Presentation Abstract
Hart Crowser is working with the Washington Department of Ecology, Toxic Cleanup Program to remediate a forage fish spawning beach at Custom Plywood, a Model Toxic Control Act (MTCA) clean-up site in Fidalgo Bay, Anacortes, Washington. Contaminated sediments, creosote-treated pilings, and building debris were removed during the summer of 2013 and replaced with new beach material to restore forage fish spawning areas lost to industrial use and contamination. Sampling for forage fish eggs began with demolition/construction in July 2013 and will continue through 2014. Sampling occurred once weekly during construction, once monthly from November through February, and will continue twice monthly from March through September. Long-term monitoring will continue through summer 2016, and is proposed through 2018. Four sites were established along the remediated beach, with a fifth site outside of the work area as a control. Sampling design was meant to capture pre-, during, and post-construction conditions. Construction of the beach was completed in December 2013. Surf smelt were found to spawn frequently and in great abundance from the summer of 2013 through late October. Eggs were found at some locations in November as well, but were less abundant, which is common spawning behavior for surf smelt in central and north Puget Sound. Sand lance eggs (winter spawners) have not yet been found, but have been documented in other areas of Fidalgo Bay. Surf smelt egg conditions during the summer were poor, with low survival along the impacted area of the shoreline. The control site outside of the work area contained eggs in better condition, and healthy egg development was tracked from week to week during the summer. After new beach material was deposited, surf smelt eggs have been found in excellent condition along the full extent of the shore, with full development over a two-week period at all sites, including a few larval fish found on the shore in September.
Session Title
Session S-04F: Advancing Sediment Remediation in the Salish Sea
Conference Track
Restoration
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 8:30 AM
End Date
1-5-2014 10:00 AM
Location
Room 602-603
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)
Smelts--Spawning--Washington (State)--Fidalgo Island; Pacific sand lance--Spawning--Washington (State)--Fidalgo Island; Fish populations--Washington (State)--Fidalgo Island; Hazardous waste site remediation--Washington (State)--Fidalgo Island; Restoration ecology--Washington (State)--Fidalgo Island
Subjects – Names (LCNAF)
Hart Crowser (Firm); Custom Plywood
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Fidalgo Bay (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
Preliminary Remediation Success of a Forage Fish Spawning Beach at Custom Plywood in Fidalgo Bay, Anacortes, WA
Room 602-603
Hart Crowser is working with the Washington Department of Ecology, Toxic Cleanup Program to remediate a forage fish spawning beach at Custom Plywood, a Model Toxic Control Act (MTCA) clean-up site in Fidalgo Bay, Anacortes, Washington. Contaminated sediments, creosote-treated pilings, and building debris were removed during the summer of 2013 and replaced with new beach material to restore forage fish spawning areas lost to industrial use and contamination. Sampling for forage fish eggs began with demolition/construction in July 2013 and will continue through 2014. Sampling occurred once weekly during construction, once monthly from November through February, and will continue twice monthly from March through September. Long-term monitoring will continue through summer 2016, and is proposed through 2018. Four sites were established along the remediated beach, with a fifth site outside of the work area as a control. Sampling design was meant to capture pre-, during, and post-construction conditions. Construction of the beach was completed in December 2013. Surf smelt were found to spawn frequently and in great abundance from the summer of 2013 through late October. Eggs were found at some locations in November as well, but were less abundant, which is common spawning behavior for surf smelt in central and north Puget Sound. Sand lance eggs (winter spawners) have not yet been found, but have been documented in other areas of Fidalgo Bay. Surf smelt egg conditions during the summer were poor, with low survival along the impacted area of the shoreline. The control site outside of the work area contained eggs in better condition, and healthy egg development was tracked from week to week during the summer. After new beach material was deposited, surf smelt eggs have been found in excellent condition along the full extent of the shore, with full development over a two-week period at all sites, including a few larval fish found on the shore in September.
