Publication Summary

Lead and copper concentrations in North Creek and Donkey Creek were monitored on April 10 and April 21, 2008. North Creek flows across the eastern quarter of the Gig Harbor Sportsman Club.

Samples from North Creek taken just downstream of the Club showed dissolved lead concentrations as high as 200 ug/L. This exceeds chronic water quality criteria by a factor of approximately 900, and is the highest lead concentration found in Washington State surface waters. A 200 times increase in lead levels downstream from samples taken upstream indicates the Club was the source of lead in North Creek. Continued 303(d) listing for North Creek is recommended.

On April 10 and 21, 2008, the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) monitored lead and copper concentrations at three locations on North Creek and two locations on Donkey Creek.

The Gig Harbor Sportsman Club had been implicated as a source of lead to North Creek based on preliminary sampling efforts by the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department in 2002. North Creek flows across the eastern quarter of the Club property.

Samples from North Creek taken just downstream of the Club on April 10 and 21 showed dissolved lead concentrations as high as 200 ug/L. This level was higher than the chronic water quality criteria by a factor of approximately 900, and the acute criteria by a factor of 36. This is the highest lead concentration found in Washington State surface waters. Samples taken just upstream of the Club showed dissolved lead concentrations of 0.82 ug/L. Lead concentrations downstream of the Club exceeded the upstream concentrations by more than 200 times, indicating that the Club was the source of lead in North Creek.

Copper concentrations upstream and downstream of the Club exceeded acute or chronic water quality criteria by a small margin three times.

Based on the findings of this study, the lead listings for North Creek should be retained as Category 5 (impaired waterbody) of the federal Clean Water Act Section 303(d) list. Copper listings for North Creek should be added as Category 5 during the next 303(d) listing cycle.

The Gig Harbor Sportsman Club site should undergo a Site Hazard Assessment through the Department of Ecology′s Toxics Cleanup Program, and receive a hazard ranking based on the results. The site would then be placed on the state Hazardous Sites List with priority for cleanup which depends on the ranking.

Link to EIM data for User Study ID SGOL009