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Hood Canal Aquatic Rehabilitation Program for Low Dissolved Oxygen

    

Hood Canal is in trouble; it has too much nitrogen. This nitrogen stimulates algae to grow. As the algae grows and then dies and decays it uses up the limited supply of oxygen in the water. In the summer and early fall, rapidly growing algae in combination with poor circulation of the water in Hood Canal reduces the oxygen to very low levels. When oxygen levels dip extremely low, fish kills and stress can occur, effecting not only fish but many marine organisms.

Fish kills decrease populations of some economically important species and have effects on tourism, recreation and our cultural heritage. Excess nutrients also exacerbate ocean acidification which affects the shellfish industry, private shellfish harvest, and potentially other fisheries.

 

Fish kills happened historically before humans intervened in Hood Canal, but our actions today can exacerbate the problem. We need to reduce the amount of nitrogen that we put in Hood Canal. Nitrogen inputs in Lower Hood Canal and Lynch Cove in the summer are of particular concern. Human sources of nitrogen include wastewater, red alder trees, stormwater, agriculture, forest management, and residential development. Red alder trees have increased significantly due to management and development of watersheds. Red alders fix atmospheric nitrogen into their roots which becomes available for runoff in winter months. We have also affected wetlands and stream corridors so they are less able to remediate nitrogen by slowing down storm and surface waters before they get to the marine waters.

 

While we don’t know how big the nitrogen impact from humans is on Hood Canal, we do know that the Canal already has too much nitrogen, so any nitrogen we add worsens the problem.


 Addressing the problem

There are several common sense actions that we can all take to help limit nitrogen going to Hood Canal.

  • Change behaviors by decreasing or eliminating nitrogen fertilizers on your lawn/garden, composting yard waste, keeping pet waste (yellow and brown!) out of Hood Canal, and driving fuel efficient vehicles.
  • Improve conditions on your property by regularly inspecting your septic system, promoting shellfish culture and harvest, slowing down and storing stormwater before it leaves your property, and retaining vegetative cover and shoreline vegetative buffers.

Most of these necessary actions benefit multiple other objectives as well such as flood hazard reduction and water quality.

There are potentially bigger actions that may be needed to address nitrogen in Hood Canal. Cost and benefits of all actions must be weighed in context with a risk analysis based on our best knowledge to ensure recommended actions are appropriate, cost effective, and widely supported. Actions are being explored and evaluated through the Hood Canal Coordinating Council (HCCC) Hood Canal Aquatic Rehabilitation Program.

 

Overview of HCCC and Partner Roles & Responsibilities

In 2005 the Washington State Legislature established the Hood Canal Aquatic Rehabilitation Program (RCW 90.88) designating the HCCC as the local management board to coordinate local government efforts for addressing the low dissolved oxygen problem in Hood Canal. The Puget Sound Partnership (PSP) was designated as the state's lead agency to implement the Aquatic Rehabilitation Program, so the HCCC and the PSP are working together to co-manage projects under this Program.

In March 2009, the HCCC Board called for the formation of the Hood Canal Aquatic Rehabilitation Technical Advisory Committee to advise and assist HCCC Board members in their deliberations and development of programs and management actions to address low dissolved oxygen. This Technical Advisory Committee is analyzing scientific data and findings on this issue and evaluating management and policy actions for the HCCC Board to consider.

            

            

 County, State, and Tribal agencies, health districts, utilities, educational institutions and citizen groups are working together through this Technical Advisory Committee and other programs to determine what further steps are needed to addressing low dissolved oxygen.

Current Research

The Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program (HCDOP) http://www.hoodcanal.washington.edu/ was established in 2005 by twenty-eight entities, including local, state and federal agencies, tribal governments, non-profits, and universities, in part to scientifically study the sources of nitrogen and other nutrients in Hood Canal and their impacts on marine life.

Preliminary results of the scientific study are available in a fact sheet and a PowerPoint presentation prepared by the HCDOP.