Washington State Department of Ecology

Ecology home > Water Quality > TMDLs Home > TMDL Activity by WRIA - WRIA 3 > Samish Bay Water Quality

Samish Bay watershed Sampling, Washington State.
Small farms owners can protect water quality by fencing animals away from wet swales, ditches and streams.

If you’re fishing….please use the Port-a-Potties!

Where does Skagit County Health Department’s requirement for Onsite Sewage System Inspections come from?

Small farm owners need to manage their land and animals with care to protect ditches and creeks.

Samish Bay Water Quality: Yours to Protect

EPA approved the Samish Bay Watershed TMDL and Implementation Plan on October 30, 2009.

Working with more than 20 state, federal and local agencies and nonprofit organizations and Tribes, Ecology is spearheading the Clean Samish Initiative. This is a speeded-up effort coordinated with all partners to implement cleanup actions and make a difference in water quality by the end of this winter wet season.

Public meeting and open house: December 3, 2009

TMDL and Implementation Plan (Ecology publications):

Volume 1: Study findings

Volume 2: Implementation plan

View Samish Watershed focus sheet

Samish Bay and the river, creeks and sloughs that drain to it are heavily impacted by bacteria-laden runoff after storm events.

Public health is at risk: The fecal coliform bacteria and nutrients that end up in Samish Bay can prevent us from safely using the Bay for recreation and shellfish harvest.

Washington State Department of Ecology completed a study of the Samish watershed to determine the sources of bacteria and develop a plan for cleanup. Partners in this effort are Skagit County agencies, state departments of Health and Agriculture, Skagit Conservation District, and Skagit Stream Team, an organization of citizens who help monitor water quality.

The study shows that 70% of bacteria loading to Samish Bay comes from the Samish River, above the locations around the Bay where waterfowl congregate. Any bacteria loading from the waterfowl is in addition to the heavy load discharged from the river.

What is causing the problem?

Fecal coliform bacteria enter streams and ditches when rainfall washes bacteria off our backyards and farms. The bacteria may come from onsite sewage systems or from improperly managed animal waste. It can come from either commercial or small non-commercial farms.

What can Samish residents do to protect the water?

Make sure your onsite sewage system is in good working order. Schedule an inspection as required by Skagit County Public Health. Follow the link for information about Skagit Public Health’s programs and requirements for onsite sewage systems.
Manage your livestock so they can water away from a stream or ditch. Skagit Conservation District can help with fencing and watering alternatives.
Safeguard manure piles from rain and surface runoff. Call the Skagit Conservation District (360-428-4313) for help.
Use proper waste management when you are boating, fishing, hiking, hunting and camping.
Bag pet waste and put it in the garbage, not in the onsite sewage system where it can cause expensive problems.
Protect the natural vegetation along ditches, streams, lakes and rivers…you may need to add more. Vegetation slows and filters pollutants carried in runoff. Skagit Conservation District can help with plantings.

Where does Skagit County Health Department’s requirement for Onsite Sewage System Inspections come from?

The annual inspection requirement for alternative septic systems (and once every 3 years for conventional systems) is in state law (WAC 246-272A, Section 0270). All 12 counties bordering Puget Sound were required to adopt the code by July 2007, and establish onsite sewage management plans. The Samish TMDL does not set the Operation & Maintenance requirement for inspections. The requirement is already firmly established by the Washington State Board of Health and each county’s Board of Health. If anything, the establishment of the Marine Recovery Areas (based on data showing water quality problems) and the TMDL study itself indicate there is a good basis for requiring annual O&M inspections.

Call the Spill Hotline if you see a spill or illegal dumping: 800-OILS-911

For more information:

Five Temporary Shellfish Closures Were Needed in 2008
Ecology Samish Study Results (presentation)
Ecology’s Final TMDL Water Quality Study (Ecology publication)
Marine Recovery Areas adopted in Skagit County
Improving Water Quality in the Samish Bay Watershed
What is a Water Quality Improvement Plan (TMDL, or Total Maximum Daily Load)?
Skagit County Water Quality Monitoring Program
Watershed Information for WRIA 3 (EAP's WRIA Links page)

Last updated November 2009