesMoines.Atonepointtheislandwasservedbyferriesatthreelocations(VashonHeights,Tahlequah,andPortage).Withtheadventofreliabletransportationtothemainlandandtheavailabilityofjobsthere,duringthe1920speoplebegantocommutefromVashon‐MauryIslandtoworkinSeattleandTacoma.
3.4 Residential Development TheforestpriortoEuropean‐AmericansettlementwasdominatedbyDouglasfir,westernhemlock,andwesternredcedar,withalderlimitedtosmallareasalongstreamcorridors,landslidezones,beachareas,andopenareasgeneratedbywindfallandwildfires.Manyareasthatwereoriginallyclearedforhomes,agriculture,andgrazinghavebeenabandoned,resultinginregenerationofforestcover–primarilyDouglasfironabandonedgrazingfieldsandprimarilydeciduousforest(redalderandbigleafmaple)ontilledland.Forestregenerationfollowingtheinitialclearingbytheearly1900shasbeendocumentedforJudd,FisherandTahlequahcreeksaspartofanotherEPAWEIgrant‐fundedstudy(KingCounty2013b;Figure6).
Figure 6. Graph showing change in forest cover in selected basins on Vashon-Maury Island,
1911-2007.
Source:SeeAppendixDinKingCounty(2013b)
14SeeHistoryLink.orgessaynumber869:PugetSound’sMosquitoFleet(www.historylink.org)
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Alongwithareturnofforestcovertotheisland,forestclearingassociatedwithresidentialdevelopmentisoccurringalongwithresurgenceinfarmingactivities.TheincreaseinpopulationoftheislandbasedonU.S.CensusBureaudatafrom1920‐2010indicatesthesteadyprogressioninthenumberofpeoplesettlingontheisland.Since1920,thepopulationhasincreasedaboutfourfold(Figure7).
Figure 7. Graph showing the population change on Vashon-Maury Island, 1920-2010.
TheVashonSewerDistrictoperatedawastewatercollectionandtreatmentfacilitywithdischargetoEastPassageinPugetSoundbeginningin1955.Priortothattime,mostislandresidentsreliedononsitesewagetreatmentanddisposal.Thecurrentwastewatercollectionandtreatmentsystem,includinganewtreatmentfacilityandextendedoutfalltoEastPassagebuiltandoperatedbyKingCounty,servesabout425residentialandcommercialcustomers,primarilyinandaroundtheisland’smainbusinessarea(Figure8).MostresidentswithintheQuartermasterHarborwatershedrelyononsitesepticsystemsasthewastewatercollectionandtreatmentsystemonlyservesasmallportionofthenorthernpartofthedrainagebasin.
3.5 Recreational Development ThefirstyachtclubinQuartermasterHarborwasestablishedatManzanitain1890,butwentbankruptin1894.However,boatingforpleasuredidnotbecomepopularuntilthe1920sandwasnotprevalentuntilafterWorldWarII.TheQuartermasterHarborYachtClubwasorganizedin1948andinthemid‐1970shad100membersand48boatslips.ExpansionofovernightrecreationalboatmooragefacilitiesattheKingCountyparkatDocktoninthe1970swasthedriverbehindtheextensivestudiesconductedbytheUniversityofWashington(1976).Oneoftheconcernsaboutincreasedrecreationalboatingactivitythatboater‐orientedparkimprovementswouldcausewasthepotentialforincreasedwasteinputsfromonboardtoilets.AsurveyconductedbytheUniversityofWashingtonin1974ofboatersinQuartermasterHarborindicatedthatabout75percentoftheboatssurveyedhadmarinetoiletsandonlyabout10percenthadholdingtanks.
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QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty 18 January2014
Figure 8. Map showing current service area for the Vashon Island Wastewater Treatment
System.
QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty 19 January2014
3.6 Implications WiththeexceptionoftheUniversityofWashington(1976)study,nootherpreviousstudieshaveevaluatedthepotentialeffectofallofthesechangesonthewaterqualityoftheharbor.Alongtheshore,theharborhasreceivedunknownamountsofwastefromlograftsandsawmills,fishandotherfoodprocessingplants,shipyards,clayminingandbrickmaking,anduplandareashavedeliveredsoilandwastefromloggingoperations,residentialhomeconstruction,andfarming(Figure9).Farmimpactswouldincludeinputsfromsheep,horse,cattle,andchickens.Nearshoreanduplandareasinitiallydelivereduntreateddomesticwastewatertotheharboranditsreceivingstreamsuntilonsitesepticsystemscameintouse.Bulkheadingforwaterfrontindustriesandshorelineresidentialdevelopmenthasalsolikelyaffectedinorganicsedimentdeliverytotheharborshorelineandsubsequenttransporttodepositionalareas.ThebackgroundhistoryofQuartermasterHarborprovidedaboveismeanttoremindusthatpastlanduseactivitymaystillplayanimportantroleinthecurrentqualityofQuartermasterHarbor.ThisconceptwasemphasizedbyHardingetal.(1998)intheirwidelycitedpaperon“TheGhostofLandUsePast.”ThisconceptisimplicitintherelativelyfrequentcallforinvestigationofthepotentialbenefitofrestoringsomehydrologicconnectionacrossPortage(KingCounty1998).
QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty 20 January2014
Figure 9. Map showing early distribution pattern of development activities around
Quartermaster Harbor.
Source:UniversityofWashington(1976)
QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty 21 January2014
4.0 FRESHWATER FreshwaterinputstoQuartermasterHarborincludeanumberoftributarystreamsandgroundwaterseepage.Thissectionprovidesanoverviewofavailabledataonthequantityandqualityofsurfacewaterandgroundwaterinputstotheharbor.Foracompleteoverviewofthedataandresearchontheisland’sfreshwaterresourcesconductedtodate,thereaderisreferredtoKingCounty(2013a).
4.1 Surface Water TributarystreaminputsincludefreshwaterflowtoQuartermasterHarborvialargeandsmalltributariesthatdeliverwaterandnutrientstotheharbor.FourmajortributariesonVashon‐MauryIslandhavebeenmonitoredmonthlyfornutrientconcentrationsandhavebeencontinuouslygaugedtoestimatedailyflow.TwoofthesetributariesdischargedirectlytoQuartermasterHarbor–JuddCreekdischargestotheinnerharborandFisherCreekenterstheouterharbor–whiletheothertwotributariesdischargetoPugetSound(TahlequahandShingleMillcreeks)(Figure10).MiletaCreekdischargestoinnerQuartermasterHarborandhasbeenmonitoredroutinelyforwaterquality,butcontinuousflowdatahaveonlybeencollectedsincethebeginningof2010(seeFigure10).Waterqualityobservationsincludedmonthlymeasurementsoftotalsuspendedsolids(TSS),nutrients(totalandsolubleformsofnitrogenandphosphorus),indicatorbacteria,specificconductance,alkalinity,temperature,pHanddissolvedoxygen.Nutrientanalysesincludedtotalnitrogen,nitrate+nitritenitrogen(hereafterreferredtoasnitrate),ammonianitrogen,totalphosphorus,solublereactivephosphorusanddissolvedsilica.IndicatorbacteriameasurementsincludedfecalcoliformandEscherichiacoli.TheavailableflowandwaterqualitydataforthesefivetributariesareillustratedinFigure11throughFigure15.Ingeneral,thetemporalpatternsinflowweretypicalofruralstreamsinKingCounty,withhighestflowsduringthewinterrainyseasonandlowestflowsduringlatesummerwhenrainfallisleast.Temporalpatternsinthewaterqualitymeasurementsandtheirrelationshipswithvariationsinflowwerealsofairlytypical.Forexample,highflowswereoftenassociatedwithspikesinTSS,totalnitrogen,totalphosphorusandindicatorbacteriadrivenbywashoffofparticulatematterandinstreamerosionandtransportduringstorms.Otherconstituentsincreasedduringlowflowastheresultofthedominanceofgroundwaterbaseflowasthesourceofthoseprimarilydissolvedconstituents(e.g.,dissolvedsilicaandsolublereactivephosphorus),whichwasalsoreflectedinanincreaseinspecificconductanceandtotalalkalinityassociatedwithsummerbaseflow.Withtheexceptionoftheeffectofstormeventsonparticulatenitrogenconcentrations,totalnitrogenwascomprisedprimarilyofnitrate,whileammonianitrogenconcentrationswererelativelyloworbelowthelaboratorylimitofdetection.Seasonalpatternsintotalnitrogenandnitrateconcentrationswerealsoevident,althoughthedetailsdifferedamongstreams.Generally,thehighestconcentrationswereobservedinlatefallasbasinsoilsbecamesaturatedanddeliveredshallowsubsurfaceflowscontainingnitrogenstored
QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty 22 January2014
Figure 10. Map showing locations of stream discharge gauging and water quality monitoring
stations.
QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty 23 January2014
Figure 11. Graphs showing stream discharge (gauge 28a) and water quality data (station VA42A) for Judd Creek.
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
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QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty 24 January2014
Figure 12. Graphs showing stream discharge (gauge 65B) and water quality data (station VA41A) for Fisher Creek.
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
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QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty 25 January2014
Figure 13. Graphs showing instantaneous stream discharge and water quality data (station VA45A) for Mileta Creek.
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
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QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty 26 January2014
Figure 14. Graphs showing stream discharge (gauge 43a) and water quality data (station VA12A) for Shingle Mill Creek.
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
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QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty 27 January2014
Figure 15. Graphs showing stream discharge (gauge 65A) and water quality data (station VA37A) for Tahlequah Creek.
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
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QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty 28 January2014
duringthesummer(Figure16).Concentrationsremainedhighduringwinterwhenplantuptakewaslowest,buttypicallyfelltothelowestlevelsinsummerwhenplantuptakewasgreatestandsoilsweregenerallydryandaccumulatingnitrogen.Lownitrateconcentrationswerealsoassociatedwiththedeclineinsummerbaseflow.ThemostdistinctivespatialpatterninstreamnitrogenconcentrationsistheoccurrenceofrelativelyhighlevelsofnitrateinMiletaCreekthatpeakinlatefallwiththefirstsoilsaturatingrainsandremainrelativelyhighthroughoutthesummer(Figure17).Anattemptwasmadeaspartofthisstudytoidentifythesourceofelevatednitrate(KingCounty2012a).Nospecificsourcewasidentified,althoughpotentialsources(agolfcourse,anabandonedchickenfarmandanoldheronrookery)wereruledoutaslikelysources.ThesesuspectedsourceswerenotlocatedonthebranchofMiletaCreekwheretheelevatednitrateconcentrationswereobserved.Althoughnotunequivocallyestablished,thesimilarseasonalnitrateconcentrationpatternsuggestedthattheelevatedconcentrationsmaybetheresultofacombinationofsoil,subsurfacehydrologyandtheaccumulationofnitrateandsubsequentreleasefromstorageofnitrogenfromredalder–atreeknowntofixnitrogen–thatisfoundintheMiletaCreekbasinandisdistributedthroughoutdisturbedforestsinthePugetSoundbasin(Davis1973,Bechtoldetal.2003,Comptonetal.2003,CairnsandLajtha2005,Steinbergetal.2011,Wardetal.2012).ItwasalsonotedthatalthoughMiletaCreekislikelyoneofthelargestMauryIslandcreeksdrainingtotheharbor,thetotalcontributionofnitrogenisrelativelysmall.Considerthattheflowduringlatefall/winterwhenpeaknitrateconcentrationsoccurislessthan1cfsandthatthepeakdailyflowinthiscreekhasnotexceeded4cfs.Ofmostinteresttotheissueoflowdissolvedoxygenconcentrationsintheharborduringlatesummer/fallistheconcentration(andmassloading)ofnitrogendeliveredbytributarystreamsatthistimeofyear.Becausetheharborwasknowntoreceivefreshwaterinputfrommanysmallunmonitoredtributarysources,anothersamplingstudyconductedaspartofthisgrantfocusedonmeasuringflowandnitrogenconcentrationsinthesepreviouslyunmonitoredsourcesduringOctoberof2010(KingCounty2012b).Althoughtherangewaslarger,themediannitrateconcentrationmeasuredinOctober2010insmallfreshwaterinflowswassimilartothemediannitrateconcentrationmeasuredinOctoberinthethreelargesttributarystreamstoQuartermasterHarborfrom2007to2010‐~0.8mg/L(Figure18).Althoughtherewasnodistinctivespatialpatterninsmalltributarynitrateconcentrations,thehighestfourobservedconcentrationsweremeasuredinspringsthatdischargedalongthewesternshorelinejustsouthoftheBurtonPeninsula.ThesespringsarebelowtheBurtonSpringsandBurtonGroupAwatersupplysystemsthathaveexperiencedanincreaseinnitratelevelsastheresultofhistoricallandmanagementactivitiesassociatedwithfarmingandlivestockproduction(CDM2007,KingCounty2013a).
QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty 29 January2014
Figure 16. Box plot of monthly (November 2006 through December 2010) nitrate+nitrite nitrogen
concentrations measured in routine monthly water quality samples from the three creeks that discharge directly to Quartermaster Harbor (Judd, Fisher, and Mileta creeks).
Figure 17. Nitrate+Nitrite nitrogen concentrations measured in routine monthly water quality
samples from four Vashon-Maury Island Creeks collected from November 2006 to September 2012.
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
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QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty 30 January2014
Figure 18. Box plot comparing nitrate concentrations observed at freshwater inputs along the shore of Quartermaster Harbor in October 2010 and the concentrations measured in October from 2007 to 2010 in the three routinely monitored tributaries – Fisher, Judd and Mileta creeks.
4.2 Groundwater BecauseofthelongstandinginterestingroundwaterontheVashon‐MauryIsland,residentsrelyalmostexclusivelyongroundwaterforwatersupply.Becauseofdrinkingwatersystemmonitoringandreportingrequirements,agreatdealisknownaboutthequalityandquantityoftheisland’sgroundwatersystem.Foracompleteoverviewofthedataandresearchconductedtodate,thereaderisreferredtoKingCounty(2013a).Ingeneral,theislandisoverlainprimarilybyglacialtillandsmallerpocketsofrecessionaloutwashandadvanceoutwashdeposits.15Deeperglacialdepositsincludevaryinglayersoffinegrained(lesspermeable)andcoarsegraineddeposits(morepermeable).Thenomenclaturedescribingthemainislandaquifershaschangedovertime,butforthepurposesofthisreport,thegroundwaterqualitydatahavebeenseparatedinto“Shallow”and“Deep”aquifercategories.“Shallow”aquiferdatarepresentthegroundwatersourcesinclosestproximitytolandsurfaceactivities,particularlyinthoselocationswherethese15Theshorthandfortheseongeologicmapsandinthetextareasfollows:Qvr=Vashonrecessionaloutwashdeposits,Qva=Vashonadvanceoutwashdeposits,Qpfc=Pre‐Frasercoarsegraineddeposits,Qpoc=Olympiacoarsegraineddeposits.
Routine Nearshore
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QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty 31 January2014
aquifersareexposedatthelandsurface(i.e.,arenotoverlainbyaprotectivelayeroflesspermeabletill).“Deep”aquiferdatarepresentaquifersthathaveoneormorelesspermeablelayersoftillandsoarelesssusceptibletoactivitiesatthelandsurface(Table1).These“Shallow”aquiferswereoriginallytermedthePrincipalAquiferbecausemostoftheindividualwellsandsmallerwatersystemsrelyontheseaquifersforwatersupply.The“Deep”Aquiferisgenerallytappedbylargerwaterutilitiesontheisland.Inadditiontodifferentiationbysusceptibility,theShallowAquifersarealsothedominantsourceofwatertoislandstreams,particularlyintheQuartermasterHarbordrainagebasin.Theavailablegeologicinformationalsoindicatesthatinparticular,theShallowAquiferVashonadvanceoutwashdepositsarelikelythemainconduitforgroundwaterinputtoQuartermasterHarborandmaybelimitedprimarilytoinnerharborandtheinnerportionoftheouterharbornearBurtonPeninsula(Figure19andFigure20).Table 1. Various definitions of Vashon-Maury Island aquifer units, including the definitions
used in this study.
This report Carr/Associates
(1983) VMI GWMC
(1998) WRE
Shallow Aquifer Principal Aquifer
Zone 1 Zone 1 - shallow Vashon recessional outwash deposits (Qvr)
& Principal/ Main Vashon advance outwash deposits (Qva) & alluvium deposits (Qal)
Zone 2
Deep Aquifer Deep Aquifer
Zone 3 Zone 2 - Deep 1 Pre Fraser coarse grained deposits (Qpfc)
Zone 4 Zone 3 - Deep 2 Olympia coarse grained deposits (Qpoc) and deeper units
VMIGWMC=Vashon‐MauryIslandGroundwaterManagementCommitteeWRE=WaterResourcesEvaluation(seeKingCounty2013a)Insupportofthisstudy,groundwaterqualitydatawerecompiledfromKingCountymonitoringwells(Figure21).ThemonitoringdatafromthesewellsindicatesthatnitrateisgenerallyhigherintheShallowAquifer,whiletheconcentrationsofsolublereactivephosphorusandammoniaaregenerallyhigherintheDeepAquifer(Figure22).AmmoniaconcentrationsinwellscompletedintheShallowAquiferweregenerallybelowthelimitofdetectionindicatingthattheinorganicnitrogenwasintheformofnitrate.BecauseofthelimitednumberofKingCountymonitoringwellsrepresentingthequalityoftheShallowAquiferontheisland,additionalmonitoringdatareportedtotheWashingtonStateDepartmentofHealthfrommunicipalandsmallprivatewatersupplysystemswasalsocompiledandwellsclassifiedintoShallowandDeepaquifercategories.Ingeneral,nutrientdatareportedtotheDepartmentofHealtharelimitedtonitratebecauseofaMaximumContaminantLevelstandardfortheprotectionofhumanhealth,whichis10mg/L.
QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty 32 January2014
Figure 19. Estimated bottom elevations of the Vashon advance outwash geologic layer
(elevation datum is NAVD88 – 2.9 ft is equal to Mean Lower Low Water).
Source:KingCounty(2005)
QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty 33 January2014
Figure 20. Geologic cross section from west to east (left to right) through inner Quartemaster Habor and Burton Peninsula.
Source:KingCounty–OurLiquidAssets:GoingUndergroundhttp://your.kingcounty.gov/dnrp/library/water‐and‐land/groundwater/liquid‐assets‐brochure/p4‐going‐under‐ground‐geology‐of‐the‐rock.pdf
Location of Section A-A’
QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty 34 January2014
Figure 21. Map showing locations of precipitation gauging stations and shallow and deep
groundwater water quality monitoring wells.
QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty 35 January2014
Figure 22. Box plots showing Shallow and Deep groundwater concentrations of dissolved
nutrients: A) nitrate, B) ammonia, C) soluble reactive phosphorus and D) dissolved silica.
ThisexpandeddatasetconfirmedthatnitrateconcentrationsintheSurfaceAquiferaregenerallyhigher,withamedianconcentrationofapproximately0.6mg/L(Figure23).Asnotedabove,thisconcentrationisverysimilartothemedianconcentrationobservedinstreamsduringlatesummerbaseflowandsimilartothemedianconcentrationobservedinfreshwaterinputstotheharborfromsmalltributarysourcesinOctober2010.Similarconcentrationsingroundwaterandstreambaseflowaretypicalofpermeablesoilsandoxygenatedgroundwater(Spahretal.2010).NolargescalespatialpatternwasevidentinthedistributionofnitrateconcentrationsintheShallowAquiferacrosstheisland,althoughtheredidappeartobeanassociationofelevatedconcentrationsofnitrateassociatedwithareasidentifiedasCARACategory1,whichisthecategoryusedtoidentifygroundwaterrechargeareasmostsusceptibletocontamination(Figure24).
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QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty 36 January2014
Figure 23. Box plot showing Shallow and Deep groundwater concentrations of nitrate nitrogen in
King County routine monitoring wells and available data compiled for Group A and Group B water supply systems.
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Figure 24. Map and associated box plot showing nitrate concentrations measured in Shallow
Aquifer wells and Critcal Aquifer Recharge Area (CARA) categories.
Note:CARACategory1=highlysusceptibletocontamination,Category2=mediumsusceptibilitytogroundwatercontaminationandCategory3=lowsusceptibilitytogroundwatercontamination.
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4.3 Synthesis Ofultimateinterestiswhetherornottheobservedlevelsofnitrateinislandstreamsoraquifersystemsareelevatedabovenaturalbackgroundconditions,andifso,byhowmuch?Smithetal.(2003)describedthechallengestoestimatingnaturalbackgroundconcentrationsofnutrients,includingthelackofpristinereferencesitesinindustrializedcountriesliketheUnitedStates.Theyfurtherdistinguishednaturalbackgroundconditionsfrombackgroundorreferenceconditionsbasedondataavailablefromrelativelyundeveloped,butculturallyimpacted,samplinglocations.BasedonlogisticregressionmodelsdevelopedtoevaluatetheriskofgroundwaternitratecontaminationthroughoutthePugetSoundbasinbyTesorieroandVoss(1997),theprobabilityofdetectingelevatednitrateconcentrations(>3mg/L)inshallowgroundwateronVashon‐MauryIslandisrelativelylow.However,theirassessmentwasdirectedmoreatidentifyingareasofPugetSoundthatmightbeatriskofreachingconcentrationsclosetothe10mg/LMCLfornitrateindrinkingwatersupplies.Theirmodelswerebasedonvulnerabilityduetoproximitytourbanandagriculturalareasandsusceptibilitybasedonwelldepthforcoarse‐grained,alluvialandfine‐grainedsurfacegeology.Althoughnotterriblyusefulfordeterminingiftheobservednitrateconcentrationsinislandfreshwatersystemsareelevatedabovehistoricalbackground,thisinformationdoessuggestthatingeneral,widespreadnitratecontaminationabove3mg/LisnotlikelytooccuronVashon‐MauryIslandatthistime.However,longtermgroundwatermonitoringdataatspecificlocationsonVashon‐MauryIslanddoprovideanindicationthatlocalizedincreasesinnitratehaveoccurred,includinganincreaseintheBurtongroundwatersupplymentionedpreviously(Figure25).GiventheavailabilityofarelativelylargedatasetandthatanumberofislandwellsintheShallowAquiferhaveconcentrationsabove2mg/L(20of108wells),itmightbeusefultodevelopanisland‐specificnitrateriskcontaminationmodelfollowingtheexampleofTesorieroandVoss(1997)orNolanandHitt(2006).Anotherpotentialsourceofinformationregardingbackgroundconcentrationswouldbehistoricalpre‐developmentobservationsofnitratelevelsorobservationsfromarelativelyundisturbedsystemwithsimilarcharacteristicssomewhereinthePugetSoundbasin.AlthoughCarr/Associates(1983)suggestedthatthenaturalbackgroundconcentrationofnitrateinislandgroundwaterwasnearthelaboratorylimitofdetection(statedas<0.01mg/L),itisunclearhowthiswasestablished.TheirestimateofbackgroundnitrateconcentrationmayhavebeenbasedtosomeextentonconcentrationsmeasuredintheDeepAquifer,whichverylikelyhasnaturallylowerconcentrationsthantheShallowAquifer.AnothersourceofinformationregardinglikelybackgroundconcentrationsofnitrateisbasedondatacollectedfromreferencestreamsandriversaspartoftheU.S.GeologicalSurvey’sNationalWater‐QualityAssessment(NAWQA)programandextrapolatedusingtemporalandspatialregressionequations(Smithetal.2003).Datawerestratifiedby14majorecoregionsintheUnitedStates,withtheWesternForestedMountainsecoregion
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encompassingthePugetSoundbasin.Theiranalysessuggestanaveragebackgroundstreamnitrogenconcentrationbetweenabout0.08and0.2mg/Lafteraccountingfortheanthropogenicinfluenceofatmosphericnitrogeninputs.ThisestimateisverysimilartoarangeofnaturalbackgroundnitrateconcentrationestimatesdevelopedbyEcologyforPugetSoundeutrophicationstudies,whichalsoincludedestimatesbasedonnitrogendepositionmeasuredatalocationrelativelyuninfluencedbyhumans(Mohamedalietal.2011aandMohamedalietal.2011b).AnotherpotentialindicationofbackgroundsurfacewaternitrateconcentrationscomesfromdatacollectedbyKingCountyfromGriffinCreek–arelativelyundeveloped,forestedtributarytotheSnoqualmieRiver.TheGriffinCreekbasinispredominantlysecondgrowthconiferousforestwithverylittleagriculturalactivityorhumanhabitation(Wilhelmetal.2013).NitrateconcentrationsmeasuredmonthlyinGriffinCreeksince2011hadasimilarseasonalpatterntoconcentrationsinVashon‐MauryIslandstreams–peakinlatefall/winter,elevatedwinterconcentrationsandlowerconcentrationsduringsummer–buttheoverallconcentrationswerelowerinGriffinCreek(Figure26).
Figure 25. Response of nitrate in shallow groundwater wells to upland land clearing and
agricultural activities.
Note:Pre‐treatment,compositeandpost‐treatmentsampledesignationsetbypublicwatersystem.Forexample,treatmentmayincludechlorination(Source:KingCounty2013a)
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Figure 26. Graph comparing monthly stream nitrate concentrations in Vashon-Maury Island
Creeks with relatively undeveloped Griffin Creek.
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5.0 MARINE WATER Asnotedabove,QuartermasterHarborhasbeenthefocusofseveralpreviousstudiesfocusedonwaterquality,circulationandharmfulalgalblooms(e.g.,Turnbeaugh1976,UniversityofWashington1976,Nishitanietal.1988).ThissectionprovidesanoverviewofavailableinformationonthewaterqualityandcirculationofQuartermasterHarbor.ForacompleteoverviewofmarinewaterqualitydatacollectedbyKingCountyandUWT,thereaderisreferredtoKingCounty(2014).Thesectionsbelowareorganizedasfollows.Thenextsection(Section5.1)discussesinmoredetailthedissolvedoxygenstandardsrelevanttoQuartermasterHarbor.Section5.2providesanoverviewofthephysicalcharacteristicsoftheharbor,includingcirculationandflushingcharacteristics.Section5.3presentsanoverviewoftheavailabledataondissolvedoxygen,nitrogenandphytoplanktonandSection5.4describestheavailabledatadescribingtheroleofsedimentnutrientreleaseanddissolvedoxygendemandintheharbor.Thelastsectionprovidesasynthesisofthecurrentunderstandingoftherelationshipsamongcirculation/flushingandnutrient/phytoplankton/dissolvedoxygendynamicswithanemphasisonthecriticallatesummerperiodwhenharboroxygenconcentrationsaretypicallylowest.
5.1 Water Quality Standards WaterqualitystandardshavebeenadoptedbyWashingtontomeettherequirementsoftheFederalWaterPollutionControlActAmendmentsof1972(lateramendedtobetheCleanWaterAct).16Thesestandardsarefortheprotectionofdesignatedusesofstatewaters,whichincludeusebyaquaticlife,usebyhumansforrecreation,useforwatersupplyandothermiscellaneoususes.Miscellaneoususesincludeuseaswildlifehabitat,harvestingofaquaticlifebyhumansaswellasuseforcommerceandnavigation,boatingandaesthetics.Althougheutrophicationofmarinewatershasthepotentialtoaffectaquaticlife(viadirecteffectsondissolvedoxygenandviaindirecteffectssuchaschangesinphytoplanktoncommunitystructureandpromotionofharmfulalgalblooms),statewaterqualitystandardsfortheprotectionofmarineaquaticlifehaveonlybeenestablishedfordissolvedoxygen(WashingtonAdministrativeCode173‐201A‐210).Theestablishmentofwaterqualitystandardsfordissolvedoxygendifferswithrespecttothedevelopmentofstandardsforsyntheticcontaminantsintwoimportantways(U.S.EPA2000).Onedifferenceisthatlowoxygenconcentrationscanoccurnaturally.Theseconddifferenceisthatwhenlevelsarefoundtobeinfluencedsignificantlybyhumansitiscontrolledindirectlybyreducinghumaninputsofnutrientsand/oroxygendemandingwastes.Thestatemarinedissolvedoxygenstandardforaparticularwaterbodydependsonthecategoryassignedinthestandards(Table2).QuartermasterHarboriscategorizedasExtraordinaryandtheapplicablestandardisthatdissolvedoxygenconcentrationsdonot
16WaterQualityStandardsforSurfaceWatersoftheStateofWashington(revisedJanuary2012):http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0610091.html
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gobelow7.0mg/Lmorethanonceeverytenyears.Whendissolvedoxygenconcentrationsgobelowtheapplicablestandardduetonaturalconditions,thenhumaninfluenceconsideredcumulativelymaynotcausethedissolvedoxygentodecreasemorethan0.2mg/Lbelowthenaturallevel.Thestandardismeanttoapplytothedominantaquatichabitatoftheareaandnottoshallow,stagnant,backwaterareas.AnotherrequirementoftheCleanWaterAct,foundinSection303(d),isthatstatesmustroutinelyperformawaterqualityassessmentofsurfacewatersofthestateusingavailabledataandsubmitalistofimpairedwatersinneedofawatercleanupplan.ThemostrecentstateassessmentapprovedbyEPAinDecember2012placedQuartermasterHarborinCategory5forimpairmentfordissolvedoxygen.Category5isreservedforwaterbodieswhereEcologyhascredibledatathatwaterqualitystandardshavebeenexceededandthereisnowatercleanupplanalreadydeveloped.WaterbodiesdesignatedasCategory5requirethedevelopmentofaWaterQualityImprovementproject.AWaterQualityImprovementprojectcanleadtoaTotalMaximumDailyLoad(TMDL)orleadtoanapproachknownasStraighttoImplementation.17BecausethedataavailablefortheassessmentrepresentcurrentconditionsandnaturalconditionsinQuartermasterHarborcanbepartofthecauseoflowdissolvedoxygen,aWaterQualityImprovementProjectwouldtypicallyrequirethedevelopmentofacalibratedwaterqualitymodeltoestablishifhumaninfluenceondissolvedoxygenconcentrationsisgreaterthan0.2mg/L(e.g.,Robertsetal.2012,Ahmedetal.2013).Table 2. Washington marine dissolved oxygen standards (WAC 173-201A-201).
Category Lowest 1-Day Minimum
Extraordinary 7.0 mg/L
Excellent quality 6.0 mg/L
Good quality 5.0 mg/L
Fair quality 4.0 mg/L
Theallowanceofnomorethana0.2mg/Ldecreaseduetohumaninfluenceispartoftheanti‐degradationpolicyofthestatewaterqualitystandardsintendedtorestoreandmaintainthehighestpossiblequalityofwatersofthestate.Generally,WaterQualityImprovementProjectsorTotalMaximumDailyLoadStudiesbasedoneutrophicationmodelsofthesystemofinterestaredevelopedtoevaluatethecurrentandfutureinfluenceofnutrientinputsfrompointand/ornonpointsourcesondissolvedoxygen(e.g.,Robertsetal.2012).
17EcologyWaterQualityImprovementprocess:http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/tmdl/index.html
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5.2 Physical Characteristics TidesinPugetSound,includingQuartermasterHarbor,areofthemixedsemi‐diurnaltypewithtwohighandtwolowtideseachday.Thetidalrangeisabout3.7m(12ft)betweenmeanhigherhighwater(MHHW)andmeanlowerlowwater(MLLW)(Mofieldetal.2002).18Turnbeaugh(1976)conductedacirculationstudyoftheharborwhichindicatedthatweakestcurrentswerefoundintheinnerharbor.Surfacecurrentspeedsduringmaximumfloodandebbtideweregreatestintheouterharborwithmaximumcurrentspeedsof0.27m/s(0.9ft/s).Turnbeaugh(1976)alsonotedthatalthoughsalinityandtemperaturevariedverticallyatvariouslocationsthroughouttheharbor,consistentwithtwolayerpartially‐mixedestuarinecirculation,longitudinalsalinitydifferenceswererelativelysmall.Thispatterninsalinityistypicalofinnerbaysoflargerestuarieswithrelativelylowfreshwaterinputattheheadofthebay(MacCreadyandBanas2011).Thispatterninlongitudinalsalinity(anddensity)wasalsoobservedduringcruisesconductedbyUWTaspartofthisstudy(Figure27).Ofprimaryinteresttothisstudyistheflushingtimeoftheharbor,whichasnotedpreviouslyisanimportantfactorincreatingfavorableconditionsforphytoplanktonbloomsandlowoxygenconditions(RenselAssociatesandPTI1991).Thehydrodynamicmodeldevelopedforthisstudy(Albertson2013)confirmedthattheinnerharborisrelativelypoorlyflushedinlatesummer(Figure28).Albertson(2013)alsopresentedspatiallyvaryingflushingratesforOctober,whichhighlightedthepoorflushingtimeoftheinnerharbor–averagingabout86daysin2009basedonthemodelresults(Figure29).
5.3 Water Quality Asnotedabove,dissolvedoxygendatacollectedbyKingCountysince2006haveindicatedlowdissolvedoxygenconditionsinQuartermasterHarbor,particularlyinSeptemberandOctober(seeFigure2).Alsonotedabove,andillustratedagainhereisthatcoincidentwithsummeralgalblooms,nitrateconcentrationsfallbelowlaboratorydetectionlimits(Figure30).Figure30alsoillustratesthatnitrateconcentrationsinthemainbasinofPugetSound(hererepresentedbytheKingCountyambientmonitoringstationinEastPassage)rarelyfallbelowlaboratorydetectionlimits–andthentypicallyonlyduringthespringalgalblooms.BottomwaterconcentrationsinEastPassagealsofallbelowtheapplicablestatestandardof7mg/Linlatesummer(toabout5mg/L),butnotnearlyaslowasinQuartermasterHarbor(Figure31).ThefirstobservationsoflowoxygenconcentrationsintheharborwerelikelymadebyTurnbeaugh(1976)whoreportedadissolvedoxygenconcentrationof3.8mg/LinbottomwatersoftheinnerharborinOctober1974.Turnbeaugh’smapindicatesthatthesamplinglocationwherethelowestoxygenconcentrationwasobservedinOctober1974issimilartoKingCounty’sStationMSWH01attheYachtClubintheinnerharbor(Figure31).
18TheelevationoftheNAVD88datumrelativetoMLLWattheBurtontidestationinQuartermasterHarboris0.89m(2.92ft).
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Figure 27. Color contour maps showing the longitudinal distribution of density (sigma-t) in Quartermaster Harbor based on monthly
cruises conducted by UW Tacoma in 2011 (King County 2014).
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Figure 28. Graph showing Quartermaster Harbor flushing times (days) determined for 2009
conditions from the fine resolution hydrodynamic model developed for this study.
Source:Albertson(2013)
Figure 29. Map of the fine resolution hydrodynamic model grid of Quartermaster Harbor
illustrating the predicted October 2009 flushing time (Albertson 2013).
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Figure 30. Time series plots comparing surface water concentrations of chlorophyll a and nitrate nitrogen and bottom water concentrations of dissolved oxygen at A) the Yacht Club and at B) East Passage from 2006 through 2012.
Note:Redtrianglesinthecenterpanelrepresentnitrateconcentrationsthatwerebelowthelaboratorydetectionlimitof0.02mg/L.Thestatestandardfordissolvedoxygenisshownasadashedredlineinthebottompanel.
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Figure 31. Map showing marine monitoring stations sampled by King County and UWT as part of
this study.
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Figure31illustratesthelocationsofKingCountyandUWTmooringandmonthlymonitorstationssampledaspartofthisstudy.ThereaderisreferredtothemarinemonitoringreportforadetailedoverviewofwaterqualityconditionsinQuartermasterHarbor(KingCounty2014).Inthisreport,theKingCountymooringdatacollectedatDockton(NSAJ02)andtheYachtClub(MSWH01)(at15minuterecordingintervals)areusedtofurtherhighlightthepatternsinlowdissolvedoxygenintheinnerharbor(Figure32).Amooredmulti‐sensorprobewasdeployedinitiallyattheQuartermasterHarborYachtClubalongwithaweatherstationduringSeptember2008.Themooringwassuspendedfromafloatonthewatersurface.Thedissolvedoxygendatafromthisrelativelyshortdeploymentindicatedthatdissolvedoxygenlevelsintheinnerharborwoulddeclineprecipitouslynearmidnightandremainlow(1to2mg/L)untilmorning.Theserelativelyextremedissolvedoxygenexcursionsweremissedbytheroutinemonthlysamplingatthesamelocation,whichonlytakesplaceduringtheday.ThemooringandweatherstationweremovedtoDocktonin2009.TheDocktonmooringwasfixedtoamarinapilingandthereforesampleddifferentdepthsofwateroverthetidalcycles,butbecausethesensorrecordeddepth,italsorecordedchangesintidalelevation(andtheoccasionaltsunamiwave).AlthoughminimumdissolvedoxygenconcentrationswereobservedinSeptemberandOctoberatDockton(typicallyabout4mg/L),extremelylowoxygenlevelswerenotrecorded(Figure32).In2011,themooringattheYachtClubwasre‐establishedandthemoreextremeexcursionsinlatesummer/falldissolvedoxygenlevelswereobservedagain(Figure32).Togetabettersenseoftheconditionsprecedingtheseevents,theavailabledatawereexaminedmoreclosely.Timeseriesplotsshowingtwotothreeweeksofdatasuggestthattheseeventsaretypifiedbyperiodswithdiurnalwindschangingfromrelativelystrongnortherlywindsduringthedaytolightsoutherlywindsduringthenightwithmany,butnotall,episodesoccurringduringlowerlowtides(Figure33andFigure34).SalinityalsoincreasesattheYachtClubduringtheselowdissolvedoxygenevents,whichismostapparentinFigure34.Thissuggeststhattheepisodesofextremelylowdissolvedoxygenareassociatedwitheventsrelatedtowindsfromthenorthduringthislatesummerperiod.Sustainedperiodsofwindsfromthesoutharenotassociatedwithlowdissolvedoxygenepisodesintheinnerharborduringthissameperiod(seeFigure33).Itshouldbenotedthatdiurnalwindsarealsoassociatedwithclearsunnyweatheratthistimeofyearandsustainedsoutherlywindsareassociatedwithstorms.LatesummerlowdissolvedoxygenattheheadsoffjordswithlittlefreshwaterinflowhavebeenobservedinDabobBay(inPugetSound)andinBritishColumbiamainlandfjords(Pickard1961,Kollmeyer1965,Ebbesmeyer1973).Whatisstilluncleariswherethewaterwithsuchlowdissolvedoxygenconcentrationsoriginatesfrom.ThesubsurfacedissolvedoxygenlevelsmeasuredatDocktonhavealsoindicatedexcursionsinthemooringandgrabdatatoconcentrationsnear2mg/L.Itispossiblethatwaterwithverylowdissolvedoxygenoccursnearthebottomintheouterharborthatisupwelledintotheinnerduringtheseepisodes,itisalsopossiblethatthereis
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Figure 32. Time series plots of King County continuous mooring (Dockton and Yacht Club) and
weather (Dockton) data collected by King County in Quartermaster Harbor since late 2008.
Note:Windspeed/directionandsolarradiationdatawerecollectedatDockton.TheDocktonmooringisfixedtoapierpilingsothedepthofthesensorsvariesoverthetidalcycle.ThesecondpanelfromthetopplotsthedepthovertimeofthemooringatDockton.ThemooringattheYachtClubissuspendedfromafloatapproximately1mbelowthewatersurface.
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Figure 33. Time series plots of King County continuous mooring (Dockton and Yacht Club) and
weather (Dockton) data collected by King County in Quartermaster Harbor during periods of low dissolved oxygen at the Yacht Club in September 2012.
Note:Verticalblue‐dottedlinesprovidedasavisualorientationtotheconditionsproceedingandfollowingselectedlowdissolvedoxygeneventsobservedintheinnerharbor.Windspeed/directionandsolarradiationdatawerecollectedatDockton.TheDocktonmooringisfixedtoapierpilingsothedepthofthesensorsvariesoverthetidalcycle.ThesecondpanelfromthetopplotsthedepthovertimeofthemooringatDockton.ThemooringattheYachtClubissuspendedfromafloatapproximately1mbelowthewatersurface.
Windfromsouth WindfromnorthSustainedhigherwindsfromnorth
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Figure 34. Time series plots of King County continuous mooring (Dockton and Yacht Club) and
weather (Dockton) data collected by King County in Quartermaster Harbor during periods of low dissolved oxygen at the Yacht Club in October 2013.
Note:Verticalblue‐dottedlinesprovidedasavisualorientationtotheconditionsproceedingandfollowingselectedlowdissolvedoxygeneventsobservedintheinnerharbor.Windspeed/directionandsolarradiationdatawerecollectedatDockton.TheDocktonmooringisfixedtoapierpilingsothedepthofthesensorsvariesoverthetidalcycle.ThesecondpanelfromthetopplotsthedepthovertimeofthemooringatDockton.ThemooringattheYachtClubissuspendedfromafloatapproximately1mbelowthewatersurface.
Windfromsouth Windfromnorth
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alayeroflowdissolvedoxygennearthebottomoftheinnerharbor,oraportionoftheinnerharbor,thatremainsdistinctunderconditionsoflowtidalamplitudetypicalofthistimeofyearand/orminimalmixingbyweakwindsfromthesouth.
5.4 Harmful Algal Blooms Asnotedpreviously,thetoxinproducingdinoflagellateAlexandriumcatenellahasbeenobservedininnerQuartermasterHarbor(Nishitanietal.1988).PhytoplanktonanalysesconductedbyKingCountyandUWTalsonotedthefrequentoccurrenceofAlexandriuminQuartermasterHarbor,typicallybetweenAugustandNovember(KingCounty2014).Infact,QuartermasterHarborhasthedistinctionofhavingthehighestconcentrationofAlexandriumcystsinsedimentssampledthroughoutPugetSoundin2005(Horneretal.2011).Cystsarearestingstageandarethoughttoprovidetheseedforinitialbloomsunderfavorableenvironmentalconditions(Coxetal.2008).WashingtonStateDepartmentofHealthmonitorstoxinlevelsinshellfishthroughoutPugetSoundandclosesshellfishbedstoharvestingwhentoxinlevelsexceedsafelimitsforhumanconsumption.QuartermasterHarborisaninitiationsiteforthesetoxicbloomsandisfrequentlyclosedduetoPSP(Horneretal.2011).Nishitanietal.(1988)alsonotedthatAlexandriuminQuartermasterHarborexhibitedadiurnalmigrationpattern,migratingdownwardintheeveningandthenreturningtotheupperwatercolumnbymorning.Perhapsitispossiblethatmotilephytoplanktonintheinnerharborduringlatesummer/fallmaybeinvolvedinthedevelopmentofalowoxygenlayeralongthebottomoftheinnerharbor.AlexandriumisnottheonlyharmfulalgalspeciesinQuartermasterHarbor.PhytoplanktonmonitoringindicatesthatalargebloomofHeterosigmaakashiwo,amotilerhaphidophytethatcanbetoxictofishandpossiblyotherwildlife(Rensel2007)wasobservedinQuartermasterHarborinSeptember2011(KingCounty2014).AnotherbloomwasobservedinJulyof2013thatwasattributedasthecauseofafishkillobservedatthesametimebyFrankJackson,anislandresident.AnotherpotentiallyharmfulphytoplanktonspeciesobservedinQuartermasterHarboristhedinoflagellateNoctilucascintillans,whichoftenresultsinastrongpinkishredororangediscolorationwhichmakesthewaterlookliketomato‐soup.InthePacificNorthwest,thisspeciesdoesnotappeartoproducetoxinsandisn’tassociatedwithharmfuleffects,althoughwhenlargebloomsstarttodecaytheycandepletewatercolumnoxygenconcentrations(PugetSoundActionTeam2007).AlargebloomwasnotedthroughouttheinnerandouterharborinSeptember2010.Whatisparticularlyinterestingaboutthisspeciesisthatitisnotphotosynthetic,butratherheterotrophic,feedingonotherphytoplankton,protozoans,detritus,andfisheggs.
5.5 Sediment Nutrient and Dissolved Oxygen Flux AstudyconductedbyEcologytosupportthedevelopmentofthewaterqualitymodelofSouthPugetSoundfoundthatnutrientfluxesfrommarinesedimentsofshallowembaymentsmaybeasignificantsourceofnitrogentomarinewatersduringthecritical
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periodoflowdissolvedoxygen(Robertsetal.2008).BasedonthedataprovidedinRobertsetal.(2008),themarinesedimentsofQuartermasterHarbormayalsobearelativelysignificantsourceofnutrientstoQuartermasterHarborduringthecriticalperiodoflowdissolvedoxygen(KingCounty2010e).KingCounty(2010e)recommendedconductingabenthicnutrientfluxstudyinQuartermasterHarbortoconfirmtheratesmeasuredinothershallowembaymentsofPugetSoundandprovidesite‐specificdataforuseinthedevelopmentofmoreaccuratesedimentnutrientloadingestimatesfortheharbor.ThedetailsoftheQuartermasterHarborsedimentnutrientreleasestudyareprovidedinKingCounty(2012c).Fivestationswereoccupiedforanapproximate24‐hrperiodinSeptember2010(Figure35).TheresultsweresimilartotherangeofresultsreportedbytherecentstudyconductedinfourSouthPugetSoundembaymentsthatusedthesameequipmentandmethods(Robertsetal.2008).Therewasadistinctgradientintheresultswiththegreatestsedimentoxygendemandandnutrientfluxobservedattheshallowestlocationintheinnerharbor(Table3).Lowestnutrientrelease(andlowestsedimentoxygendemand)wasestimatedforthedeepeststationintheouterharbor.Thisstationalsohadverylittlefinesedimentandthelowestamountofsedimenttotalorganiccarbon.Highestnutrientrelease(andhighestsedimentoxygendemand)wasobservedatthestationlocatedintheinnermostportionoftheinnerharbor.Sedimentcharacteristicsatthisstation,andattheotherthreestationswithmoderatenutrientreleaseratesandsedimentoxygendemand,weredominatedbyfinesandhadsimilarlevelsofsedimentorganiccarbon,totalnitrogenandsulfide(Table3).Becausesedimentsmayprovidealong‐termreservoir(i.e.,internalsource)ofnitrogenforphytoplanktongrowththatcoulddelaytheresponseoftheharbortonitrogenloadingreductionfromhumansources,additionalstudiesofsedimentnutrientfluxmaybewarranted.
5.6 Synthesis Similartothedifficultyofdeterminingtheconcentrationsofnitrateinstreamsandgroundwaterpriortohumandisturbance,therearenohistoricalobservationsavailablefordeterminingthenaturalnutrient‐phytoplankton‐oxygendynamicsofQuartermasterHarbor.Itappearsthatlowoxygenconcentrationshaveoccurredintheinnerharboratleastsincethemid‐1970s.InordertoaddressthequestionofhowthetrophicstateoftheharborhaschangedsinceitsdiscoverybytheWilkesexpedition,thereappeartobeatleasttwoindependentapproaches.OneapproachwouldbetocollectandanalyzesedimentcoresfromtheharborandconductanalysessimilartothoseusedbyBrandenbergeretal.(2008)toreconstructthehistoryofhypoxiainthemainbasinofPugetSoundandHoodCanal.Thesecondapproachwouldbetodevelopandcalibrateanutrient‐phytoplankton‐oxygenmodeloftheharborandevaluatenitrogenreductionscenariostoestimatetherelativehumaninfluenceonharbordissolvedoxygenresourcesandperhapstheeffectsofhumanactivityonthefrequencyandseverityofharmfulalgalbloomsintheharbor.
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Figure 35. Map showing locations of benthic nutrient flux chambers.
Note:Bathymetriccontours(5‐ftintervals;NAVD1988)basedondatafromFinlayson(2005)areshowntoillustrateexpectedbottomtopographyateachsamplingstation.
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Table 3. Comparison of dissolved oxygen and nutrient flux estimates to surface sediment (0-2 cm) chemistry measured in the vicinity of each benthic flux chamber.
Sediment Data Flux Data
Station %Fines %TOC TN NH3‐N TS DO DIN Ortho‐P
DSi
% mg kg‐1 dry sediment g m‐2 d‐1
MSVK01 QMH‐A
76 2.8 2,460 14.3 404 1.72 0.15 0.04 0.996
MSXM01 QMH‐B
68 2.0 1,970 17.9 717 0.72 0.06 0.01 0.219
NSAJ03 QMH‐C
75 2.5 2,280 9.2 935 0.64 0.05 0.0 0.079
MSZF01 QMH‐D
75 2.1 2,030 11.5 1,010 0.95 0.01 0.0 0.019
NSCE01 QMH‐E
19 0.5 458 5.2 21.7 0.16 ‐0.01 0.0 0.014
SedimentdatafromKingCounty(unpublished)TOC=TotalOrganicCarbon,TN=TotalNitrogen,NH‐3=AmmoniaNitrogen,TS=TotalSulfide,DO=DissolvedOxygen,Ortho‐P=OrthophosphatePhosphorus,DSi=DissolvedSilicaThefirstapproachmaybeconsideredsomewhatlimited,becauseitdoesnotdirectlyaddresstheanti‐degradationstandardofnomorethana0.2mg/Leffectonoxygenlevelsduetohumanactivity.Inotherword,thesedimentreconstructionapproachwouldnotresolvesmallchangesinthetrophicstateoftheharbor,butitmightprovidesomeinsightastowhetherthechangeswerelargeorsmall.ThesecondapproachbasedonthedevelopmentandcalibrationofeutrophicationmodelshasprovidedanestimateofthepotentialhumaninfluenceondissolvedoxygeninPugetSound(Ahmedetal.2013,Robertsetal.2013)andinBuddInlet(Robertsetal.2012).However,themechanismsthatresultintheextremelylowoxygenconcentrationsinQuartermasterHarborappeartobemorecomplicatedthanassumedinthesemodelingeffortsduetothepresenceofharmfulalgalspecies.Thecomplicationsassociatedwithmodelingharmfulalgaehavebeenhighlightedinanumberofpublications(Horneretal.1997,SmaydaandReynolds2001,Andersonetal.2002,Gilbertetal.2005).Ingeneral,thereappeartobeamultitudeoffactorsthatpotentiallycontributetotheresponseofaparticularstrainofaharmfulspeciestohumandisturbance,includingincreasednutrientloading.Perhapsofevenmorerelevanceisthelackofassociationofepisodesoflowdissolvedoxygenlevelswithfishkills.FishkillshavebeenobservedinQuartermasterHarbor,butthesefishkillsappeartobeassociatedwiththeoccurrenceofharmfultypesofalgae.Thesuggestionisthatthefocuswithrespecttobeneficialusesoftheharbormightbetterbedirectedprimarilytowardunderstandingthefactorsinfluencingharmfulalgalbloomsand
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secondarilyatconcernsregardingdissolvedoxygen,althoughsomeresearchhasactuallysuggestedthatanoxicsedimentsmaybeaprerequisiteforinitiationofsomeharmfulalgalblooms(SmaydaandPackard1979).
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6.0 NITROGEN LOADING Initialestimatesofnutrientloadingfromtributarystreams,groundwater,nearshoresepticsystems,atmosphericdepositionandsedimentstoQuartermasterHarborwerereportedbyKingCounty(2010e).Sincethattime,additionalstreamandgroundwaterqualitydatawerecollected(KingCounty2013a)andastudyofsedimentnutrientfluxinQuartermasterHarborwasconducted(KingCounty2012c).Furthermore,noinitialestimatewasdevelopedfortheinputofnutrientsviatidalandestuarineexchangeflowthroughtheharborentrance.Also,asaresultofpresentationsandpublicmeetings,interestinquantifyingtheimportanceofinputsfromboatsmooredintheharborwasalsoexpressed.Thesub‐sectionsbelowsummarizethecurrentbestestimatesofdissolvedinorganicnitrogen(DIN)loadingtotheharborfocusingonthecriticalseason(definedhereasOctober)loadingtotheharborasawholeandspecificallytotheinnerharbor.Dissolvedinorganicnitrogenreferstothesumofnitrateandammonianitrogen.Ingeneral,nitrateisthedominantformofinorganicnitrogeninfreshandmarinewaterandammonianitrogenistheformofnitrogenreleasedfrommarinesediments.Formoredetailedinformationonthesourcesofdataandmethodsusedtoestimatenutrientloadingtotheharbor,otherthanthosedescribedbelow,thereaderisreferredtoKingCounty(2010e).
6.1 Groundwater Theinitialestimateofgroundwaterflowtotheharborwasrevisedbasedonincorporationofadditionalyearsofwaterbalancedataforthedrainagebasin(basedonstreamflowandprecipitationdatacollectedthrough2010).DetailsoftheapproachusedareoutlinesinKingCounty(2012c)andarebasedonarelativelysimplewaterbalanceapproachsimilartothatusedbyPaulsonetal(2007)toestimategroundwaterinputtoHoodCanal.Theupdatedgroundwaterrechargeestimateis16cfs(Table4).ThisestimateisfairlyconsistentwithanindependentestimateprovidedbytheUSGSregionalaquifer‐systemanalysis(RASA)modelof18.6cfs(Vaccaroetal.1998).Table 4. Water balance-based estimate of recharge in the Quartermaster Harbor drainage
basin.
A: Precipitation 49.3 in
B:ET 20 in
C: Runoff 14.9 in
D: Consumptive Use 0.4 in
E = A – B – C – D
E: Recharge 14.0 in
Recharge = 16 cfs
ET = Evapotranspiration
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RechargeinitiallyenterstheShallowAquifer,whichappearstointersectprimarilywiththeinnerharbor(seeFigure19).ItisassumedherethatalloftherechargeisdischargedtoQuartermasterandthathalfisdeliveredtotheinnerharborandtheotherhalftotheouterharbor.ItisunlikelythatalloftherechargeisdischargedfromtheShallowAquifertoQuartermasterHarborasaportionlikelyrechargestheDeepAquifersystem.Inotherwords,theestimateofrechargeintheQuartermasterHarbordrainagebasinmaybefairlyaccurate,buttheestimateoftheamountofgroundwaterrechargethatdischargestoQuartermasterHarbor(andhowthedischargeisdistributed)ishighlyuncertainatthistime.PendingfurtherrefinementsthatincluderechargeoftheDeepAquiferandtheamountanddistributionofgroundwaterinputtotheinnerandouterharbor,thecurrentestimateof16cfsisconsideredtobeanapproximateupperboundforthesubmarinegroundwaterinputtoQuartermasterHarbor.Althoughtheinitialharbornitrogenloadingestimateincludedanestimateofnitrogenloadingfromgroundwaterinputtotheharbor(KingCounty2010e),otherresearchhashighlightedthedifficulty(anduncertainty)inextrapolatinggroundwaterloadingestimatesfromnutrientmeasurementsmadeinwatersupplyandgroundwatermonitoringwells(Pitz2009).AlthoughtheestimatedannualrechargeandmeanShallowAquifernitrateconcentrationbasedonwelldatadescribedabovecouldbeusedtoestimategroundwaternitrateloadingtotheharbor(16cfsx0.7mg/Lx2.45conversionfactor~=27kgNperday),thisisassumedtobeaworst‐caseupperboundestimateratherthananapproximatebestestimateofgroundwaternitrogenloading(Pitz2011).Withtheexceptionofinputsfromvisiblenearshoreseepsthatareassumedtocaptureinputsfromnearshoresepticsystemsthatareaccountedforbelow,submarinegroundwaterinputisassumedtotravelthroughmarinesedimentswheredenitrificationofgroundwaternitratewouldreduceoreliminatenitratedeliveredtotheharborviagroundwater.
6.2 Marine Boundary BecauseupwellingwatersofftheWashingtoncoastarerichininorganicnitrogenandhavebeenfoundtobeasignificantsourceofnitrogentoPugetSoundandHoodCanal(CopeandRoberts2013,Robertsetal.2013),asimilarestimateforthecontributionofnitrogenfromPugetSoundthroughtheentranceofQuartermasterHarborisdevelopedbelow.Twoindependentapproacheswereusedfocusingon2009,theyearuponwhichtheQuartermasterHarborhydrodynamicmodelwasdevelopedandtested(Albertson2013).Thefirstmethodreliedonthedevelopmentofatwo‐layersalinitymassbalanceoftheharborusingthemonthlysalinityprofilingdatacollectedbyUWT,similartothatusedbySteinbergetal.(2010)forHoodCanal.FollowingSteinbergetal.(2010),thesalinitymassbalancewascalculatedasfollows:QSF=QUP+QFW,andQSF*SSF=QUP*SUP+QFW*SFW
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WhereQisflow,Sissalinity,andthesubscriptsSF,UPandFWrepresentthesurfacelayer,upwellingwaterandfreshwaterinputs,respectively.Theseequationsaresolvedfortheupwellingflow(QUP):QUP=QFW/(SUP/SSF–1)UpwellingDINloadcanthenbecalculatedfromtheupwellingDINconcentration(DINUP)andtheupwellingflow(QUP).BothmethodsreliedonthesurfaceandbottominorganicnitrogendatacollectedbyUWT.ThesalinityprofilesfromtheCTDcastsforstations51through56wereaveragedintosurface(0‐3m)andbottom(>3m)(3misanapproximateaveragedepthofthepycnoclineintheharbor)foreachstationandthenthesevalueswereusedtocalculateavolume‐weightedaverageofsurfaceandbottomsalinityintheharborforeachmonth.Thesurfaceandbottominorganicnitrogendatawerealsousedtocalculateavolume‐weightedharbormeansurfaceandbottominorganicnitrogenconcentration.Totalfreshwaterinflowfor2009wasbasedonthesumofmonthlymeanJuddandFishercreekflows(MiletaCreekflowwasnotmeasuredin2009)plusflowfromtheungaugeddrainagearea,whichwasbasedonscalingfromthegaugedtotheungaugeddrainagearea.Inadditiontoanestimateofsurfacewaterinputtotheharbor,anestimateofgroundwaterinputbasedonthewaterbalanceapproachpresentedinKingCounty(2010e),butupdatedwithdatathrough2010.ThemarineboundarynitrogenloadingestimatesfortheharborasawholeandfortheinnerharborarepresentedinTable5andTable6,respectively.Unfortunately,UWTdidnotconductsamplinginOctober2009,sothemarineboundaryloadingestimatewasbasedontheaverageloadingcalculatedforSeptemberandNovember.Ingeneral,theestimatedupwellingflowandnitratefluxvariedovertheyearinresponsetovariationsinfreshwaterinflow,differencesinsurfaceandbottomwatersalinityandbottomwaternitrateconcentrations.EstimatedupwellingnitratefluxwaslowestduringApriltoJunewhenthedifferencebetweensurfaceandbottomsalinitywasgreatest.ThemarineboundaryDINloadingestimatesfortheharborasawholeandfortheinnerharborinOctoberare1,305and1,416kg/d,respectively.ThesecondmethodreliedontheobservedandmodeledresidualflowestimatespresentedbyAlbertson(2013).TheseresidualflowestimatesincludedanestimatebasedoncurrentmeterdeploymentsconductedinOctober2009(KingCounty2009c)andmodelestimatesbasedonafineandcoarseresolutionhydrodynamicmodelgrid(Albertson2013).Theseestimatesweremadeforatransectacrosstheouterharbor(Figure36).TheestimatedmarineboundaryDINinputtotheharborinOctober2009basedontheresidualflowestimatesrangedfrom1,320to2,000kg/d(Table7),whichareinreasonablygoodagreementwiththeestimatesderivedfromthefirstapproach,particularlytheestimatesbasedoncurrentmeterdataandtheresultsfromthefineresolutiongridhydrodynamicmodel.
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Table 5. Salinity box model results for monthly marine boundary inorganic nitrogen inputs to
Quartermaster Harbor.
SSF SUP Q sw Q gw QFW QUP DINUP DINUP
psu cfs mg/L kg/d
Jan ‐ ‐ 39.9 16 55.9 ‐ ‐ ‐
Feb 29.1 29.5 10.6 " 26.6 1,935 0.216 1,024
Mar 28.9 29.4 17.2 " 33.2 1,919 0.447 2,102
Apr 27.2 29.4 15.7 " 31.7 392 0.527 506
May 27.5 29.4 16.2 " 32.2 466 0.421 481
Jun 28.2 29.2 5.6 " 21.6 609 0.323 482
Jul 29.3 29.7 4.1 " 20.1 1,472 0.324 1,168
Aug 29.7 30.1 3.9 " 19.9 1,478 0.700 2,535
Sep 30.2 30.5 4.6 " 20.6 2,074 0.328 1,667
Oct ‐ ‐ 8.1 " 24.1 ‐ ‐ (1,300)
Nov 29.9 30.4 27.0 " 43.0 2,571 0.148 932
Dec ‐ ‐ 16.5 " 32.5 ‐ ‐ ‐ aValueinparenthesesisanaverageoftheestimatedloadinginSeptemberandNovember.Table 6. Salinity box model results for monthly marine boundary inorganic nitrogen inputs to
inner Quartermaster Harbor.
SSF SUP Q sw Q gw QFW QUP DINUP DINNUP
psu cfs mg/L kg/d
Jan ‐ ‐ 19.2 8 27.2 ‐ ‐ ‐
Feb 29.3 29.4 4.8 " 12.8 3,750 0.346 3,179
Mar 28.2 28.6 8.2 " 16.2 1,142 0.005 14
Apr 28.2 29.5 7.5 " 15.5 336 0.000 0
May 26.6 29.4 7.7 " 15.7 149 0.000 0
Jun 28.1 28.9 2.4 " 10.4 365 0.000 0
Jul 29.3 29.5 1.8 " 9.8 1,436 0.080 281
Aug 29.6 29.9 1.7 " 9.7 957 0.060 141
Sep 30.2 30.4 2.1 " 10.1 1,525 0.440 1,644
Oct ‐ ‐ 3.6 " 11.6 ‐ ‐ (1,416)a
Nov 29.3 30.1 13.0 " 21.0 769 0.630 1,187
Dec ‐ ‐ 7.8 " 15.8 ‐ ‐ ‐
aValueinparenthesesisanaverageoftheestimatedloadinginSeptemberandNovember.Table 7. Marine boundary inorganic nitrogen input to Quartermaster Harbor in October 2009
based on residual flow estimates provided by Albertson (2013).
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Landward flux DINUP DINUP
m3/s cfs mg/L kg/d
Current meter data 65 2,295 0.238 1,338
Modeled
Fine grid 64 2,260 0.238 1,318
Coarse grid 97 3,426 0.238 1,998
AlthoughtheestimateoflatesummerDINfluxtotheharborasawholeappearsreasonablebasedontheconsistencybetweenthetworelativelyindependentcalculationmethods,theestimatefortheinnerharborshouldbeviewedwithcautionforanumberofreasons.Forone,therelativelyhighexchangeflowestimatedfortheinnerharborinOctoberseemstobeatoddswiththeverylowflushingratepredictedbythemodel(seeFigure29),whichindicatedameanflushingtimeofover80daysfortheinnerharbor.Theinnerharboralso
Figure 36. Map showing locations of bottom-mounted acoustic doppler current profilers.
doesnotappeartobestronglystratifiedinOctober(noristherestoftheharbor).Atthistimeofyear,thesalinityinPugetSound,andbyextensioninQuartermasterHarbor,isuniformlyhighduetolowfreshwaterinputnotonlyinQuartermasterHarbor,but
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throughoutPugetSound.Inaddition,thegroundwaterestimateincludedinthecalculationofQFWishighlyuncertainandthefluxestimateissensitivetothefreshwaterflowestimate.Usinghalfor1.5timestheassumedgroundwaterinflowof8cfschangedtheestimatedinnerharborDINboundaryfluxfrom980to1,855kg/d.
6.3 Marine Vessels SincetheUniversityofWashington(1976)studyofQuartermasterHarborwasinitiatedbecause“…aconcernbylocalresidentswas,andstillis,thatovernightboatusehasbeencreatingdetrimentaleffectsonthequalityofQuartermasterHarborbythedumpingofsewageintoharborwaters,”itisnosurprisethatnitrogeninputsfromharborvesselswasexpressedasaconcernduringpublicmeetingsandpresentationsforthisproject.Ideally,toestimateinorganicnitrogeninputsfromboats,onewouldnotonlyhavedailycountingofalloccupiedvesselsintheharbor,butalsothenumberofpeopleonboardandwhetherornottheydischargesanitarywastetotheharbor.Informationascompleteasthisisnotcurrentlyavailable,butinformationisavailableforthenumberofboatslipsintheinnerandouterharbor(Toy2010).Basedontheassumptionthatthereare160boatsintheinnerharborand50boatsintheouterharbor(Toy2010),thattherearetwopeopleoneachboatandthateachpersonreleases6.4kgDINeachyear(Whiley2010),andthat20vesselsonanyparticulardayareoccupiedresultsinanestimatedDINloadof1.6kg/dtotheharborfromuntreatedvesseldischarges.Ifall210oftheboatswereoccupiedonanygivenday,andwastesweredischargeduntreated,theestimatedDINloadwouldbe8.4kg/d.
6.4 Nearshore Septic Systems TheinitialestimateofDINloadingfromnearshoresepticsystemswasupdatedwithimprovedinformationandsimilarassumptionsasfollows.Itwasassumedthattherewere539septicsystems(identifiedasoccupiedparcelsadjacenttotheshoreline)servinganaveragehouseholdsizeof2.4peoplereleasing6.4kgDINperyear.ItwasassumedthatthesesystemsprovidedminimaltreatmentbasedonstudiesofnearshoresepticsystemsalongHoodCanal(Atieh2008,Atiehetal.2008).TheDINloadingestimatefromnearshoresepticsystemswasreducedby10percenttoestimateultimateloadingtotheharbor.ThisamountofattenuationisassumedtoberatherconservativebasedonadditionalevaluationofnearshorenitrogeninputstoHoodCanal(CopeandRoberts2013).TheseassumptionsresultinanestimatedDINloadingof19.1kg/dfromnearshoresepticsystems–consideredanupperboundestimate.Basedonanestimateof185systemsreleasingDINtotheinnerharborandthesameassumptionsregardingloadingtothesystemandattenuation,theestimatedDINloadingtotheinnerharborfromnearshoresepticsystemsis6.7kg/d–alsoconsideredtobeanupperboundestimate.
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6.5 Surface Water BasedonthemethodsanddatapresentedinKingCounty(2010e),butusingupdateflowandwaterqualitydataforJudd,FisherandMiletaCreekthrough2010,thecurrentestimateofDINloadingtotheharborfromsurfacedrainagetotheharborasawholeis15.9kg/dand9.0kg/dtotheinnerharborinOctober.AlthoughDINloadingfromgroundwaterwasestimatedintheinitialloadingsreport(KingCounty2010e),itiscurrentlyconsideredtobesohighlyuncertainandlikelycapturedalreadyinthesurfacewaterandnearshoresepticloadingestimates.TheestimateofgroundwaterrechargeisusedintheestimateoftotalfreshwaterflowtotheharbortoestimatethemarineboundaryDINinput.
6.6 Atmospheric Deposition ThedataandmethodsusedtoestimateatmosphericdepositionaredocumentedinKingCounty(2010e).TheestimatedDINinputfromatmosphericdepositiontotheharborwasupdatedusingdatathrough2010.TheestimateddepositionofDINtothesurfaceofQuartermasterHarborinOctoberis4.1kg/d.Theestimateddepositiontotheinnerharboris1.1kg/d.
6.7 Benthic Flux Marinesedimentscanbeasignificantsourceofnutrientstothewatercolumndependingonthecharacterofthesedimentandconditionsintheoverlyingwater.BenthicnutrientfluxeshavebeenrecognizedasasignificantcomponentoftheoverallnutrientbudgetinpreviousstudiesofSouthPugetSoundembaymentswherelowdissolvedoxygenlevelsareofconcern(Robertsetal.2008).BasedonmeasurementsmadeinQuartermasterHarboraspartofthisstudy(seeTable3)itisassumedthatthatinnerandouterharborDINfluxfromthesedimentsis0.10and0.02gm‐2d‐1,whichresultsinaharbor‐wideDINsedimentfluxof400kg/dandafluxintheinnerharborof360kg/d.
6.8 Synthesis AsnotedintheinitialloadingestimatesthatincludedsedimentnutrientfluxesbasedondatacollectedfromothershallowembaymentsinPugetSound(Robertsetal.2008),sedimentnutrientreleaseinlatesummerduringthecriticaloxygenperiodappearstobemuchlargerthanallotherquantifiedsources,withthepossibleexceptionofinorganicnitrogendeliveredfromPugetSoundthroughthemarineboundary(Table8andFigure37).Ingeneral,thereremainsagreatdealofuncertaintyintheestimatesofnitrogenloadingtotheharbor,withthepossibleexceptionoftheestimateofloadingfromsurfacerunoff.Althoughthereisuncertaintyassociatedwiththeestimatedinputofnitrogenfromatmosphericdepositionandmarinevessels,theirrelativecontributiontotheharborappearstobesmall.
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Table 8. Summary of estimated DIN inputs to Quartermaster Harbor in October.
Quartermaster Harbor (Total)
Outer Harbor Inner Harbor
kg DIN d‐1
Marine boundary a 2,700 a 1,300 1,400
Sediment flux 400 40 360
Surface flow 15.9 6.9 9
Nearshore septics 19.1 12.4 6.7
Atmospheric deposition 4.1 3.0 1.1
Marine vessels b 1.6 0.8 0.8 aItisassumedherethatthemarineboundaryfluxestimatesfortheouterandinnerharborareindependentandthatthesumequalsthetotalmarinefluxtotheharbor.Thisisassumedtobeanupperboundestimate.bAssumesall10vesselsdischargingsanitarywastearelocatedintheinnerharborand10vesselsarelocatedintheouterharbor.
Figure 37. Bar chart illustrating the relative contribution of DIN to Quartermaster Harbor in
October, the critical period when dissolved oxygen concentrations are typically lowest.
Note:Thetotalheightofthebarindicatestheloadingratetotheentireharbor.
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Inputsfromnearshoresepticsystemsareparticularlydifficulttomeasuredirectlyandeffectivenessofanyparticularsystemtoremovenitrogenisdependentonlocalsoilandgroundwaterconditions.MoresophisticatedandintensivefieldstudiessimilartothoseusedtoevaluatenearshoreinputstoHoodCanalmaybeneededtobetterestimateinputsfromgroundwaterandnearshoresepticsystems(e.g.,Swarzenskietal.2007,Simmondsetal.2008).Althoughsitespecificmeasurementsofbenthicnutrientfluxweremadeaspartofthisstudy,measurementsweremadeatasinglepointintimeusingarelativelysimplesamplingapproach.SheibleyandPaulson(2013)havereviewedtheavailabledataandtechniquesusedtomeasurebenthicnutrientfluxesinPugetSound,whichmayleadtofurtherimprovementsinmethodsanddatainthefuture.TheestimatedinputofnitrogentoQuartermasterHarborviathemarineentranceboundarywithPugetSoundappearstobethelargestsourceofnitrogentotheharborduringthecriticallatesummerperiodfordissolvedoxygen.ThisisconsistentwithestimatesforPugetSoundasawholeandforotherembaymentswithrestrictedcirculationduringthistimeofyear(e.g.,HoodCanal/LynchCove)(CopeandRoberts2013,Robertsetal.2013).Theestimatefortheharborasawholeissomewhatuncertain,butseemstobereasonablebasedonthesimilarityofestimatesderivedfromcurrentmeterdata,hydrodynamicmodeloutputandasimplemodelbasedonasalinitybalance.Theestimatedmarineinputtotheinnerharborissomewhatlesscertain–ithasonlybeenestimatedusingthesalinityboxmodel.
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7.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Basedonhistoricaldataandinformationcollectedaspartofthisstudy,itappearsthathumanactivityonVashon‐MauryIslandhasresultedinelevatedsurfaceandgroundwaterconcentrationsofnitrogen,particularlyasnitrate.IncreasesobservedintheShallowAquiferhavenotexceededthedrinkingwaterMCLof10mg/LandconcentrationsappeartovarytosomedegreeinrelationtosusceptibilitytocontaminationbasedontheCARAdesignations.StreambaseflownitrateconcentrationsinlatesummerappeartointegratethepatchinessinobservedShallowAquifernitrateconcentrationsandwouldprovideabasisformakingafirstapproximationestimateoftherelativehumancontributionfromuplandsourcestonitrogeninputstoQuartermasterHarbor.Itisuncertaintowhatextentanyparticularsourcecontributestoelevatednitrateconcentrationsinislandfreshwatersystems,butsourcesincludeonsitesepticsystems,applicationofnitrogencontainingfertilizerormanure,uncoveredmanurestorage,animalmanure/urine(urineistheprimarysourceofnitrogenfromanimals,includinghumans)andredalder.However,ofthesesources,onsitesepticsystemsareclearlyacontributortonitrateingroundwaterbecausetheyaredesignedtodeliversolublenitrogenbelowthesoilsurfacetobedilutedintothelocalgroundwatersystembeforereachingastreamorthemarineshoreline.Anonsitesepticsystemdoesnotneedtofailinordertodischargeinorganicnitrogentogroundwaterandultimatelytoreceivingwaters.Upgradingconventionalsepticsystems,particularlysystemsalongtheshorelinelimitedbyareaandsoilquality,wouldbecostly.Developmentoflocaldecentralizedsystemsorconnectiontotheexistingcentralizedwastewatertreatmentsystemontheislandisnotanewideaandwasevaluatedasrecentlyas2008(KingCounty2008).Thereremainsagreatdealofuncertaintyregardingthehumancontribution,particularlyhumanactivityonVashon‐MauryIsland,tonitrogenandotherfactorsthatmaycauselowdissolvedoxygenconcentrationsandharmfulalgalbloomsinQuartermasterHarbor.ThecurrentbestestimatesoftherelativecontributionofnitrogensourcestotheharbordevelopedaspartofthisstudyandinformationgeneratedinotherrelatedstudiesofPugetSoundsuggestthatonlyaportionoftheobservedlowdissolvedoxygeninlatesummerisduetohumaninfluence.ThisisconsistentwithotherstudiesinPugetSound.However,thestateanti‐degradationstandardfordissolvedoxygenisbasedonadeterminationofanexpliciteffectofnomorethan0.2mg/Ldeclineinoxygenduetohumaninfluence.DeterminationofwhetherornotthisthresholdhasbeenexceededhasbeenachallengethroughoutPugetSound,particularlyforworkconductedonthisissueinHoodCanal(CopeandRoberts2013).Theapproachthatistypicallytakentodeterminethehumancontributiontotheobservedlowoxygenlevels,andonethatwasoriginallyintendedforthisproject,istodevelopandcalibrateanumericaleutrophicationmodelandcomparecurrentconditionandnatural
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conditionmodelscenariostoassesscompliancewiththeanti‐degradationstandardfordissolvedoxygen(nomorethan0.2mg/Ldeclineduetohumaninfluence).Thisapproachischallengingforanumberofreasons,especiallyconsideringtheoccurrenceofspeciesofmotile,potentiallyharmfulalgaeandcomplicatedinteractionswithsedimentandweatherconditions.Managingwaterqualityunderthislevelofuncertaintypresentschallengesthatshouldbeacknowledgedandaddressed(Cloern2001,Harrison2007,Allenetal.2011).AdditionalscientificinformationthatcouldhelpaddresssomeofthesechallengesinQuartermasterHarborincludesthefollowing:
Reviewcurrentfreshandmarinemonitoringprogramsandrecommendchangestoensurethatsamplingdesignsarerobusttodetectingchange,particularlywithrespecttoseparatingnaturalvariabilityfromanthropogeniceffects
Investigatethecausesoffishkills,includinganalysesofkeywaterqualityandplanktonicvariablesandanalysisoffishtissuesbypathologists
Standardizeandperformtrendanalysisofparalyticshellfishpoison(PSP)monitoringdatacollectedbytheWashingtonStateDepartmentofHealth
Estimateflushingandnutrientfluxratesinpotentiallynutrientsensitiveareas
UsetheexistingEcologyPugetSound/GeorgiaBasinmodeltosupplyboundaryconditionstothecurrentQuartermasterHarborhydrodynamic/waterqualitymodelorincreasetheresolutionofthePugetSound/GeorgiaBasinmodelwithinQuartermasterHarbor
Collectandanalyzesedimentcorestoattempttobetteridentifythehistoryofcarbon,nutrientsandphytoplankton(andlevelsofanoxia)sincebeforeextensiveinhabitationanddevelopment
Conductastudythatattemptstoseparatetherelativecontributionofalder,OSS,fertilizeranddomesticanimalwastetoharbornitrogenloading
Developgroundwatersusceptibility/vulnerabilitymapsbasedonavailablenitratedataandlandcharacteristicsspecifictoVashon‐MauryIsland
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8.0 REFERENCES Ahmed,A.,G.Pelletier,M.RobertsandA.Kolosseus.2013.DRAFTSouthPugetSound
DissolvedOxygenStudy.WaterQualityModelCalibrationandScenarios.WashingtonStateDepartmentofEcology,Olympia,WA.PublicationNo.xx‐xx‐xxx.
Albertson,S.2013.HydrodynamicModelReport.QuartermasterHarborNitrogen
ManagementStudy.WashingtonDepartmentofEcology,Olympia,WA.PublicationNo.13‐03‐026.
Allen,C.R.,J.J.Fontaine,K.L.PopeandA.S.Garmestani.2011.Adaptivemanagementforaturbulentfuture.JournalofEnvironmentalManagement92:1339‐1345.
Anderson,D.M.,P.M.GilbertandJ.M.Burkholder.2002.Harmfulalgalbloomsandeutrophication:Nutrientsources,composition,andconsequences.Estuaries25:704‐726.
Atieh,B.G.2008.ThefateandtransportofnitrogendischargedfromonsitesepticsystemslocatedalongtheshorelineofHoodCanal.M.S.thesis.UniversityofWashington,Seattle,WA.
Atieh,B.G.,J.D.Horowitz,G.R.Leque,M.M.Benjamin,andM.T.Brett.2008.HoodCanalonsitesewagesystemnitrogenloadingproject:Year2finalreport.PreparedforthePugetSoundPartnership.DepartmentofCivilEngineering,UniversityofWashington,Seattle,WA.
Bechtold,J.S.,R.T.Edwards,andR.J.Naiman.2003.Bioticversushydrologiccontroloverseasonalnitrateleachinginafloodplainforest.Biogeochemistry63:53‐72.
Blumenthal,R.W.,editor.2009.CharlesWilkesandtheexplorationofinlandWashingtonAlgae7:379‐388.
Brandenberger,J.M.,E.A.Crecelius,P.Louchouarn,S.R.Cooper,K.McDougall,E.Leopold,
andG.Liu.2008.ReconstructingtrendsinhypoxiausingmultiplepaleoecologicalindicatorsrecordedinsedimentcoresfromPugetSound,WA.NationalOceanicand
AtmosphericAdministration,PacificNorthwestNationalLaboratoryReportNo.PNWD‐4013,158pp.
Bricker,S.B.,C.G.Clement,D.E.Pirhalla,S.P.Orlando,andD.R.G.Farrow.1999.National
EstuarineEutrophicationAssessment:EffectsofNutrientEnrichmentintheNation’s
Estuaries.NOAA,NationalOceanService,SpecialProjectsOfficeandtheNationalCentersforCoastalOceanScience.SilverSpring,MD:71pp.
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Appendix A
Outreach Activity Summary and Change Incorporated into the 2012 King County
Comprehensive Plan
QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty A‐2 January2014
OutreachActivitySummary‐Phase1January2009toDecember2009Awebpagedescribingtheproject’sgoals,objectivesandapproachwascreatedandpostedonKingCounty’swebsitein200919.Noticeofthewebsiteavailabilitywascommunicatedtothecommunityviapressrelease20andemailstointerestedparties.LettersofintroductionweresenttothePuyallupTribalCouncilShellfishSection,theNorthwestIndianFisheriesCommission,PugetSoundPartnershipandPugetSoundRestorationFund.Thelettersentviaemailbrieflydescribedtheprojectandincludedanoffertopresenttheproject’sgoals,objectivesandapproachatappropriatemeetings21.Projectstaffdidnotreceiveinquiriestotheinitialcommunicationssentin2009.Theproject’sgoals,objectivesandapproachwerecommunicatedtoKingCounty’sInter‐departmentalPolicyGroupandtothecounty’sPugetSoundTeam22.ThesegroupsconsistofrepresentativeofDepartmentDirectorsandDivisionManagers,whoseoperationsareaffectedby,orinfluence,environmentalregulationsandpracticesand/ortherecoveryofPugetSound.Thedepartmentsinclude:NaturalResourcesandParks,DevelopmentandEnvironmentalServices,Transportation,andSeattleKingCountyPublicHealth(SKCPH).StafffromtheKingCountyExecutive’sofficeparticipatesonbothgroupsandstafffromtheKingCountyCouncilsatonthePugetSoundTeam.TheKingCountyExecutiveisamemberofthePugetSoundEcosystemCoordinationBoard.Apublicpresentationoftheproject’sgoals,objectivesandapproachwasmadetoVashoncommunity23withnoticeofthepresentationprovidedtotheVashon‐MauryIslandCommunityCouncil,itsSepticSolutionssubcommittee,andVashon‐MauryIslandGroundwaterProtectionCommitteeandpressreleasetonotifyforresidentsofthestudyarea.Apressreleasedescribingtheproject’sgoals,objectivesandapproachandscheduleforthepublicmeetingonVashonwasmadetotheVashonBeachcomber,VashonLoop,SeattleTimesandSeattlePostIntelligencernewspapers24.Thewebsitedevelopedfortheprojectsupportedtheoutreachbyprovidingexpandedinformation.Outreachtoresidentsinthestudyareawasprovidedviathefollowingactivities:
TheannualVashonLowTideFestivalonMay25,2009‐Projectoverviewposterandwithstafftointerpret25;
ThePublicHealthSeattle‐KingCountyMarineRecoveryArea(MRA)‐Projectoverviewposter26andstafftointerpretatSludgeFesteventinApril2009,MRA
19Websiteaddresshttp://www.kingcounty.gov/qmhnitrogenstudy20Seepressreleaseissued09_10_2821Seeprojectintroductionemailssentbetween09_11_20and09_12_2222SeecommunicationtoKingCounty’sInter‐departmentalPolicyGroup09_10_14and09_12_22andPugetSoundTeam09_10_1423Seepresentationoftheproject’sgoals,objectivesandapproach09_11_1924Seepressreleaseissued09_10_2825VashonLowTideFestival09_05_25participationrequest
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publicmeetingsinJune2009anddoortocommunicationswithMRAresidentsinthefallof2009;
TheVashonIslandBackboneCampaign‐Projectoverviewposterandstafftointerpretatthe2009GreenJobsforum27;
NewspaperarticleandeditorialonprojectintheVashonBeachcombernewspaper28;
PresentationofaprojectposterattheSouthSoundSymposiumonMay6,200929;
Presentation(s)attheKingCountyWaterandLandResourcesScienceFairin200930;and,
RegularmeetingsoftheSepticSolutionssubcommitteeoftheVashon‐MauryIslandCommunityCouncilandVashon‐MauryIslandGroundwaterProtectionCommittee‐Projectintroductionoverviewandroutineprogressupdates.
TheNitrogenLoadingStudyplanwassharedwitheachgroupincludingtheproposaltomonitortheperformanceofindividualOn‐SiteSewage(OSS)systemsintheQuartermasterHarborportionoftheMarineRecoveryArea.Note:AfterevaluatingtheavailableliteratureandassessingthepotentialscopetomonitorindividualOSSthestudyteamdeterminedthatmonitoringtheperformanceofindividualOn‐SiteSewagesystemswasnotnecessaryasdataonsystemperformancecollectedinstudiesofHoodCanalnitrogenloadingcouldbeusedtoinformtheQuartermasterHarborstudysoitwasunnecessarytosolicitmonitoringsitevolunteers.OutputsInitiationofpublicoutreachandcommunicationeffortincluding: EmailstotribalcommunityviaNWIFCandPuyallupTribe InformationtoKingCountypolicymanagersviaInterdepartmentalandPSPteams Presentationtocommunity,pressreleaseissuedandrespondedtoinquiries InputsecuredonOSSmonitoringplanfromcontactedgroups Webpagecreated,updatedandnoticeofupdateprovidedtoallgroupscontacted
(http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/watersheds/central‐puget‐sound/vashon‐maury‐island/quartermaster‐nitrogen‐study.aspx)
26QHNProjectoverviewposterforPublicHealthSeattle‐KingCountyMarineRecoveryArea(MRA)SludgeFesteventonApril18,2009andprojectoverviewposter(linktomostrecentupdateonprojectwebpage)27VashonBackboneCampaignGreenJobsforumnotes09_10_2228ScientiststostudynitrogenlevelsinQuartermasterHarborhttp://www.pnwlocalnews.com/vashon/vib/news/67795062.htmlandWemustbegoodstewardsofourharborhttp://www.pnwlocalnews.com/vashon/vib/opinion/70298537.html29PosterpresentedatSouthSoundSymposiumonMay6,200930Presentation(s)attheKingCountyWaterandLandResourcesScienceFaironOctober28,2009
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OutreachActivitySummary‐Phase2January2010toDecember2011StudyprogresswasconveyedtopartnersandinterestedpartiesthroughongoingeducationandoutreachprogramonVashon‐MauryIslandasfollows:ProjectupdatesweresenttothePuyallupTribalCouncilShellfishSection,theNorthwestIndianFisheriesCommissionandKingCounty’sInter‐departmentalPolicyGroup31.Theupdateincludedanoffertopresenttheproject’sgoals,objectivesandapproachatappropriatemeetingsandapresentationwasmadetothePuyallupTribeShellfishBiologistalongwiththePugetSoundRestorationTeamonFebruary8,201132.Thecounty’sPugetSoundTeamwasdissolvedin2010sonoteamupdatewasprovidedhowevertheKingCountyExecutivewhoservesonthePugetSoundPartnershipEcosystemCoordinationBoardrepresentingtheSouthCentralPugetSoundwasprovidedwithasummaryoftheprojectinpreparationforhisvisittotheVashoncommunityinApril2010anupdateontheprojectpresentationmadetotheVashoncommunityinOctober201033.PressreleaseswerepreparedandprovidedtotheVashonBeachcombernewspaperin2010and2011.34ThewebpagewasupdatedtoincorporatePhase2work(seefootnote1).TheinitialnutrientloadingreportfindingsalongwithsuccessivewaterqualitymonitoringresultsandnitrogenmanagementpolicyoptionswerepresentedtothecommunityinpublicmeetingswithsponsorshipbyaVashonHighSchoolScienceteacherin2010and2011.35Theinitialnutrientloadingreportfindingsalongwithsuccessivewaterqualitymonitoringresultsandnitrogenmanagementpolicyoptionswerepresentedtothecommunityinotherpublicmeetingsincluding:
TheVashonLowTideFestivalonMay5,2010and2011;36
AmeetingconcerningShellfishHarvestandtheVashon‐MauryIslandMarineRecoveryAreaheldonAugust25,2010;37
AtalkwiththeVashonKiwanisheldonNovember16,2010;38
31ProjectupdatesweresenttothePuyallupTribalCouncilShellfishSection,theNorthwestIndianFisheriesCommissionandKingCounty’sInter‐departmentalPolicyGrouponDecember22,2010.32PresentationtothePuyallupTribeShellfishBiologistandPugetSoundRestorationFundteamonFebruary8,2011.33ProjectsummaryinApril2010andupdateontheprojectpresentationmadetotheVashoncommunityinOctober2010providedtoKingCountyExecutivewhoservesonthePugetSoundPartnershipEcosystemCoordinationBoardrepresentingtheSouthCentralPugetSound.34PressreleasesprovidedtotheVashonBeachcombernewspaperin2010and2011.35PresentationstotheVashoncommunityinpublicmeetingsheldinOctober2010and2011.http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/watersheds/central‐puget‐sound/vashon‐maury‐island/quartermaster‐nitrogen‐study/QMH‐documents.aspx36PresentationmaterialsforVashonLowTideFestivalonMay5,2010and201137PublicmeetingconcerningShellfishHarvestandtheVashon‐MauryIslandMarineRecoveryAreaheldonAugust25,2010
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KingCounty A‐5 January2014
AdisplayintheVashonPublicLibraryregardingtheQuartermasterHarborNitrogenLoadingStudyfromNovember16,2010thruFebruary23,2011;39
AVashonBeachcombernewsstoryregardingtheQuartermasterHarborNitrogenLoadingStudypublishedSeptember27,2010;40
AnoutreachlettersenttopropertyownersintheMiletaCreekdrainageadvisingthemofthehighnitrogenlevelsfoundinthecreekaspartofthestudyQuartermasterHarborNitrogenLoadingStudyandseekingpermissiontoaccesstheirpropertytofurthersamplethestream;41and,
ArelatedVashonBeachcombernewsstoryregardingtheUniversityofWashington‐TacomaworktostudytheQuartermasterHarbor'sparalyticshellfishpoisoningproblem.42
OutputsOngoingpublicoutreachandcommunicationeffortasfollows: ProjectupdatepresentationandprovidedtoallgroupscontactedinPhase1as
requested ProjectupdatepressreleaseissuedtoallnewspaperscontactedinPhase1 WebpageupdatedtoincorporatePhase2work
38TalkwiththeVashonKiwanisheldonNovember16,201039DisplayintheVashonPublicLibraryregardingtheQuartermasterHarborNitrogenLoadingStudybeginningNovember16,201040StreamsappeartobethelargestsourceofnitrogeninQuartermasterHarbor,studyshowshttp://www.pnwlocalnews.com/vashon/vib/news/103885399.html41OutreachlettertopropertyownersintheMiletaCreekdrainageadvisingthemofthehighnitrogenlevelsfoundinthecreekandseekingpermissiontoaccesstheirpropertytofurthersamplethestreamsentin2010.42OceanographerstudiesQuartermasterHarbor'sparalyticshellfishpoisoningproblemhttp://www.pnwlocalnews.com/vashon/vib/news/82717117.html
QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty A‐6 January2014
OutreachActivitySummary‐Phase3January2011toDecember2013AnaudiencesurveywasconductedatthecommunityworkshopmeetingheldonOctober12,2011tohelpinformtheagenciesperformingQuartermasterNitrogenLoadingStudyandotherstakeholders.ThesurveyaskedmeetingparticipantsaseriesofquestionstodeterminetheirinterestinandknowledgeaboutQuartermasterHarbor.Twentyfivesurveyswerereturnedandshowedthefollowing:
Themajorityofrespondents(23)wereresidentsofVMIandhalfresidedintheQHwatershed.
MeetingorexceedingwaterqualitystandardsinQuartermasterHarborwasveryimportantformostrespondents.
MostrespondentsparticipatedinactivitiesinoraroundQuartermasterHarborthattheyratedasveryimportalthoughmanyactivitieswerepursuedwitharelativelylowannualfrequency.
SurveyparticipantsfeltthegreatestrisktoQuartermasterHarborwaterqualitycamefromon‐sitesewagefollowedbyfertilizerthenboaterwaste,animalwaste,othernitrogensourcesandwastewatertreatmentplants.
MostrespondentswerenotfamiliarwiththerangeofprogramsbeingconductedtomonitorormangetheenvironmentinoraroundQuartermasterHarbor.
AmajorityofrespondentsagreeditwasimportanttoaddresslowdissolvedoxygenlevelsandworktoopenshellfishharvestandinQuartermasterHarbor.
AmajorityofrespondentsadvisedtheywouldbewillingtomakechangestothewaystheyuseormanagetheirpropertyifitwouldimprovewaterqualityinQuartermasterHarbor.
TherewerefewerrespondentsinagreementaboutpayingfornewordifferentgoodsorservicesiftheywouldimprovewaterqualityinQuartermasterHarbor.
SurveyparticipantsfeltKingCountycouldacttoimprovewaterqualityinthefollowingpriority:controllingboatersewage,reducingfertilizeruse,inspectingon‐sitesewagesystems,controllinganimalwaste,requiringnitrogenreductiontechnologyfornewon‐sitesewagesystemsandpromotingplantingofconiferoustrees.
AfewrespondentsexpressedareasofparticularwaterqualityconcernincludingtheJensenPointneighborhood,boatsandtwomarinas(DocktonandYachtClub),andtwocreeks(JuddandMileta).
Respondentsadvisedtheywantedtoreceiveadditionalinformationvianewspapers,emailorthewebandmeetings.
OtherthingsrespondentswantedtoknowincludedtrendsintheQuartermasterHarborwaterqualityovertime(onestatedthewaterhaswarmed)andwouldthewaterqualityimproveiftheportagelandbridgewereremoved.
QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
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SuggestionsincludedemphasismonitoringaroundinnerharboraroundtheholidayswhentheboatscongregateandQuartermasterHarborisa“jewel”–peopleifexcitedmightbegalvanizedtocleanitup.
Sevenrespondentsprovidedtheircontactinformationtoreceiveadditionalinformation.
TheVashon‐MauryIslandGroundwaterProtectionCommittee43andtheKingCountydepartmentofPublicHealth44wereworkedwithtodevelopnutrientmanagementpoliciesforQuartermasterHarbor.Nitrogenmanagementpoliciesweredraftedanddocketedforadoptioninthe2012updatetotheKingCountyComprehensivePlan.45ThestudyfindingswerewrittenandpresentedtopartnersandinterestedpartiesonVashonMauryIsland.ConveystudyresultstopartnersandinterestedpartiesthroughongoingeducationandoutreachprogramonVashon‐MauryIsland.
PrepareprojectfindingpresentationandprovidetoallgroupscontactedinPhase1asrequested
IssueprojectfindingpressreleasetoallnewspaperscontactedinPhase1
UpdatewebpagetoincorporatePhase3workPlanelementsandsendnoticeofavailabilitytoallgroupscontacted.
Prepareasummaryofstudyfindingsplusproposedpolicy,regulationandBMP’sfornutrientmanagementonVMI.Distributetopublicresidinginthestudyarea,posttowebsiteandreviewinpublicagencymeetingonVMI.
Outputs Recommendationsforchangestopolicyandregulationfornutrientmanagementof
nitrogensources Ongoingpublicoutreachandcommunicationefforts
43PresentationonQuartermasterHarborNitrogenLoadingStudymadetotheVashon‐MauryIslandGroundwaterProtectionCommitteeonJuly27,2012alongwithsubcommitteereportonnitrogenmanagementpolicyrecommendationstobeincludedinthe2012amendmenttotheKingCountyComprehensivePlan.Vashon‐MauryIslandGroundwaterProtectionCommitteehomepageforaccesstomeetingnotesandagendashttp://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/groundwater/management‐areas/vashon‐maury‐island‐gwma/committee.aspx44MeetingwithLarryFayfromSeattleandKingCountyPublicHealthtoreviewproposed2012CompPlanupdatepoliciesforVashon‐MauryIsland.45ExcerptcontainingnitrogenmanagementpolicyrecommendationsforVashon‐MauryIslandincludedintheExecutivesRecommended2012amendmenttotheKingCountyComprehensivePlanatrequestoftheVashon‐MauryIslandGroundwaterProtectionCommitteeandKingCountyDepartmentofNaturalResourcesandParks,WaterandLandResourcesDivision.FulldraftoftheKingCountyExecutivesrecommended2012amendmenttotheKingCountyComprehensivePlanavailableathttp://www.kingcounty.gov/property/permits/codes/growth/CompPlan/2012_ExecRec.aspx
QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
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o ProjectfindingpresentationprovidedtoallgroupscontactedinPhase1asrequested
o ProjectfindingpressreleaseissuedtoallnewspaperscontactedinPhase1o WebpageupdatedtoincorporatePhase3workPlanelementsandnoticeof
availabilitysenttoallgroupscontactedo Summaryofstudyfindings,recommendednitrogenloadingtargetsfor
QuartermasterHarborplusproposedpolicy,regulationandBMP’sfornutrientmanagementonVMIprepared,distributedtopublicresidinginthestudyarea,postedtowebsiteandreviewedinpublicagencymeetingsonVMI.
PartneringTheWorkPlanincludedpartneringwithseveralagenciesandstakeholders.Thefollowingisalistofpartnersandshortsummaryofactivity:
TheVashon‐MauryIslandGroundwaterProtectionCommittee(VMIGWPC).Estimatedin‐kindmatchapproximately$2,900.46TheVMIGWPCfacilitatedpublicoutreachonVMIandassistedindevelopingnitrogenmanagementpolicyrecommendationsforinclusioninthe2012updatetotheKingCountyComprehensivePlan.
Thenon‐profitVashon‐MauryIslandCommunityCouncil(VMICC)47.Thisorganizationmonitoredprogressonthestudyandprovidedinputtoshapepolicyrecommendationsrelatedtomanagementofon‐sitesewagesystemsthrutheirSepticSolutionsSubcommitteeupuntiltheirmassresignationinJuly2010andsubsequentlybythereconstitutedLand‐UseandNaturalResourcescommitteebeginninginJuly2011.
Thenon‐profitPreserveOurIslandsorganizationonVashon‐MauryIsland48wasconsultedandresolvedtheywillalsobeprovidingoversightandadvocacytoboththelow‐dissolvedoxygenissuesinQuartermasterHarboraswellastheworkbeingdonetoaddresspotentiallyfailingsepticsystemsalongtheharborsshoreline.
TheVashonBeachWatchers,49agroupofprivatecitizenswhomonitorthewaterqualityinQuartermasterHarborincoordinationwiththeSoundToxinsorganizationwerecontactedroutinelytoparticipateincommunitymeetingsandworkshops.
TheVashonLowTideFestival50(andseefootnotes7and18)organizerswerecontactedandcoordinatedwithtocommunicatethenitrogenmanagementstudyto
46ThetenmemberVashon‐MauryIslandGroundwaterProtectionCommitteereceivedwrittenandorverbalquarterlyupdatesontheQuartermasterHarborNitrogenLoadingstudyforthedurationoftheprojectoverthecourseofsixteenregularmeetingsfrom2009thru2012inadditiontotheirpolicyworkdocumentedinPhase3.47Vashon‐MauryIslandCommunityCouncilhttp://www.vmicc.org/48PreserveOurIslandsorganizationonVashon‐MauryIslandhttp://www.preserveourislands.org/our‐work/49TheVashonBeachWatchershttp://www.soundtoxins.org/partners‐beachwatchers.html50LowTideCelebration2012atPointRobinsonParkArticleJune20,2012ByErinDurretthttp://www.vashonloop.com/article/low‐tide‐celebration‐2012‐point‐robinson‐park
QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty A‐9 January2014
thepublicparticipatingintheirannualpublicoutreacheventfocusingonmarinefloraandfaunaonVashon‐MauryIsland.
ThePuyallupTribeShellfishSectionwhowerecontactedandprovidedcommentsonthestudyduringapresentationonthestudymadetothemin2011(seefootnote14).
ThePugetSoundRestorationFundOrganization51werecontactedinrelationtotheirnutrientmitigationmusselraftwaterqualityimprovementexperimentconductedinQuartermasterHarborin201152andprovidedcommentsonthestudyduringpresentationsmadeonthestudy(alsoseefootnote14).
PublicHealthSeattleandKingCounty,EnvironmentalHealthSection53werecontactedinrelationtodevelopmentofnitrogenmanagementpoliciesforthe2012updatetotheKingCountyComprehensivePlan(seefootnotes25‐27)andcoordinationwiththeimplantationoftheVashon‐MauryIslandMarineRecoveryAreaforcorrectionoffailingon‐sitesewagesystemslocatedinpartontheshoreofQuartermasterHarbor.54
Outputs:Thepartneringeffortsincreasedunderstandingofthemarinereceivingwaterenvironment,yieldedassistancewithdevelopmentofpolicyandmanagementrecommendations,andpublicoutreachactivities.ProjectOutcomesOverallenvironmentaloutcomesfromthisprojectincludereductioninthevulnerabilityofVashon‐MauryIslandgroundwaterresourcestocontamination,maintenance/improvementofreceivingwaterconditionsandprotectionoflocalaquaticresources.Additionalshort,interim,andlongtermscience,policy,andpublicawarenessoutcomesinclude:ShortTerm:ResidentseducatedonsourcesofnitrogenenteringQuartermasterHarbor,thesensitivityofmarinewaterqualityandhabitattonitrogenloadingimpactsoflanduse.PublicHealthSeattleandKingCounty,EnvironmentalHealthSectionengagedtodevelopandimplementpoliciestoreducenutrientandbacterialloadingtoimprovewaterqualityinQuartermasterHarbor.
51ThePugetSoundRestorationFundOrganizationhttp://www.restorationfund.org/52ThePugetSoundRestorationFundOrganizationnutrientmitigationmusselraftwaterqualityimprovementexperimentconductedinQuartermasterHarborin2011http://www.restorationfund.org/projects/mitigation53PublicHealthSeattleandKingCounty,EnvironmentalHealthSectionhttp://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/ehs.aspx54PublicHealthSeattleandKingCountyVashon‐MauryIslandMarineRecoveryAreahttp://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/ehs/wastewater/mra.aspx
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Interim:IncreasedenvironmentalawarenesswithincommunityandscientificunderstandingofthenitrogencycleinQuartermasterHarbor.Changingpropertyowner’sbehaviorconcerningtheacquisition,operationandmaintenanceoftheiron‐sitesewagesystems.Longterm:ReducednitrogenloadingandincreasedissolvedoxygenlevelsinQuartermasterHarborthrough,ongoingeducation,outreachandparticipationinplanningandregulatoryefforts.WhatwelearnedfromtheoutreachResidentsandcommunityleadersareconcernedaboutthewaterqualityinQuartermasterHarbor.Thereisageneralinterestintakingactiontoprotectthewaterqualitybutlessagreementonthenatureoftheproblemandbestcourse(s)ofactiontocorrecttheproblem(s)includingthebestmethod(s)topayforsolutions.Conclusionofthestudyshouldhelptobringclaritytothecausesandpotentialstrategiestocorrecttheproblem.Identifyingthebestwaytopayfornitrogenreductionwillbecomeclearerastheexactnatureoftheproblemisdetermined.ConnectionofQuartermasterHarbortoTrampHarbortoflushtheharborwasroutinelyraisedasapotentialsolutiontothewaterqualityproblems.ThisviabilityofthissuggestionneedstobeaddressedintheprocessofdeterminingafinalcourseofactiontomanagewaterqualityinQuartermasterHarbor.RecommendationsforfutureoutreachworkFutureoutreachopportunitiesshouldbecenteredonimplementingnutrientreductionstrategiesfocusedontheQuartermasterHarbordrainageincoordinationwiththepathogenreductionandisland‐widegroundwaterprotection/stewardshipeffortsalreadyunderway.TimingforfutureoutreachworkshouldbecoordinatedwiththeconclusionoftheQuartermasterHarborstudy,adoptionofthe2012KingCountyComprehensivePlanamendmentsandimplementationofthePollutionIdentificationandCorrectiongrantworkprogrambeginningin2012.ThenitrogenmanagementstrategiesdevelopedforQuartermasterHarborandshouldbecoordinatedwithnitrogenmanagementeffortsfortheSouthPugetSoundandHoodCanal.Outreachshouldbeconductedonastewardshipbasiswhenpossibletogivepeoplehighlevelofpersonalizedattentionandsupport.AhelpfultooltocomplimentstewardshipactivitieswouldbetodevelopanitrogenimpactcalculatorandmanagementstrategyrecommendationswebsitesimilartotheKingCountyLocalHazardousWasteProgramwebsite55.
55KingCountyLocalHazardousWasteProgramwebsite
QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
KingCounty A‐11 January2014
Fundingforfutureoutreachworkcancomefromavarietyofsources.Policiesproposedinthe2012KingCountycomprehensiveplancallforcountyagencies(WaterandLandResourcesalongwithPublicHealth)tofocustheirprogramresourcesonimplementingmeasuretoreducenutrientandpathogenloadinginthewatershed.StaffinthewaterqualitysectionofthenorthwestregionalofficeofEcologyhavemonitoredtheprogressoftheQuartermasterHarbornitrogenloadingstudyandexpressedinterestinworkingwiththecountytodevelopanEcologygrantfundingapplicationforaprojecttoreducenutrientandpathogenloadingtoaverttheneedfordevelopingaTotalMaximumDailyLoadingplaninthefuture.StaffinthePuyallupTribeshellfishsectionexpressedinterestinworkingwithQuartermasterHarborpropertyownerstoassistthemiftheywanttocultivateshellfishontheirtidelands.PreserveOurIslands,alocalnonprofitorganizationhasexpressedtheirinterestinsupportingeffortstoimprovewaterqualityinQuartermasterHarbortofurthertheirbroadergoalofprotecting/restoringtheMauryIslandAquaticReserve56areadesignatedbytheDepartmentofNaturalResources.TheVashon‐MauryIslandGroundwaterProtectionCommitteealongwiththeLandUseandNaturalResourcessubcommitteeoftheVashon‐MauryIslandCommunityCouncilhavealsobeenactivelyinvolvedinactivitiesrelatedtoQuartermasterHarbortodateandcouldprovideguidanceinthefuture.RelatedActivities:GroundwaterProtectionKingCountyhasbeenworkingwithislandresidents,stateandfederalagenciesasapplicabletoprotectthegroundwateronVashonMaurysince1982.BeginningwiththepreparationoftheCarrReportonislandgroundwaterresourcesin198357thecountysubsequentlydown‐zonedlargeareasoftheislandtoprotectgroundwaterrechargeareasin1986.In1989thecountystarteda10yeargroundwaterprotectionplanningprocessthatsupporteddesignationoftheislandasanEPAsolesourceaquiferin199458,completionofEcologyapprovedGroundwaterProtectionPlanin199859andformationofaGroundwaterProtectionCommitteein200160.TheGroundwaterProtectionCommitteeworkingwithKingCountysupportundertookaWaterResourcesEvaluationprojectstartingin200461,preparedaWatershedPlanin200562anddevelopedasetofwatershedsustainabilityindicatorsin201263
56DNRMauryIslandAquaticReserve57CarrReportonVashon‐Mauryislandgroundwaterresourcescompletedin198358Vashon‐MauryIslandEPAsolesourceaquiferdesignationin199459EcologyapprovedGroundwaterProtectionPlanforVashon‐MauryIslandcompletedin199860FormationoftheVashon‐MauryIslandGroundwaterProtectionCommitteein200161Vashon‐MauryIslandWaterResourcesEvaluationprojectstartingin200462Vashon‐MauryIslandWatershedPlanpreparedin200563Vashon‐MauryIslandwatershedsustainabilityindicatorspreparedin2012
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KingCounty A‐12 January2014
PathogenReductionPublicHealthSeattle‐KingCountyhasbeencloselyinvolvedintheongoingworktoprotectgroundwaterandwatershedresourcesonVashon‐MauryIsland.Theagencyledtheinitialefforttopreparethe1998GroundwaterProtectionPlanandin2008adoptedanOn‐SiteSepticSystemManagementPlan64outliningacomprehensivestrategytoidentifyandmaintainon‐sitesepticsystemsinKingCounty.TheplanalsodesignatedaMarineRecoveryAreaonportionsofVashon‐MauryIslandincludingthewestsideouterQuartermasterHarbor65whereon‐SitesepticsystemsmustbeinspectedannuallyandrepairedorreplacedifnecessarybyJuly2012.BeginninginJuly2012PublicHealthSeattle‐KingCountyworkingwithKingCountyWaterandLandResourcehavereceivedatwoyeargranttodevelopaPollutionIdentificationandCorrection(PIC)ProgramtoreducepathogenandnutrientloadingtothewatersheddrainingintothewestsideouterQuartermasterHarbor.ThePICprogramwillalsodeveloprecommendationstoimplementasustainablefundingsourcetomaintainthewaterqualityimprovementsaccomplishedundertheprogram.NutrientManagementPolicyRecommendations–KingCountyComprehensivePlanTheVashon‐MauryIslandGroundwaterProtectionCommittee66andtheKingCountydepartmentofPublicHealth67wereworkedwithtodevelopnutrientmanagementpoliciesforQuartermasterHarbor.Nitrogenmanagementpoliciesweredraftedanddocketedforadoptioninthe2012updatetotheKingCountyComprehensivePlan.68ThepolicyrecommendationspertainingdirectlytoQuartermasterHarborwaterqualityandmanagementofon‐sitesepticsystemsarelocatedintheCommunityPlansectionforVashonfoundinChapter10andlistedinunderlinebelow.In June 2011 the Vashon Maury Island Groundwater Protection Planning Committee recommended new
policies to be incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan to further the objectives of the Vashon-Maury 64PublicHealthSeattle‐KingCountyOn‐SiteSepticSystemManagementPlanadoptedin200865MarineRecoveryAreaonportionsofVashon‐MauryIslandincludingouterQuartermasterHarbor66PresentationonQuartermasterHarborNitrogenLoadingStudymadetotheVashon‐MauryIslandGroundwaterProtectionCommitteeonJuly27,2012alongwithsubcommitteereportonnitrogenmanagementpolicyrecommendationstobeincludedinthe2012amendmenttotheKingCountyComprehensivePlan.Vashon‐MauryIslandGroundwaterProtectionCommitteehomepageforaccesstomeetingnotesandagendashttp://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/groundwater/management‐areas/vashon‐maury‐island‐gwma/committee.aspx67MeetingwithLarryFayfromSeattleandKingCountyPublicHealthtoreviewproposed2012CompPlanupdatepoliciesforVashon‐MauryIsland.68ExcerptcontainingnitrogenmanagementpolicyrecommendationsforVashon‐MauryIslandincludedintheExecutivesRecommended2012amendmenttotheKingCountyComprehensivePlanatrequestoftheVashon‐MauryIslandGroundwaterProtectionCommitteeandKingCountyDepartmentofNaturalResourcesandParks,WaterandLandResourcesDivision.FulldraftoftheKingCountyExecutivesrecommended2012amendmenttotheKingCountyComprehensivePlanavailableathttp://www.kingcounty.gov/property/permits/codes/growth/CompPlan/2012_ExecRec.aspx
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Island Watershed Plan and Vashon-Maury Island Groundwater Protection Plan concerning sustainability
of the islands groundwater, streams and marine waters.
CP-1228b The Vashon-Maury Island Groundwater Protection Committee, along with
King County support:,
a. should complete and implement measures for the sustainability of
water quality, water quantity and ecosystem health on Vashon-Maury
Island;
b: report the findings to the community; and
c. evaluate the results to help guide ongoing watershed management
activities.
Seasonal dissolved oxygen levels within inner Quartermaster Harbor have fallen well below the
Washington State marine water quality standard of seven mg per liter over the last four years of monthly
monitoring by King County. Quartermaster Harbor is a regionally significant natural resource area that
provides rearing and spawning habitat for herring, surf smelt, sand lance, salmon (i.e., Chinook, Coho,
chum, and cutthroat) plus shellfish resources, including geoduck clams. Based on the value of the
harbor’s natural resources and to protect and restore shellfish harvest opportunities, Quatermaster
Harbor was included in the Maury Island Marine Reserve designated by the Department of Natural
Resources and the Marine Recovery Area designated by Public Health Seattle King County.
Excess nutrients, nitrogen compounds in particular, can lead to excessive phytoplankton and algae
growth that can then deplete oxygen concentrations when the algae die. Nitrogen and phosphorus are
essential nutrients for marine plants and phytoplankton, particularly nitrate as phytoplankton preferentially
take up nitrate and other nitrogen compounds. Potential sources of nitrogen loading include on-site
sewage systems, animal manure, fertilizer and other less direct sources like nitrogen-fixing vegetation
including alder trees and atmospheric deposition.
In 2009, King County in cooperation with the Washington State Department of Ecology and University of
Washington-Tacoma, started a four year study to identify and quantify the sources of nitrogen loading in
Quartermaster Harbor. The draft 2010 Washington Water Quality Assessment under review by Ecology
proposes to upgrade the Quartermaster Harbor dissolved oxygen listing to “Category 5” based on
Ecology ambient monitoring station QMH002 (#10178). Designation as a Category 5 polluted water body
means that Ecology has data showing that the water quality standards have been violated for one or
more pollutants and there is no Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) pollution control plan. TMDLs are
required for the water bodies in category 5 to bring water quality up to standards.
QuartermasterHarborNitrogenManagementStudy:FinalStudyReport
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Education and incentives to implement best management practices to reduce nutrient and bacteria
loading can improve water quality. Routine on-site sewage system inspection and maintenance can help
to control nutrient loading from existing on-site sewage systems. When new on-site sewage systems are
installed, using a system rated to provide nitrogen reduction could limit total nitrogen loading on average
~ 50% or more depending on system loading and site conditions.
CP- 1228c King County should focus outreach education and incentives to implement
best management practices designed to reduce excessive nutrient and
bacterial contaminate loading within the Quartermaster Harbor drainage
area. The Vashon-Maury Island Groundwater Protection Committee, together
with King County support, should seek grants to enhance existing outreach
education and incentives when funding opportunities occur.
CP- 1228d King County should revise regulations to require new on-site sewage
systems within the Quartermaster Harbor drainage area to meet the nitrogen
reduction treatment standard established by the Washington State
Department of Health, where feasible, If the final Quartermaster Harbor
Nitrogen loading study demonstrates it would significantly reduce future
nitrogen loading in the harbor.
CP- 1228e King County should request Ecology assistance to develop a Total Maximum
Daily Load water quality improvement plan to reduce point and nonpoint
pollution sources to Quartermaster Harbor if the harbor water quality is
listed as a Category 5 polluted water body on the 2010 Washington State
Water Quality Assessment.
Island wide there are approximately 5,000 on-site sewage systems used to treat the wastewater for
residences, businesses and public facilities not served by the Vashon Sewer District. Failing on-site
sewage systems can contaminate surface, ground and marine waters with hazardous bacteria and
excessive nutrient loading (nitrogen and phosphorus). Regular inspection and maintenance of on-site
sewage systems can ensure system performance, extend system life and identify failing systems so they
can be repaired when needed.
CP- 1228f The Vashon-Maury Island Groundwater Protection Committee, with King
County support, should evaluate need and potential sources of funding for
an enhanced management program for existing on-site sewage systems on
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Vashon-Maury Island to ensure they receive routine inspection, maintenance
and repair if necessary to protect water quality.
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