Presentation Abstract
Commercial shellfish growing is a significant economic driver on the Key Peninsula of Pierce County, Washington. In response to the downgrades of several shellfish areas in the 1990’s and early 2000’s and the establishment of Shellfish Protection Districts and Closure Response Plans, it was recognized that a more proactive approach was needed. In an effort to build cooperation and a partnership across Pierce County, and address bacterial contamination in the shellfish growing areas, a Pierce County Shellfish Partners Strategic Plan was developed and formalized in March of 2013. The partnership initially included Pierce County Surface Water Management (SWM), Pierce Conservation District (PCD), and Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (Health Department) but expanded to include numerous agencies, organizations, businesses, and even individuals. This Shellfish Partners Strategic Plan built up on the work of local agencies first formalized in 2006 but now identifies and coordinates the mission, goals, strategies and tasks of government and stakeholders. It describes the key elements of a fully functioning shellfish water quality pollution prevention, identification and correction program and it strives to meet the Vision: “Governments and stakeholders are actively working together to improve water quality in the shellfish watersheds of Pierce County.” This presentation will focus on the partnerships and processes utilized to maintain and continue to refine a robust pollution prevention, identification, and correction program in an effort to protect public health and the environment. It will also discuss the programs formed through cooperative efforts such as septic grant and loan programs, landowner outreach, natural yard care, monitoring and farm animal Best Management Practice (BMP) assistance .
Session Title
Session S-07C: Water Pollution Identification and Correction (PIC) Programs: Methods, Resources, and Success Stories
Conference Track
Water Quality
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 3:30 PM
End Date
1-5-2014 5:00 PM
Location
Room 606
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Water quality management--Washington (State)--Pierce County; Shellfish culture--Washington (State)--Pierce County; Water--Pollution--Washington (State)--Pierce County; Enterobacteriaceae--Environmental aspects--Washington (State)--Pierce County
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Pierce County (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
A Partnership Approach to Protecting and Improving Water Quality in the Shellfish Watersheds of Pierce County
Room 606
Commercial shellfish growing is a significant economic driver on the Key Peninsula of Pierce County, Washington. In response to the downgrades of several shellfish areas in the 1990’s and early 2000’s and the establishment of Shellfish Protection Districts and Closure Response Plans, it was recognized that a more proactive approach was needed. In an effort to build cooperation and a partnership across Pierce County, and address bacterial contamination in the shellfish growing areas, a Pierce County Shellfish Partners Strategic Plan was developed and formalized in March of 2013. The partnership initially included Pierce County Surface Water Management (SWM), Pierce Conservation District (PCD), and Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (Health Department) but expanded to include numerous agencies, organizations, businesses, and even individuals. This Shellfish Partners Strategic Plan built up on the work of local agencies first formalized in 2006 but now identifies and coordinates the mission, goals, strategies and tasks of government and stakeholders. It describes the key elements of a fully functioning shellfish water quality pollution prevention, identification and correction program and it strives to meet the Vision: “Governments and stakeholders are actively working together to improve water quality in the shellfish watersheds of Pierce County.” This presentation will focus on the partnerships and processes utilized to maintain and continue to refine a robust pollution prevention, identification, and correction program in an effort to protect public health and the environment. It will also discuss the programs formed through cooperative efforts such as septic grant and loan programs, landowner outreach, natural yard care, monitoring and farm animal Best Management Practice (BMP) assistance .
