Pierce County shellfish watersheds project

A report from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department describes the results of a project to address threats to water quality in Pierce County, focusing on shellfish areas most at risk.

Blue mussel, Mytilus edulis. Photo: Andreas Trepte (CC BY-SA-2.5) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Blue_mussel_Mytilus_edulis.jpg
Blue mussel, Mytilus edulis. Photo: Andreas Trepte (CC BY-SA-2.5) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Blue_mussel_Mytilus_edulis.jpg

Summary

The Pierce County Shellfish Watersheds Project focused on improving and protecting water quality in the Key Peninsula/Islands Watershed, located in South Puget Sound.  A number of shellfish growing areas in the watershed had undergone classification downgrades or were threatened due to declining water quality. 

This project developed a more comprehensive and multi-faceted program to protect and improve water quality in the shellfish waters of Pierce County. This involved more comprehensive sanitary surveys, more extensive water quality sampling, creating a septic system repair facilitator position, providing septic system operation and maintenance incentives to homeowners, helping to implement new septic system operation and maintenance regulations, implementing farm animal best management practices, and evaluating project activities.

The results of this project point out the importance of local actions, through local partnerships, to help improve marine water quality in shellfish growing areas. -- Summary description adapted from the project report. 

Citation

DiBiase, F., (2014). Pierce County Shellfish Watersheds Project. Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, Environmental Health Division, Tacoma, Washington.

Download the full report