Publication Summary

Public comment period and public meeting
The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) has completed a draft water cleanup plan to reduce bacteria contamination in the lower Dungeness watershed. The watershed includes the Dungeness River, Hurd and Matriotti Creeks, Meadowbrook Creek and Slough, Golden Sands Slough, Cooper Creek, and several irrigation ditches that empty into Dungeness River and Bay.

Public comment period and public meeting
The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) has completed a draft water cleanup plan to reduce bacteria contamination in the lower Dungeness watershed. The watershed includes the Dungeness River, Hurd and Matriotti Creeks, Meadowbrook Creek and Slough, Golden Sands Slough, Cooper Creek, and several irrigation ditches that empty into Dungeness River and Bay.

The Draft Water Cleanup Plan for Bacteria in the Lower Dungeness Watershed is based on a water quality study conducted by Ecology, with assistance from the Jamestown S′Klallam Tribe and Clallam County. Information from the study was used to update and refine Clallam County′s Clean Water Strategy. The updated Clean Water Strategy has become the core of the water cleanup plan. It details proposed activities to improve water quality.

Public comment period April 15 – May 13
Public meeting and hearing – Tuesday, April 30
Open house 6 p.m.; Public meeting and hearing from 7 to 9 p.m.
Guy Cole Convention Center at Carrie Blake Park
202 N. Blake Road, Sequim

The draft plan was developed in cooperation with the Clean Water Workgroup. The workgroup formed as part of Clallam County′s Clean Water District to address water quality issues and shellfish harvest restrictions in the Dungeness watershed.

At the end of the comment period, Ecology will consult with Clallam County and the Clean Water Workgroup about how to incorporate the comments received. Then Ecology will submit the water cleanup plan to the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for approval.