Category: Outreach

February 29^th
an extra day for a good cause!

Join us! along this beautiful stretch of Tenmile Creek as we plant native trees & shrubs to create a buffer along a newly restored section of the creek.  Meet at 9am-12pm – look for the NSEA signs on E. Hemmi Road, just east of Hannegan.
This beautiful spot is adjacent to agricultural lands and home to salmon, birds and an incredible view of Mt. Baker. We are returning to this site for the third time since last spring, and we are happy to again co-sponsor with our partners Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) and Whatcom Conservation District (WCD). NSEA provides tools & gloves – all you have to do is wear sturdy shoes & weather-appropriate clothing. Snacks courtesy of The Bagelry & the Community Food Co-Op. Coffee provided thanks to NSEA’s official coffee sponsor, Tony’s Coffee.

Our work in support of this project began with Earth Day 2019, was repeated last fall, and continues to be a fine example of restoration potential in this multi-use area of our county. Last summer the county redirected the creek into an original section of its channel, while installing a new, larger road culvert under E. Hemmi to alleviate local flooding.

Join us – we will be there with our display table – mud-boots, work gloves & all!

After frequent rains in September, water quality results for fecal bacteria were high at multiple sites across the lower Nooksack River, including our Tenmile watershed. Most alarming, these conditions also resulted in higher counts in the marine waters of Portage Bay, which will only make it more difficult to achieve our long-range goal of removing the conditional closure for fall harvest.

And all this comes in spite of heightened awareness before the fall rains to prevent this historical trend; cautions were raised, and continue, by multiple partners in the Whatcom Clean Water Program, including Whatcom County, Whatcom Conservation District, Dept of Ecology & Dept of Agriculture.

Here is a quick reference for the data behind this story and further activities in response:

• We have increased our own sample schedule in two ways: each month we are repeating the usual 10 sites, 2 weeks after the scheduled date; and at our own discretion, we also collect some ‘source ID’ samples at sites around particular hot spots or during rain events.
• Find the updated Tenmile data report for September here (pdf download.)
• Find the September report for the Nooksack River here (pdf download.)
• The Laurel Watershed Improvement District sent a letter to its members (pdf copy here), which includes a helpful list of ways farmers can avoid contributing to the problem.
• The Whatcom Clean Water Program has distributed a 3-page reference of ‘fall tips’ for many different stakeholders, including: all types of farm operations; septic system owners; pet owners; watercraft operators; and interactions with wildlife. Download the reference here.

You can contact us here if you have any questions or suggestions. Thanks for doing your part to keep our waters clean!

Here is a preview of the many events relevant to our watershed that will be occurring this fall. If you know of others that we missed, let us know so we can include them!

Oct 15: WCD Speaker Series, Farm Funding Opportunities, 6-8pm at the Ferndale WECU. Last year this was reportedly the best-attended of the entire speaker series. Less ‘speaker’ and more conversation, this event offers direct connections with representatives from a wide range of funding sources & types. Plus, you will hear from panel of funding recipients from the local farm community.

Oct 26 NSEA-WCD partner work party 9am-12pm on Tenmile Creek.
Read about it here!
This is a continuation of the work we helped with for Earth Day in April, on a stretch of the creek east of Reither Elementary, at E. Hemmi Road. This summer, the county redirected the creek into an original section of its channel while installing a larger road culvert to alleviate local flooding. Now this month we will celebrate ‘Make a Difference Day‘ as we plant native trees along the creek there. This is a beautiful site we should all know about, a great continuing example of restoration potential adjacent to agricultural lands while maintaining salmon habitat. Join us – we will be there with our display table – mud-boots, work gloves & all!

Oct 29: Septic System Homeowner Training, 6-8pm, Ferndale WECU; follow the link to register – seats are limited!
The training covers how your septic system works and provides tips for proper maintenance. You will leave feeling good about understanding how this expensive and important piece of your property functions. When you complete the training you also qualify to apply for rebates on repairs or maintenance costs for your septic system. Learn more on the County’s septic system website here. For 5 tips on keeping a healthy system see our previous blog post here.

Nov 13: our Tenmile Clean Water Project meeting, 6:30-8pm, at Bellewood Acres Farmstead & Brewery.
Program: Aneka Sweeney from the Whatcom Conservation District will explain how tree & shrub stream buffers help improve water quality. Q&A will follow.

Looking ahead: We have confirmed speakers for our next two meetings, and expect you will not want to miss these – plan now!

Jan 8: 6:30-8pm, at Bellewood Acres Farmstead & Brewery.
Program: Chuck Lindsey (Associated Earth Sciences) has extensive experience studying our Whatcom watersheds. That experience will be on display as Chuck will share: Groundwater Insights: From Nooksack River to Tenmile Creek. Q&A will follow.

Mar 11: 6:30-8pm, at Bellewood Acres Farmstead & Brewery.
Program: John Mercer (Co-owner of Water System Services) and his business has supported both public & private drinking water systems in our county for decades. John will share some of what he has learned along the way with: Rural Whatcom Water Systems: Lessons from 20 Years of Service. Q&A will follow.

After a busy time last week, we are catching up with the mail – like this, some important advice left over from a ‘Water Week‘ of useful information. Ask yourself this: how is that septic system working for you? That’s essential because your sewage doesn’t go ‘away’ – it gets processed right there in your yard. And that system works well, if you take good care of it.

Here are Five Tips in our mailbox about that – how many do you know about already? (We might even throw in some of our own, at the end.)

Tip #1: A worn out toilet flapper can allow water to leak from the toilet tank to the toilet bowl. These leaks often go unnoticed and could send hundreds of gallons of additional water through your septic system each day stressing the system and eventually costing you big bucks. Replacing them is cheap, quick and easy!  Check out this video.

Tip #2: Double check that rain water runoff and downspouts on your property are diverted away from your septic system. A properly designed septic system is made to handle a specific amount of wastewater. Extra water can lead to the increased likelihood of expensive repairs or replacement.

Tip #3: Try to do laundry throughout the week and avoid ‘laundry catch up days’. Washing 5 loads of laundry in one day could send more than 200 gallons of water through your septic system! When too much water goes through your system in a short period of time the solids in the wastewater don’t have enough time to settle in the tank. The solids make their way into the drainfield and can eventually cause you expensive problems.

Tip #4: Think at the Sink! Your septic system contains a collection of living organisms that digest and treat your wastewater. Pouring toxins down your drain can kill these organisms and harm your septic system. Whether you are at the kitchen sink, bathtub, or utility sink, remember these rules:
* No chemical drain openers;
* No cooking oil, fats or grease;
* No paints, solvents toxic cleaners;
* Eliminate or limit the use of a garbage disposal.

Tip #5: Septic systems problems can be expensive and messy. You can avoid troubling repairs and backups by only flushing toilet paper and poo down your loo! Anything else you are tempted to flush should be disposed of in the trash.

Now for some bonus tips:
#6: Know where your septic tank is in your yard. It will need occasional inspecting, and problems observed there can head off more serious issues later.

#7: Register here for a Health Department free homeowner training, to learn more about maintaining your system.
#8:  Take advantage of septic rebates here, available for septic evaluations, equipment installation & septic tank pumping when done by a licensed professional.
#9: To repair or replace a failing septic system, loans are available through a partnership between Whatcom County and a non-profit lender.

For more about either rebates or loans, contact Kate Rice at Whatcom County Public Works: krice@co.whatcom.wa.us or 360-778-6302.