Mon, May 3, 2004

Oregon Non Governmental Organizations have compiled a list of recommendations to be conveyed to the Governor and relevant state agencies for their response/recommendation being sent to President Bush. The following are Oregon Surfrider's recommendations regarding marine water quality.

To: Governor Kulongoski
CC: Jim Myron, Jim Brown, Bob Bailey, Lindsay Ball, Patty Burke, Bill Bradbury, Michael Carrier, Katy Coba, Nan Davis, Michael Grainey, Stephanie Hallock, Ann Hanus, Geoffrey Huntington
From: Markus Mead, Oregon Field Coordinator, Surfrider Foundation
Date: May 7, 2004

Re: U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy Preliminary Report

Coastal areas comprise less than one-fifth of the United States land area and account for over one-half of the nation's population and is rapidly growing. This growth brings pollution, habitat destruction, and increased demand for a dwindling supply of ocean food products. The US Commission report finds that increased coastal development, altered sediment flow, over-fishing, and dramatic declines in water quality have all damaged the health and safety of our oceans and beaches.

The Commission acknowledged that: "…substantial enhancement of coastal water quality will require significant reductions in nonpoint source pollution-a technical and political challenge." Nonpoint source pollution occurs when rainfall and snowmelt carry pollutants over land, into streams eventually, into coastal waters. Nonpoint source pollution comes from many places including buildings, streets, industrial activity and automobiles. This is in contrast to point source pollution, which can be traced to a specific point of discharge, such as a wastewater treatment plant or a factory. We need to clean up nonpoint pollution at its source - the storm drains.

On a beautiful summer day, Oregon's oceans appear deceptively pristine. Since September 12, 2003, eleven public notices of high bacteria levels have been posted along Oregon's coast from Twin Rocks on the north coast to Mill Beach in Curry County. Many of these public health notices were active for consecutive months during continued testing. These bacteria often enter our oceans via nonpoint-source systems.

Nonpoint source pollution is the greatest cause of surf zone pollution in most areas. Therefore, recognition of the interconnectedness of land-based decisions to water quality and marine habitats is vital to marine conservation. In their report, The Commission calls for increased coastal and ocean education in our nation's schools, spotlighting the "connections to all earth systems" like the connection between watersheds, beaches and the ocean.

Monitoring water quality also helps identify the unhealthy linkages between the coastal uplands, estuaries, and nearshore waters. Marine protection in Oregon must take into account water quality, recognizing that it is not only a key indicator of overall marine ecosystem health, but also of critical importance to human health. Fish and shellfish must exist with the pollutants we put in the ocean. These pollutants become introduced into the food chain and are then absorbed up the ecosystem into all marine species. Testing for, and identifying pollutants will stop their introduction, making for healthier fish, and helping sustain coastal resource-based economies.

To assure that Oregon's marine waters are clean, so that our marine species are of the highest quality, so our ecosystems can function properly, and our human beach users remain healthy, we recommend the following:

• Implement technologies that stop nonpoint pollution by filtering runoff as it enters the storm drains.
• Strengthen the BEACH Act to enable funds to not only monitor beaches but to test for a variety of additional indicators such as PCBs, benzene, and dioxins. Sampling dollars should also be allowed to trace back to sources of pollution using DNA or other testing methods.
• Provide a tool for decision makers and developers to guide development away from sensitive areas such as transfer of development rights, and conservation easements.
• Re-allocate a portion of existing utility infrastructure grant money specifically to cities wishing to implement "natural wetland" sewage treatment facilities such as those used by Cannon Beach. These facilities are cheaper to maintain, and unlikely to be damaged by storm erosion, such as that which occurred in Port Orford. Enhance these grants with a financial incentive to be "green".
• 329 million gallons of municipal sewage flow daily out of US treatment plants that have a 301(h) waiver and are not performing secondary treatment on all wastewater. We recommend establishing Water Quality Overlay Zones near wastewater plants, river mouths, and other outfall areas. Regular monitoring of these zones would provide incentive for sewage treatment facilities to not violate their NPDES permits.
• Congress should provide adequate funding for comprehensive planning and implementation of nonpoint source pollution practices to stop the flow of urban and agricultural runoff into our inland waterways which flow to our oceans.
• Provide incentives or requirements for coastal cities and counties to create and implement stormwater management plans to capture, treat, or filter stormwater prior to its release into our streams, bays and ocean.
• Strengthen oil spill prevention laws by requiring all vessels, especially Personal Water Craft, to use four stroke engine technologies.
• Remove unnecessary dams and debris basins to allow sediments to reach our beaches, promoting recreation and tourism, as well as recreating nearshore habitat, vital for juvenile salmon, salmon prey fish, crab grounds and other nearshore species..