This coming Monday, May 19th at 6:00 pm at Newport City Hall the City Council will have a regular scheduled meeting and on agenda for action is a consideration of an agreement with Georgia Pacific for use of rights-of-way for thier treated effluent pipeline. The effluent pipeline runs through the city of Newport approximately 3 miles and the primary outfall of the mill is located 3,800 feet off Nye Beach. The facility releases an average of 11 million gallons a day of treated wastewater in the vicinity of important recreational areas and fishing grounds (see photo). To view the city's draft license agreement, click on the link at the bottom of this post. The Newport Chapter of Surfrider Foundation submitted a report last month to the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) with formal recommendations for strengthening the wastewater permit of the Georgia Pacific Pulp and Paper Mill in Toledo. The report is intended to support DEQs ongoing reconsideration of the Georgia Pacific permit, and bring the agency closer to compliance with state and federal laws that protect water quality. Some of the reports recommendations focus on the need for enhanced monitoring of marine species and the nearshore environment near the mills ocean outfall. Other recommendations provide guidance and data resources for improving scientific analyses used to evaluate potential ecological and public health impacts. Back in September 2006, Surfrider and four other organizations formally petitioned DEQ to reconsider the terms of the NPDES wastewater permit of the Georgia Pacific mill. DEQ accepted the Petition on October 18th, 2006 and has been working to complete the reconsideration since then. Sufriders Environmental Issues Team has recently met with DEQ staff on this issue and is committed to providing constructive input to support the reconsideration process.
License Agreement: 0501308Agreementclean.DOC
Surfrider Report to DEQ:
Surfrider_ScienceBasedRecommendations_GP_Mill_NPDES_Final.pdf

Great job by youth volunteers for their awesome presentation to city council. I've already recieved emails from the city attorney working to draft the water quality ordinance recommendations that the kids presented. Way to go Nye A.R.M.S! We're all so impressed and proud of you!

Rosemont Ridge 7th graders from West Linn lined up to spell "PLASTIC" at South Beach Jetty after picking up over 21,00 tiny pieces of plastic in an area roughly the size of a footbal field in about an hour. Armed with bags from SOLV for a beach cleanup, the 130 students and volunteers met up with the Newport Chapter of Surfrider Foundation, who directed the focus of the cleanup on small pieces of plastics in a small sandy area near the jetty. The cleanup helped kick off Oregon Chapters' rise above plastics educational initiative to raise awareness of the dangers plastics impose on our marine wildlife and beaches in Oregon. In addition to cleaning up the beach, the students were able to help raise money for their Sparrow Club Organization which benefits a fellow student through their participation in community service hours.

Thanks to all for coming out to last week's Newport Chapter meeting. Major thanks to guest speaker Matt Love for his inspiring talk on the history of the Beach Bill! From the recent press you've probably noted that there's a few "smoking guns" from sewage misconnects to storm drain lines that flow into Nye creek and beach. For this round of testing 7 building were identified as having their sewage lines connected. The city plans to follow up with enforcement and repair within' 30 days. Great work BWTF, we knew this day would come and we've got more to go, but that's 7 less sewer lines dumping onto our beaches. The minutes from the chapter executive and regular chapter meeting are attached below. Thanks again!
Exec. Meeting Minutes -
NP_exec_min_041008.doc
Chapter Meeting Minutes -

This past Saturday, Surfrider Foundation Newport Chapter joined forces with The Oregon Coast Aquarium Youth Volunteers to remove Scot’s Broom (an invasive species) from South Beach State Park. "As a part of our continued stewardship program with the South Beach State Park, we enjoyed coming out and putting in a few hours of physical labor and community service to make the day use area a little nicer. The participation of the Youth Volunteers from the Oregon Coast Aquarium in this event was fantastic. Pulling Scot's Broom is hard work, but the results are gratifying and immediate," says Newport Chapter's acting Vice Chair, Joe Haxel. Additionally, the chapter was able to get the event accepted through SOLV's Project Oregon Program, bringing out the best of SOLV’s motto:"When people get together things get done."

The Central Coast Chapter finalized their suite of recommendations for best management practices along Nye Creek and throughout the City of Newport for stormwater management affecting water quality levels in the creek and on the beach. The watershed management ordinances and codes were sent back and forth to the council workgroup sessions 3 times before finally passing all recommendations made by the chapter. In late February, the Council voted 7-0 in favor of a watershed protection ordinance, stormwater utility and disconnect program, pet waste ordinance, and nuisance ordinances protecting the watershed to name a few. Additionally, the chapter and City’s plans for a supplemental environmental project for a biopond and DNA testing along Nye Creek were accepted by the Department of Environmental Quality. The project will begin this summer and end in the fall of 2009. This spring the chapter will be launching a new campaign (Stop the Sewage), in light of sewer and stormwater cross-connects discovered during the chapter and city’s source id testing this winter. The codes are in place now to enforce this important issue and the chapter and city of Newport have begun a smoke and dye testing project aimed at identifying the households in violation.

In our expanding efforts to improve water quality at Nye Creek and throughout Newport's watersheds, the Newport chapter has been campaigning for municipal code updates and best management practices for water quality through stormwater, sewer and other non-point source pollution variables. We need your support to help the passage for some of these codes! Please let your city council and staff know that watershed and stormwater protection are important to you! Next city council meeting is Tuesday, February 19th at 6:00 pm. Attached below is our latest city correspondence which can be utilized for comments or testimony if you like:
Municipal%20code%20update%20cover%20letter.doc.
Also you can view our specific recommendations for new or existing codes at:
Surfrider%20Newport%20Chapter%20Comments%20on%20Municipal%20Code%20Updates.doc

Thanks to all who came out for our first ever Focus the Nation event! Major thanks to Beth Wiley, Noelle Saint-Cyr, Ken Hall and the Hatfield Sustainablility Committee for the success of this event. Focus the Nation was part of a national teach-in on global warming solutions on the imperative for taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The event featured 5 different speakers with the focus on simple, take home actions for citizens and the broader imperative for action at the municipal, county and state level. Local officials were invited to speak on behalf of local efforts and hear what other communities are doing to take action. Featured right: Lincoln City Mayor Lori Hollingsworth addresses aundience members on behalf of Lincoln City's ever growing efforts for a more environmentally sustainable community. Lori has worked hard to make Lincoln City a leader among coastal communities in carbon reduction initiatives...Go Lori!

Surfrider is partnering with the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport to co-sponsor a 'Focus the Nation' forum on climate change on Jan 31st from 5pm to 6:30pm at the Hatfield Marine Science Center. The event is part of a national teach-in on global warming solutions on the imperative for taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We all know that large volumes of carbon in the Earths atmosphere is having effects on the worlds climate. You probably know that global climate change is affecting sea levels and ocean temperatures. Did you also know that this excess carbon is absorbed by the ocean? The Jan 31st event will be a great opportunity to learn more about global climate change and what you can do to help. Thanks to Noelle and Beth for all your help with this. See the official press release at: http://www.newportnewstimes.com/articles/2008/01/25/news/news11.txt