Gregoire tackles Hood Canal mess
OLYMPIA – Taking up where her predecessor left off, Gov. Christine Gregoire has designated cleanup of polluted Hood Canal as her first big environmental project.
Gregoire, who once served as state ecology director, announced a nine-point action plan Friday to halt human and animal wastes from getting into the scenic canal that is perilously close to becoming a dead zone.
Previous Gov. Gary Locke, U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, the Puget Sound Action Team, tribes, local and federal agencies, the environmental community and others have worked on cleanup of the 60-mile inland waterway for a number of years.
Gregoire made it clear Friday that it’s a high priority for her new administration, too. She said it’s past time for talking and studying, and time for “on-the-ground action.”
She asked lawmakers to approve $5 million to help finance sewer and storm water projects at Belfair and Hoodsport, pay for surveying failing septic systems, provide low-interest loans for property owners to fix failing systems and provide grants for managing animal waste and salmon carcass disposal problems.
Gregoire released $40,000 from her emergency fund so Mason County can begin septic surveys next month. Mason, Kitsap and Jefferson counties would share $470,000 for the surveying.
Dissolved oxygen in portions of the canal has reached record low levels, causing a series of fish kills. One portion already is being described as a dead zone.
“It is a crisis, in my opinion,” the governor told a news conference. “It is a crown jewel, but it is in serious danger. We should all be very embarrassed.”
Gregoire said natural factors cause some of the problem, but that human activities are much to blame, including septic systems, runoff, livestock manure and salmon carcasses.
In a statement released by the governor’s office, Dicks endorsed her choice of the canal as an early priority.
“The governor’s decisive actions demonstrate a clear commitment to solving the problems that threaten the health and vitality of Hood Canal,” Dicks said. “The state’s plan represents a comprehensive approach that continues the important research … as well as the preliminary remedial efforts that are taking place through the joint efforts of federal, state and local government agencies, as well as the Skokomish Tribe.”