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NOTICE: Many of our online applications will not be available starting next Friday, May 31 at 5:00 pm through the weekend, due to maintenance work requiring power outages. (See more information) | |
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Department of Ecology News Release - September 14, 2012
12-303
OLYMPIA – Weather permitting, scientists from the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) will release a harmless red, fluorescent dye into Deep Creek and East Twin and West Twin Creeks, west of Port Angeles, sometime during the week of September 17.
The harmless dye helps state researchers to measure the speed of water through the stream reach. It dissipates quickly.
The dye doesn’t affect humans, fish or wildlife health in any way at the very low concentrations used for such scientific study. The effort is funded by the state Salmon Recovery Funding Board.
Stephanie Estrella, a scientist with Ecology’s Environmental Assessment Program who will be conducting the work, said: “This effort is important because it’s used to determine if actions to restore salmon habitat are working.”
The creeks, which flow into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, are part of several experimental, watershed-scale evaluations that receive intensive monitoring to help environmental scientists better understand how salmon and trout respond to current approaches to restore habitat. Habitat improvements include adding woody debris and protecting natural streamside areas.
The area is one of the state’s Intensively Monitored Watersheds.
Ecology has received permission to access the sampling sites.
Researchers will track the plume of the dye with fluorometers, which measure dye concentration in the water. Tracking speed of the dye from upstream to downstream allows researchers to calculate how long it takes for water to travel through the stream reach. The information will be incorporated into calculations to help scientists understand the creek’s overall water quality.
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Media Contacts:
Linda Kent, 360-407-6239 or linda.kent@ecy.wa.gov
Sandy Howard, 360-407-6408 or sandy.howard@ecy.wa.gov
For more information:
Ecology's Environmental Assessment program (www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/eap)
Ecology’s social media (www.ecy.wa.gov/about/newmedia.html)
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
