High Tide in Downtown Olympia

Above: Areas of downtown Olympia experienced minor flooding due to a high tide in Budd Inlet and low atmospheric pressure early Thursday morning. Favorable weather conditions created a tide lower than expected, but still put some infrastructure under corrosive sea water. This view looking southwest was taken about 6:58 a.m. from Percival Landing behind the Oyster House restaurant near Sylvester Street. 

High Tide a Dry Run for Sea Level Rise

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Starting at about 5:00 a.m., City of Olympia's Rich Hoey, director of public works, and Andy Haub, director of water resources, and staff were busy monitoring a potential 18 foot tide in Budd Inlet and flooding in downtown Olympia early Thursday morning.

Luckily, favorable weather conditions created a tide lower than expected, and flooding was relatively minor.

“It’s helpful that it’s not raining. It’s great for the crews to see how this works so they can get ready for the real thing...imagine six more inches on top of this....” said Haub, near the Oyster House restaurant on Sylvester Street at 6:46 a.m. 

Haub said the tide peaked at about 17.4 feet and the city had 17 people, a mix of stormwater operations and transportation staff, assisting in the field. 

Staff monitored the areas of 4th, 5th, and State Avenues between Columbia Street and the 4th Avenue bridge, Columbia Street between B and Corky Avenues by Budd Bay Cafe, and Thurston Avenue between Jefferson and Franklin Streets. 

There was no flooding on Water Street or at Capitol Lake as staff monitored the city’s stormwater shut off valve and pump located near the Waterstreet Café. 

Haub gets excited about atmospheric pressure dynamics and says he's going to look into putting a tide gauge near “The Kiss” statue on Percival Landing with an educational sign that explains how it all works.

“Tomorrow and future days look fine - barometric pressure is back up and tides are on the downward cycle,” said Haub on Thursday afternoon.

The Port of Olympia reported that it did not experience any backups or flooding. 

“Staff drove around and checked early this morning and have been on the property during the day,” said Port of Olympia communications and public affairs manager Kathleen White.

Two staff members of the LOTT Clean Water Alliance were seen out on bicycles checking for potential issues around or near the treatment plant and the Water Street pump station.  

“We did have some minimal overflow in the street in front of our building this morning, but nothing major. We have seen flooding there before….We haven’t had any problems with the treatment plant itself flooding as a result of these high tides. High tides combined with major storm events (do) put pressure on the outfall, causing our pumps to work harder than normal,” said LOTT community relations and environmental policy director Kara Fowler.

Downtown Flooding - a Dry Run for Sea Level Rise

There are 112 known outfalls to Capitol Lake and Budd Inlet within the city limits. An outfall is the place where a river, drain, or sewer empties into the sea, a river, or a lake.

Of those piped outfalls, 36 are susceptible to backflow flooding. Twenty are city owned, nine around Capitol Lake are owned by Washington State, five are owned by the Port of Olympia, and two are privately owned, one near Bayview and one behind the Oyster House.

Above: Flooding creeps up Sylvester Street on Thursday morning looking south toward  the nine story Capital Center Building and the state Capitol Building. The Oyster House is on the left.

In January 2015, the city, Port of Olympia, and the LOTT Clean Water Alliance provided a coordinated presentation of their concerns and needs to a group of shoreline and coastal planners. Haub recently told Little Hollywood that his infrastructure needs, as he presented them to the group, remain valid:

Near-term Infrastructure (0.25 feet of sea level rise)

Install strategic tide gates, modify drainage system for the Capitol Lake to eliminate need to pump the 20 acre basin,  and investigate the permeability of downtown soils.

Medium-term Infrastructure (0.25 to 0.5 feet of sea level rise)

Modify elevations of Heritage Park, install permanent flood barriers on western shore of peninsula, consolidate peninsula drainage systems, disconnect flood-prone streets from the Moxlie Creek drainage system, and purchase pumps to handle downtown runoff during high tides.

After the sea level rise report presented to the city council on February 9, Little Hollywood asked Haub about Capitol Lake's stormwater system.  

“....As we learn more...we understand that the lake currently serves an important flood management function. However, the system and the topography around the lake could readily be altered to accommodate either a future estuary or lake. Sea rise will require change, regardless of the lake’s future....Our concern is that the long term projection for sea rise continues to increase, which will affect our infrastructure response.” 

He also said Percival Landing is about a foot too low to accommodate a very high tide or sea level rise.

“We expect the area around the southern portion of Percival Landing to over-top at 19 feet. The high tide on December 17, 2012 was a 17.6 foot tide. The estimate for a 100-year tide event under current conditions is 18 to 18.4 feet. When we rebuild it, we will need to evaluate the appropriate height and then how to incrementally increase it further as needed. That will be part of the design process. There are numerous options for combining flood barriers with public use and aesthetics…up to a point,” he said.

Above: By 7:10 a.m. Thursday morning, the tide was obviously receding, as indicated by this visible high water mark at Percival Landing.

For more photos and information and about downtown flooding, sea level rise, the Public Works report on sea level rise to city councilmembers on February 9, past high tide events, Capitol Lake, the valves that save a portion of downtown from flooding, the Oyster House, Percival Landing and more, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com, and type key words into the search engine.

Amphibian Monitoring Program Benefits City, Science

Above: Newly trained citizen scientists search for amphibian egg masses at a 30 year old stormwater pond on the City of Olympia's westside last Saturday. The training was part of a Stream Team program activity to monitor the ecological health of area stormwater ponds and its inhabitants. Amphibians are a key indicator species that help scientists monitor the health of the environment.  

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

“I found one!”

That was the excited shout by more than one newly trained citizen scientist on a field trip to a stormwater pond last weekend.

What was found was an amphibian egg mass belonging to the Pacific Tree Frog, in about 30 centimeters of water. 

The sighting was confirmed by City of Olympia Stream Team leader Michelle Stevie who called me over with my clipboard to record all the vital information: location and depth, type of egg mass, developmental stage in which the eggs were found, whether or not the mass was attached to anything, like a cattail, and other notes. 

As I moved slowly through hip deep water to record the finding, as well as another egg mass, I found one all on my own! It belonged to the Northern Red-legged Frog. 

With each new discovery, everyone shared in the joy. 

Above: The egg mass of a Northern Red-legged Frog. The scalloped-edged mass, about the size of a grapefruit, is being highlighted with a simple, white plastic lid attached to a bamboo stick. The stick has markings used to measure depth, and, if needed, keeps one upright in what can be a mucky situation.

Learning How To Monitor Amphibians

This is the fifth year for the City of Olympia's Stream Team amphibian egg mass monitoring program, and about 20 people registered for the first training of the season last Saturday held at the LOTT Clean Water Alliance. 

Volunteers play a key part in maintaining several city programs designed to restore and protect area streams, shorelines, and wetlands. Some folks not only participated in the compact, nearly three hour class lecture, they had the opportunity to immediately put their newfound knowledge to use.

The class was taught by Dr. Marc Hayes, herpetologist and senior research scientist with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. Students of all ages, even children, learned about the frogs, toads and salamanders of Thurston County and the Pacific Northwest.

Hayes showed PowerPoint slides of the egg, larvae, metamorphic, and juvenile stages of the Pacific Tree Frog, Northern Red-legged Frog, Oregon Spotted Frog, Western Toad, American Bullfrog, Northwest Salamander, Long-Toed Salamander, Rough-Skinned Newt, Western-Backed Salamander and Ensatina.

The value of monitoring a particular species or its habitat has not always been appreciated. In the past, it was a neglected piece of the puzzle in restoration efforts.

“People are beginning to understand the connection between monitoring and restoration. If restoration is not successful, it is a waste of money. It’s important to do effective analyses, and understand the failures to potentially correct them in future efforts,” said Hayes, who has 43 years’ experience with frogs and salamanders.

Hayes gave a good natured pop quiz after the lecture, and the group proved it had retained an impressive amount of knowledge.

Threats and Issues for Thurston County Amphibians

There are about 7,000 amphibian species and a website at UC Berkeley actively updates their descriptions. Since 1985, about 48 percent have been described, most of them from tropical areas, with 17-20 amphibians added per month.

Amphibians are declining globally. Over 200 species have been lost in the last 25 years and it is anticipated that that 400 species will be lost over the next 20 years.

Emergent diseases are a direct or indirect consequence of climate change. A fungus that attacks salamanders in particular was just discovered less than two years ago in Europe. While it has not yet been found in North America, a fungus that interferes with an amphibian’s water balance, and the ranavirus, a viral disease that has the ability to move between fish and amphibians, is present in Thurston County.

Other threats include growth and urban development. According to a 2001 state Department of Fish and Wildlife study in King County, wetlands adjacent to larger areas of forests are more likely to have greater native amphibian species diversity. Amphibian richness is highest in wetlands that retain at least 60 percent of adjacent area in forest land up to and exceeding 1,640 feet from the wetland.

Invasive Species in Thurston County

The only native amphibian to be reintroduced to Washington State is the Oregon Spotted Frog, a species federally listed as threatened in September 2014.

Reintroduced at Joint Base Lewis McChord in 2008, the program has been somewhat successful, but is still under evaluation, said Hayes. In reality, there is a 97 percent mortality rate in the larvae stage for amphibians due to predation under normal conditions, so scientists would need to introduce thousands of the frogs to achieve some impact to the success of the species in the area.

Two amphibians that are present in Thurston County and are definitely not wanted is the American Bullfrog, an invasive species introduced to the area in the 1930s after a bullfrog farming craze phased out in California, and the African Clawed Frog.

The African Clawed Frog was discovered about a year and a half ago in three stormwater ponds on the St. Martin’s University campus in Lacey. Hayes said scientists are desperate to remove it because it breeds at an alarming rate and carries the ranavirus at a 70 percent frequency rate.

“They are voiceless, tongue-less burrowers with tough skin and can withstand a whole host of environmental insults,” said Hayes. 

Hayes said the species is used in labs, and it is suspected that the source of this population is the result of a pet dump from North Thurston High School. Goldfish were also present. So far, 4,700 African Clawed Frogs have been removed from the St. Martin’s ponds.

An extraordinarily stubborn species, Hayes said it took San Francisco scientists about 10 years to eradicate the African Clawed Frog from their area, but that also included the time it took to learn the system of what would be most effective in their removal. 

The method? Scientists capture the frogs, humanely euthanize them, put them in baggies, and pop them in a freezer for a week to guarantee they are dead. Then, the bags containing the frogs, are autoclaved, a process that is one of the most effective ways to destroy microorganisms, spores, and viruses. 

Most pet stores and online marketers do not educate consumers about the animals they sell, and are part of the problem with invasive species. Public outreach is a touchy situation and has to be done carefully to prevent consumer backlash and mass dumps of particular species, said Hayes. The state is doing outreach to educate students and teachers not to release pet animals into the wild.

At Last! Hands-On Learning

At the conclusion of the lecture, just when human brains were starting to get over saturated, the rain (literally) stopped, and perfect amphibian monitoring conditions prevailed.

Participants eager to locate, identify, and tag egg masses carpooled to the stormwater pond on Olympia’s westside near Hansen Elementary School. Hayes has been monitoring egg mass species there for about 16 years. 

Participants found their boot sizes and pulled on clean hip waders provided by the city. Those who brought their own boots had to wash them before entering the area. Everyone had to scrub their boots after being in the water to prevent water body cross-contamination.

Breaking up into small groups of four, all paired up with an experienced amphibian watcher and we slowly waded out, arms-length apart, into the pond.

A bamboo stick marked with measurements and a plastic lid attached to its end served to measure depth, find and see egg masses better, and use as a walking stick to prevent a potential fall into the muck.

Almost immediately, a Pacific Tree Frog egg mass was found, then another, this time, that of a Northern Red-legged Frog. A couple more egg masses were found, tagged, and recorded. 

Who would have thought stormwater ponds could be so much fun?

Stream Team activities are also available in Lacey, Tumwater, and Thurston County, and are financially supported by local storm and surface water utility bill paid by residents of those jurisdictions.

Amphibian monitoring continues until early April. For future trainings, and for more information other Stream Team monitoring programs involve purple martins, shorebirds, and stream bugs, go to www.streamteam.info or www.olympiawa.gov. 

Above: Janine Gates, newly trained citizen scientist, participated with a Stream Team sponsored amphibian egg mass training in west Olympia last Saturday, and found the egg mass of a Northern Red-legged Frog. An exhilarating day of learning and discovery helped inform science, benefit the environment, and potentially influence future land use management and policies. And to think I didn’t know a thing about amphibians when I woke up Saturday morning!

Public Comment Sought for Tumwater Brewery Planned Action

Above: The Old Brewhouse property in Tumwater is located within the shoreline environment of the Deschutes River and encompasses critical areas such as steep slopes and wetlands. The City of Tumwater is seeking public comment on a draft environmental impact statement which addresses three proposed planned actions.

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

A handful of community members were present at an informal public meeting Wednesday evening at Tumwater City Hall to discuss a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for three land use scenarios that include the Old Brewhouse.

The City of Tumwater is seeking public comment on the document which addresses three proposed planned actions for the area. The public review and comment period for the document ends at 5:00 p.m., Friday, October 30.

Tumwater Mayor Pete Kmet opened the meeting for information gathering and questions.

“The (Old) Brewery is a very important part of Tumwater. Historically, it’s in the heart of Tumwater….We’ve been doing a lot to position this property for future development, updating our zoning and comprehensive plan related to the property and the neighborhoods around the brewery, and taking a comprehensive look at the transportation requirements and improvements that will need to occur along with any future redevelopment.

“….To make historic preservation work, it has to be tied to a feasible development for the property….The issue is trying to figure it out….” said Kmet. 

The specific area of the EIS is a 32 acre piece of property bounded by Custer Way to the south, Deschutes River to the west, Capitol Lake to the north and the Union Pacific Railroad to the east.

The city doesn’t own the property - it is owned by George Heidgerken of Falls Development, LLC who purchased it about five years ago for $1.5 million. 

Heidgerken has yet to submit a formal proposal to the city but has presented the public with drawings of a massive mixed use development which includes a hotel, restaurants, residential units, and a 1,000 vehicle parking garage located directly behind the historic Schmidt House.

Above: The maximum build out development scenario proposed in the Tumwater Brewery Planned Action Draft Environmental Impact Statement. 

The EIS addresses the natural environment such as geology, wetlands and shorelines, and the built environment such as land use, transportation, historic, and cultural resources.

Community members asked questions about seismic retrofit of the buildings, floodplain areas, the trail system, transportation and access to and size of a proposed parking garage, stormwater collection and discharge, tree removal, the nearby Union Pacific Railroad, and more.

There are no specific projects formally submitted to the city, but three land use options have been identified, ranging from no action to a full build out for the site, the latter of which is the development vision of Heidgerken. 

Above: The RST Cellars building, left, on Custer Way in Tumwater is not considered historic and could be remodeled or demolished. In previous conversations with Little Hollywood, the current owner, George Heidgerken, has said he would start redeveloping this property first. Transportation improvements are needed in this area.

The EIS refers to two areas of the Brewery Planned Action Area: 1) the upper portion of the site where the RST Cellars building is located near the historic Schmidt House, and an existing parking lot already there, and 2) the lower portion of the site on which the historic brewhouse is located adjacent to the Deschutes River and Capitol Lake.

It is anticipated that the final EIS will be completed by the end of 2015 although City of Tumwater councilmembers do not necessarily need to choose and adopt a preferred land use alternative by the end of the year.

To provide comment on the EIS or for more information, contact the City of Tumwater, Community Development Department, 555 Israel Road SW,  Tumwater, WA 98501 (360) 754-4180, or cdd@ci.tumwater.wa.us .

Jon Potter, project manager for Falls Development LLC attended the Wednesday night meeting, and said that the planned action process and outcome will give Falls Development, LLC certainty as they progress with their plans for the area.

For more information and photos about the Old Brewery and Brewery District Planning, go to Little Hollywood at www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com. Articles dated October 12, 2014, “Tumwater Seeks Public Comment on Old Brewery Proposed Development,” and October 16, 2014, “Developer Heidgerken Shares Old Brewery Vision,” are just two stories. Many more related articles can be found by using the search button on this blog and typing in key words.

New Puget Sound Partnership Director Introduced

Above: Sheida Sahandy, the new executive director of the Puget Sound Partnership, and Governor Jay Inslee address the Partnership today in Olympia.

 

By Janine Unsoeld

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Washington State Governor Jay Inslee introduced Sheida Sahandy, the new executive director of the Puget Sound Partnership, to the Partnership's Leadership Council today in Olympia.

The meeting was held in the General Administration Building on the Capitol Campus.

“We now have a leader…who has an incredible diversity of background,” Inslee said.

On January 7, Governor Jay Inslee announced his appointment of Sahandy as the new executive director for the Puget Sound Partnership, the agency formed by the state Legislature to lead the recovery of the Puget Sound. She starts with the Partnership on February 4.

According to a press release, Sahandy has worked for the City of Bellevue since 2006, where she has served as the assistant to the city manager and was responsible for creating Bellevue’s first city-wide environmental stewardship initiative.

Sahandy earned her Master of Public Administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government where she concentrated her studies on climate, energy and environment. She earned a Juris Doctorate from Columbia University’s School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California at Berkeley, where she studied environmental design and the biological sciences.

Calling Sahandy the “perfect person for the job,” the Governor addressed the Council and laid out three main priorities for her and the Partnership:

“One, focus the organization on projects that will deliver…I think at times we’ve had a little too much butter spread around and not really focused on one particular part of the Sound...so we actually get a functioning habitat....I think this is worthy of consideration moving forward. Two, continue efforts to align our agencies…and three, obviously, continue public engagement….”

Sahandy said she was looking forward to the challenges ahead.

Having a conversation with Partnership Council members, Inslee admitted some of the challenges that have faced the Partnership.

“As we know, the Supreme Court decision says we need to put millions of dollars into the K – 12 system and I’m supportive of that effort but it’s really important…to say that we’re not going to finance the education of our children to learn about the biology of aquatic systems and then reduce the budget of this agency....It’s important for us to realize the connection....If we’re going to teach children about how sea stars and limpets work, we have to have an agency that makes sure there are sea stars and limpets in Puget Sound for students to enjoy….”

Inslee credited the state departments of Transportation, Commerce, and Agriculture for their carbon reduction programs and efforts.

“…Commerce is recruiting low carbon businesses…and Ag understands irrigation needs….China wants to buy our wine like crazy, but if we don’t have water from the snow pack (if it’s reduced, associated with carbon pollution) we’re not going to be able to sell wine because we won’t be able to grow grapes!”

After Council member Diana Gale mentioned the Partnership’s success of working with the Tribes, Inslee acknowledged that success, but continued to press his concerns.

“…My concern though… is every 20 yards of Puget Sound is precious, (but) we have a situation where we’ve been planting eelgrass, (then) hardening (the shore) 40 miles up the beach, then doing nutrient loading reduction 30 miles up the beach from there…we haven’t really put those pieces all together in one spot where we can actually get the whole habitat working….I think it’s a challenge for the Partnership to respond to that but I will back you if you decide to concentrate some resources to get one functioning habitat even if it means…we might not get something back right away.”

Partnership chair Martha Kongsgaard agreed, saying that backing will be very important. She acknowledged the challenges, saying they need to do a better job describing the Puget Sound's story.

Billy Frank, Jr. said that the Tribes stand with Inslee, ready to move.

“We have a lot of problems…the salmon can’t get through the Narrows Bridge before they die…same with Squaxin Island coho...there are no flounders anymore, the little critters are all gone….”

Inslee also praised the efforts of U.S. Senator Patty Murray, acknowledging her for preserving funds for Puget Sound.

Murray, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced in August that she included almost $30 million for Puget Sound cleanup and recovery efforts in the Fiscal Year 2014 Senate Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill.

Kongsgaard said Senator Murray told her personally that she has the Partnership’s back.

After Inslee’s remarks, the Council continued with its agenda for the day. They reviewed their 2013 ‘report cards’ on shellfish, stormwater, habitat nearshore and water resources issues, and heard recommendations on future approaches to these issues from staff with the state Departments of Health and Natural Resources, and Washington Sea Grant. The Council also heard board updates from the Partnership’s Science Panel and the Ecosystem Coordination Board.

The Leadership Council will meet again tomorrow to receive a 2014 State Legislative update and hear a panel discussion on vessel traffic safety, coal trains, and oil by rail transport.

Meanwhile, the Partnership has plenty of critics.

The Freedom Foundation, a conservative think-tank based in Olympia, issued a report last month calling for the abolishment of the Puget Sound Partnership. The Foundation says the Partnership is politically corrupt, squanders millions of dollars, and has failed to fulfill its responsibilities as a state agency. 

"Instead of spending money on environmental restoration, the Partnership has squandered millions on 'marketing' and 'branding' campaigns that do nothing to benefit the health of Puget Sound...and it's long past time the state's taxpayers pulled the plug."

About the Partnership

The Puget Sound Partnership, created in 2007, is a state agency focused on the recovery of Puget Sound. It is the latest incarnation of previous Puget Sound clean up efforts coordinated by the Puget Sound Water Quality Authority, later called the Puget Sound Action Team.

The Partnership coordinates the efforts of citizens, governments, tribes, scientists, businesses and nonprofits to set priorities, implement a regional recovery plan and ensure accountability for results.

The Leadership Council is currently composed of Steve Sakuma, Billy Frank, Jr., Ron Sims, Martha Kongsgaard, David Dicks, Diana Gale, and Dan O’Neal.

Marc Daily served as the Partnership’s interim executive director after the resignation of retired Col. Anthony Wright in early 2013.

For more information, go to www.psp.wa.gov.

For previous stories at Little Hollywood about the Puget Sound Partnership, go to www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and type key words into the search button.

 

Above: Governor Jay Inslee and incoming Partnership executive director Sheida Sahandy meet with the Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council today.