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Department of Ecology News Release - Sept. 21, 2000
00-187
OLYMPIA - Many farms in Lewis, Thurston and southeast Grays Harbor counties will receive inspections from the Department of Ecology (Ecology) in the coming weeks as a part of continuing efforts to curtail water pollution that comes from livestock farms.
"Dairy farms have already received attention from Ecology, and now it's time to look at farms with other kinds of livestock, such as non-milking heifers, cattle, horses, hogs and poultry," said Mark Bentley, a water-quality manager for Ecology.
The inspections are a follow-up to Ecology's 1998 technical-assistance tour of 78 livestock farms in the upper Chehalis River basin. At that time, 42 farms were identified as having a medium or high potential to pollute waters. Farms with problems were asked to seek free technical assistance from their local conservation districts to manage farm animal waste.
"Because only a very few of the 78 property owners followed up with their conservation districts after our initial visits, our formal inspections are proceeding," Bentley said.
Between 1990 and 1993, a water-quality study for the upper river (upstream from the Porter bridge) found levels of dissolved oxygen and fecal coliform bacteria that violated state water-quality standards. The study found that portions of the river are very sensitive to pollution and that one significant source of pollution is runoff from areas where livestock are kept.
In addition, a recent study of the Grays Harbor watershed indicates that 96 percent of the river's fecal coliform bacteria is coming from polluted runoff, much of which comes from upstream.
Low levels of dissolved oxygen are hard on fish and aquatic life that depend on oxygen for survival. Fecal coliform bacteria pose a health risk to people who come into contact with contaminated water while fishing, swimming or wading.
In addition to free technical assistance that's available from conservation districts, grants or loans are often available to assist landowners with the expense of resolving problems. This funding can help pay for improvements such as installing fences or waste-management facilities.
Conservation districts can be reached at the following phone numbers:
Thurston Conservation District, 360-754-3588
Lewis Conservation District, 360-748-0083
Grays Harbor Conservation District, 360-249-5980.
Farmers can contact Lisa Rozmyn at Ecology for more information about the inspections: 360-407-6287.
Media Contact: Sandy Howard, public information, 360-407-6239
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
