Whatcom View: Whatcom Waterway cleanup a model for watershed work

The ongoing cleanup of the Whatcom Waterway shows us what is possible when federal, tribal, state and local government agencies work together to achieve cleaner water for our community.

Many stakeholders have tackled the issue of the waterway cleanup for years. While the Lummi Nation was interested in cleaning up the waterway’s polluted waters, we also wanted the port to recognize and mitigate for past actions in Bellingham Bay that have resulted in the loss of nearly 750 acres of high-quality tidelands and salmon and shellfish habitat. We have always relied on the bounty from the sea for commercial, ceremonial and subsistence purposes, so we look forward to a continued partnership with the port to clean up Bellingham Bay as quickly as possible.

We’re grateful for the port’s thoughtful approach to this project and hope it’s a model that we can follow with other cleanup efforts. We still have more work to do in Whatcom County to keep our waters clean. Pollution from contaminated run-off in the Nooksack River watershed threatens our county’s waters and has led to devastating closures of Lummi’s shellfish beds.

Our elders tell us, “when the tide is out, the table is set” in appreciation of the abundant clams, mussels, oysters and other fish that live and thrive on our tidelands. Unfortunately, contamination from land use, poorly functioning on-site septic systems and improper manure management practices in the Nooksack watershed have contributed to polluted waters over our shellfish growing areas. For more than two decades, Lummi has worked with tribal, federal, state and local agencies and officials, and community volunteers to address this problem. Years of research have shown what works to protect our area waters from unacceptable levels of bacteria; now we must follow best practices to prevent the problem.

As fisherman and farmers, we produce the food that our families, our communities and the nation rely on. This is a huge responsibility — and it’s one we can only carry out if we support solutions that sustain our resources for generations to come. Water users must follow the regulations to protect our watershed and for other state and federal agencies to enforce the rules. The overdue Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation general permit being developed by the Department of Ecology is an important tool to help ensure that best management practices are used to reduce or eliminate discharges from livestock operations. Rather than seeking to weaken or prevent the new animal feeding permit from being issued, water users should accept responsibility for the difficult task.

A solution can be found in the commitment and cooperation of the Environmental Protection Agency, Ecology and our state and local governments. Most importantly, the agricultural community must take responsibility for the health of people downstream from their operations and apply manure to their fields from the right source, in the right amount, at the right location, at the right time. Online tools are available from the Whatcom Conservation District and recommendations from the Department of Agriculture exist to guide and support the agricultural community. The community must use these tools and commit to preventing pollution of our shared waters. It’s important to our public health and to all who rely on the Nooksack watershed.

The Whatcom Waterway cleanup is a great example of how we can achieve community goals through cooperation and by following existing rules and regulations. Whether we’re cleaning up contamination in Portage Bay or preventing pollution in the Nooksack River, clean water is a value and a responsibility we all share.

This story was originally published October 22, 2015 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Whatcom View: Whatcom Waterway cleanup a model for watershed work."