Post by Admin on May 27, 2018 4:47:08 GMT
What are the implications of the following Washington State Study for shellfish harvesters consuming the shellfish common to Oregon's Bays? We have expressed our opinion to all levels of Oregon's elected representatives objecting to the contamination of our state waters.
Stormwater Action Monitoring 2015/16 Mussel Monitoring Survey
Final Report
August 9, 2017
Jennifer Lanksbury, Brandi Lubliner, Mariko Langness, and James West
Executive Summary
Toxic contaminants enter the Puget Sound from a variety of pathways including non-point sources such as stormwater runoff, groundwater releases, and air deposition, and point sources like marinas, industrial and sewage treatment plant outfalls, and combined sewer overflows. However, stormwater is considered one of the biggest contributors to water pollution in the urban areas of Washington State because it is ongoing and damages habitat, degrades aquatic environments, and can have serious impacts on the health of the Puget Sound. Monitoring pollutants and their effects on the marine biota of Puget Sound is critical to inform best management practices and remediation efforts in this large and diverse estuary. In the winter of 2015/16 the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), with the help of citizen science volunteers, other agencies, tribes, and non-governmental organizations, conducted the first of a series of biennial, nearshore mussel monitoring efforts under the new Stormwater Action Monitoring (SAM) program. SAM is a new collaborative stormwater program funded by municipal stormwater permit holders. This monitoring survey for SAM was intended to characterize the spatial extent of tissue contamination in nearshore biota residing inside the urban growth areas (UGAs) of Puget Sound, using mussels as the primary indicator organism. Future biennial SAM surveys will continue to track mussel tissue contamination in the Puget Sound nearshore to answer the question: s the health of biota in the urban nearshore improving, deteriorating, or remaining the same related to stormwater management?
In this study we used native mussels (Mytilus trossulus) as indicators of the degree of contamination of nearshore habitats. We transplanted relatively uncontaminated mussels from a local aquaculture source to over 70 locations along the Puget Sound shoreline, covering a broad range of upland land-use types from rural to highly urban. At the end of the study we measured the concentration of several major contaminant classes in mussels: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs, or flame retardants), chlorinated pesticides (including dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane compounds, or DDTs) and six metals (lead, copper, zinc, mercury, arsenic, cadmium). We also determined the mortality and condition of mussels at the end of the exposure period.
Overall, the mussel survey was a success. We recovered mussels from 90% of the sites and survival was over 78%. The most abundant organic contaminants measured were PAHs, PCBs, PBDEs, and DDTs. PAHs and PCBs were detected in mussels from every site, and the concentrations were significantly higher in Puget sound’s most urbanized areas, as measured both by municipal land-use classification (i.e., cities and unincorporated-UGAs) and by the percent of impervious surface in upland watersheds adjacent to the nearshore (Table 3). Although lower in overall concentration, PBDEs and DDTs followed a similar pattern. In addition, most of these organic contaminants were elevated in areas near marinas and ferry terminals.
The other organic contaminants were detected in mussels at only a few study sites and at low levels. Five of the six metals (lead was the exception) were found in mussels from all the study sites, though their concentrations were relatively low. Though zinc and lead were the only two metals that were significantly related to land-use in our testing, our power to detect differences in most of the metals (mercury, arsenic, cadmium, copper and lead) was often low.
These findings suggest toxic contaminants are entering the nearshore food web of the greater Puget Sound, especially along shorelines adjacent to highly urbanized areas. Based on the results of this survey and a number of power analyses, WDFW recommends the following:
Stormwater Action Monitoring 2015/16 Mussel Monitoring Survey
Final Report
August 9, 2017
Jennifer Lanksbury, Brandi Lubliner, Mariko Langness, and James West
Executive Summary
Toxic contaminants enter the Puget Sound from a variety of pathways including non-point sources such as stormwater runoff, groundwater releases, and air deposition, and point sources like marinas, industrial and sewage treatment plant outfalls, and combined sewer overflows. However, stormwater is considered one of the biggest contributors to water pollution in the urban areas of Washington State because it is ongoing and damages habitat, degrades aquatic environments, and can have serious impacts on the health of the Puget Sound. Monitoring pollutants and their effects on the marine biota of Puget Sound is critical to inform best management practices and remediation efforts in this large and diverse estuary. In the winter of 2015/16 the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), with the help of citizen science volunteers, other agencies, tribes, and non-governmental organizations, conducted the first of a series of biennial, nearshore mussel monitoring efforts under the new Stormwater Action Monitoring (SAM) program. SAM is a new collaborative stormwater program funded by municipal stormwater permit holders. This monitoring survey for SAM was intended to characterize the spatial extent of tissue contamination in nearshore biota residing inside the urban growth areas (UGAs) of Puget Sound, using mussels as the primary indicator organism. Future biennial SAM surveys will continue to track mussel tissue contamination in the Puget Sound nearshore to answer the question: s the health of biota in the urban nearshore improving, deteriorating, or remaining the same related to stormwater management?
In this study we used native mussels (Mytilus trossulus) as indicators of the degree of contamination of nearshore habitats. We transplanted relatively uncontaminated mussels from a local aquaculture source to over 70 locations along the Puget Sound shoreline, covering a broad range of upland land-use types from rural to highly urban. At the end of the study we measured the concentration of several major contaminant classes in mussels: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs, or flame retardants), chlorinated pesticides (including dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane compounds, or DDTs) and six metals (lead, copper, zinc, mercury, arsenic, cadmium). We also determined the mortality and condition of mussels at the end of the exposure period.
Overall, the mussel survey was a success. We recovered mussels from 90% of the sites and survival was over 78%. The most abundant organic contaminants measured were PAHs, PCBs, PBDEs, and DDTs. PAHs and PCBs were detected in mussels from every site, and the concentrations were significantly higher in Puget sound’s most urbanized areas, as measured both by municipal land-use classification (i.e., cities and unincorporated-UGAs) and by the percent of impervious surface in upland watersheds adjacent to the nearshore (Table 3). Although lower in overall concentration, PBDEs and DDTs followed a similar pattern. In addition, most of these organic contaminants were elevated in areas near marinas and ferry terminals.
The other organic contaminants were detected in mussels at only a few study sites and at low levels. Five of the six metals (lead was the exception) were found in mussels from all the study sites, though their concentrations were relatively low. Though zinc and lead were the only two metals that were significantly related to land-use in our testing, our power to detect differences in most of the metals (mercury, arsenic, cadmium, copper and lead) was often low.
These findings suggest toxic contaminants are entering the nearshore food web of the greater Puget Sound, especially along shorelines adjacent to highly urbanized areas. Based on the results of this survey and a number of power analyses, WDFW recommends the following: