David Beauchamp, University of Washington, on “Pelagic Food Web Ecology in Puget Sound: Implications for Marine Growth & Survival of Chinook Salmon”:

We need to consider the next life stage for chinook and the processes involved.

Smolt to adult survival is highly correlated with body weight in July, suggesting this weight represents ‘critical size’.  Offshore growth in May to July is a ‘critical period’ for determining survival.

Possible factors affecting growth and survival: feeding rate; food availability (data limitations); temperature; competition (within species, among salmon, forage fish); predation

Total ocean survival is tightly linked to early offshore marine growth.  Offshore feeding was significantly higher during years of high survival. 

Chinook must feed at a high rate (>60% max) to grow and minimize size-selective mortality.

Conclusions:  Feeding rate is more important than temperature.  Temperature effects are minimal, but non-linear.  Variable feeding rate suggests food limitation, data on needed on their prey.  Competition by herring more important than competition between hatchery and wild chinook and other salmon.

A climate change analysis conducted by the University of Washington that used the results of 20 different climate models projected that by 2080 there would be a 75 percent loss of snowpack in the upper Nisqually watershed.   Alan Hamlet from the University of Washington explained that by the 2040’s the models also predicted a 20 percent higher chance of a 100 year flood event than historical conditions. 

The hydrologic patterns in the watershed due to climate change are  predicted to be a shift towards more runoff in the winter and the loss of flow in the summer months due to reduced summer precipitation and the loss of the snowpack.

Wendy Brown, Invasive Species Council, RCO, on “Invasive mudsnails in Capitol Lake”:

New Zealand mud snail found in October 2009: “perfect invader”, tiny, parthenogenic, fast reproducing, dense, tolerant of moderate salinty levels

Impacts: consumes large quantities of primary production; out-competes natives; not a good source of food for fish, as they pass through undigested, restricted recreational opportunities, costs to aquaculture and [elsewhere] municipal water control facilities

Spread by: fish hatcheries; recreational watercraft and trailers; anglers and hunters; sand and gravel mining, dredging; commercial shipping; pets, fish and wildlife; natural resource management activities.

Response work group formed in November 09, consisting of FW state and federal; general administration; DoE; DNR; Olympia; Invasive Species Council

Response: 1)  close Capitol Lake; 2) lake level lowered in response to freezing temperatures (90% mortality rate); 3) saltwater back flush (12% mortality rate, negative but temporary impact on resident benthic invertebrates)

For more information: http://www.invasivespecies.wa.gov

A couple questions and answers:

What would the impact of a estuary conversion have on the New Zealand mud snail?

A littl irrelevant, because we don’t have the time.

Could opening up the lake to an estuary lead to a great spread?

Possibly.

Betsy Peabody, Puget Sound Restoration Fund, on “Ocean acidification monitoring in Totten Inlet”

Partners: NOAA PMEL, UW, Pacific Shellfish Institute, PS Restoration Fund, Pacific Coast Sehllfish Growers Association; Taylor Shellfish, Baywater, Inc.; Department of Ecology; funded by Puget Sound Partnership

Warning signs were repeated larval mortalities in WA and OR shellfish hatcheries and shellfish failures in Willapa Bay/Grays Harbor.

These were part of larger problem of ocean acifidication.  25% of human-emitted CO2 is absorbed by oceans leading to a decrease in pH (an increase in acidity), which affects ocean life.

Coastal upwelling brings deep water in the North Pacific, which  contains more CO2 than the rest of the world, to the surface.

More CO2 in the water leads to a decrease in aragonite, which is required by shelled organisms.

Question studied: Is there an effect on natural shellfish populations in Puget Sound?

Study:  A two year sampling effort of Big Cover, Totten Inlet and Dabob Bay, Hood Canal, which are both important shellfish places.

Increasing acidity could affect shellfish production, and their role in natural filtration, ecological services, and ecosystem restoration.  The non-scientist would notice fewer local food sources, increasing eutrophic waters, and troubled economies.

Thus far, no sign yet that natural shellfish populations are affected.

“Knowing about potential local effects increases the urgency to reduced CO2 emissions.”

Stormwater in a pilot low impact development (LID) project in Pierce County near Hylebos Creek is successfully being infiltrated and filtered of contaminants despite some problems with construction of the LID elements and poor soils at the site.

Curtis Hinman from the Washington State University Puyallup Research and Extension Center explained how an 8 acre development with 35 homes was constructed in 2002 as a pilot project to evaluate the potential of low impact development techniques to mimic native hydrologic function and protect the nearby Hylebos stream.   The project was built using bioretention swales or raingardens along all the roadways, previous concrete along the road shoulders, compost amended soils around the homes, and a compost amended sloped dispersion area for any remaining stormwater runoff.

Curtis explained that there were problems with the project because the builder did not have much guidance on how to build the raingardens, the largest raingarden ended up being lined because of sewer concerns, and the site had poor soils for infiltration.   Despite these challenges when post development stormwater was evaluated the results showed that the site was exceeding the goals for stormwater reduction and infiltration.   The LID features in the development combined with the compost amended slope removed 96 percent of the stormwater on site.   In addition a water quality analysis showed that metal contaminants in the water were at non detectable levels and were much less than metal levels in stormwater runoff in typical residential developments.

Alan Hamlet, member of Climate Impacts Group at University of Washington, on “Flow regime change forecast for Nisqually/Deschutes Rivers & Chambers Creek”

Showed graphs with historic climate change and projected change.

Two different scenarios based on different reductions in greenhouse gas emissions show vastly different results, but only after a couple of decades. 

Columbia Basin Climate Change Scenarios Project goals and objectives: provide a wide range of products to address multiple stakeholder needs, increase spatial and temporal resolution, provide a large ensemble of climate scenarios to assess uncertains, and address hydrologic extremes

Studied changes to runoff and frequency extreme events for the Nisqually watershed.  Also the increase of sediment discharge at teh Nisqually headwaters in Mt. Rainier Nationa Park due to glacier melting.

Question for future research:  How will sea level rise  and sediment change affect Nisqually delta? 

The Budd Inlet Treatment Plant in Olympia operated by LOTT discharges the equivalent of 17 Olympic size swimming pools of water a day into Puget Sound, according to Laurie Pierce of the LOTT Clean Water Alliance.  It’s nitrogen contribution to the Sound is equal to that of the Deschutes river watershed.   In 1992 an upgrade to the plant significantly reduced nitrogen levels in the plant’s discharge.  Without that improvement the wastewater from the Thurston County area would be having a much greater impact on nitrogen levels in the South Sound.  

The new focus for reduction of nitrogen loading and impacts of wastewater on Budd Inlet and the South Sound is the movement towards decentralized treatment facilities that are focused on where the growth is happening in Thurston County – Lacey/Hawks Prairie, Tumwater, and Chambers Prairie.   At each of these decentralized locations the goal is to reclaim water for reuse and for recharge of the aquifer instead of discharging to Puget Sound.  LOTT is also working with the Squaxin Tribe and others to identify and implement projects to address non point sources of nitrogen to the Deschutes River to help reduce the overal nitrogen contribution to Budd Inlet and the South Sound.

Curtis Hinman, WSU Puyallup Research and Extension Center, on “Flow Control and Water Quality Treatment Performance of a Residential Low Impact Development Pilot Project in Western Washington”:

LID will become the first approach to dealing with water quality issues.

Pilot Project: Meadow on the Hylebos (35 home community): partnership between local government (Pierce County), designer, owners, and developer

Goals: mimic native hydrologic function (for Hylebos Creek) and provide “an affordable and livable neighborhood” 

Monitoring Objectives:  how well the project matches flood-control standards, effectiveness of LID techniques, stormwater runoff quality, and provide accurate scientific data

LID features (‘LID light’): bioretention swales along roads, pervious concrete, compost amended soils and sloped biodentention

For 0.3 ha sub-basin, project exceeded design objectives and met forested duration standard.  Also exceeded objectives at Hybelos Creek.  Water quality results from 2 storms:  metals were below detection threshold.

If largest planned bioretention area was functional, modeling shows this would have met forested duration standard at Point of Compliance.

“The LID applications appear to be robust.”

Laurie Pierce, Operations and Facilities Director at LOTT Alliance on “The evolution of wastewater treatment at the LOTT Clean Water Alliance”:

Main treatment facility is in the heart of Olympia, and discharges into the Budd Inlet.  A portion of the discharge (up to one million gallons) is reclaimed for reuse.

She explained the history of treatment facilities to accomodate new laws, population, and for better water quality.

Satellite treatment plants:  Lacey (Hawk’s Prairie), then Tumwater, and then the Chambers Prairie area in order to accomodate growth.

Showed current permit limits for total inorganic nitrogen and BOD according to season, and loading-based limits.  These are “some of the most stringent in country.”

Plan extends to 2053.

LOTT Alliance’s focus on education

A couple of questions and answers:

How are you dealing with emerging chemicals of concern?

We have a long retention time, which according to EPA is good for these contaminents of concern.

Rate structure and history of?

We began in incremental increase about five years ago, $1.50 a year.  We don’t foresee huge adjustments.

Maryanne Reiter, hydrologist at Weyerhaeuser on “Spatial and temporal turbidity patterns over 30 years in a managed forest of Western Washington”:

“In the early 1980s there was concern over sediment filling Capitol Lake.”  Weyerhaeuser wanted to determine if forest practices were contributed, so created a watershed plan.  

Study started in 1974.  Several 1 square mile sections studied, plus multiple grab sites. 

Used turbidity as a measure since more data was available than suspended sediment on.  A correlation between the two was demonstrated.

The measures of turbidity was adjusted for flow.  The watersheds, although near, behaved differently, and account.  

Harvest does not account for the decrease. Changes in way roads were constructed, sediment traps and ditching are likely influential.

Underlying geology was considered.  There was a marked difference between glacial and volcanic terrains.

New sampling equipment were installed in 2006. 

“This study has shown decreasing trends in winter turbidity for at the small and large watershed scale.” 

Conclusion:  Decline largely due to improvements in road construction and maintenance practice.

Questions and answers:

Was there a problem with clogging culverts with vegetation?

No, design includes settling basin to allow cleaning.

Questions regarding road construction.

Most of the road consruction had been completed prior to sampling.  Traffic more than density of roads.