Streaming Media
Presentation Abstract
The Hood Canal watershed is home to shellfish resources that have great cultural, economic, recreational, and subsistence value to local tribes and residents, in addition to a striking natural setting that provides a strong sense of place, recreational opportunities, and other human wellbeing benefits. Hood Canal is also served primarily by on-site sewage systems (OSS), many near water bodies, which can fail as they age and contribute bacterial pollution to local waters. A regional approach to Pollution Identification and Correction (PIC) and water quality programs has been essential for protecting public health, ancestral shellfish practices, and other socio-ecological benefits by reducing bacterial and nutrient pollution sources. For the past 10 years, the Hood Canal Coordinating Council (HCCC) has partnered with its member jurisdictions and local partners to develop and implement the Hood Canal Regional Pollution Identification and Correction (HCRPIC) Program. The goals of the HCRPIC Program are to restore and protect public health, shellfish growing areas, water quality, and habitat in Hood Canal by correcting fecal pollution sources. The collaborative and inclusive nature of the HCRPIC Program provides a unique opportunity to combine and share the strengths, resources, and experience of each partners’ PIC and water quality programs. Coordinated efforts between these strategic partnerships has led to efficient and effective regional water quality efforts, including problem solving and information sharing between agencies and neighboring jurisdictions, development of policies and procedures, resource allocation, and data-guided prioritization of pollution investigations and corrections. Over time, the HCRPIC Program has evolved into an effective tool for achieving meaningful regional water quality successes, including shellfish growing area classification upgrades, sustainable funding for ongoing PIC work, expanded water quality monitoring, and numerous OSS repairs and corrections. HCCC continues to pursue opportunities to implement the HCRPIC Program to protect Hood Canal’s water quality.
Session Title
Green Infrastructure
Conference Track
SSE10: Contaminants
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE-traditionals-252
Start Date
26-4-2022 1:30 PM
End Date
26-4-2022 3:00 PM
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
Ten years of success: Lessons learned from the Hood Canal Regional Pollution Identification and Correction (HCRPIC) Program
The Hood Canal watershed is home to shellfish resources that have great cultural, economic, recreational, and subsistence value to local tribes and residents, in addition to a striking natural setting that provides a strong sense of place, recreational opportunities, and other human wellbeing benefits. Hood Canal is also served primarily by on-site sewage systems (OSS), many near water bodies, which can fail as they age and contribute bacterial pollution to local waters. A regional approach to Pollution Identification and Correction (PIC) and water quality programs has been essential for protecting public health, ancestral shellfish practices, and other socio-ecological benefits by reducing bacterial and nutrient pollution sources. For the past 10 years, the Hood Canal Coordinating Council (HCCC) has partnered with its member jurisdictions and local partners to develop and implement the Hood Canal Regional Pollution Identification and Correction (HCRPIC) Program. The goals of the HCRPIC Program are to restore and protect public health, shellfish growing areas, water quality, and habitat in Hood Canal by correcting fecal pollution sources. The collaborative and inclusive nature of the HCRPIC Program provides a unique opportunity to combine and share the strengths, resources, and experience of each partners’ PIC and water quality programs. Coordinated efforts between these strategic partnerships has led to efficient and effective regional water quality efforts, including problem solving and information sharing between agencies and neighboring jurisdictions, development of policies and procedures, resource allocation, and data-guided prioritization of pollution investigations and corrections. Over time, the HCRPIC Program has evolved into an effective tool for achieving meaningful regional water quality successes, including shellfish growing area classification upgrades, sustainable funding for ongoing PIC work, expanded water quality monitoring, and numerous OSS repairs and corrections. HCCC continues to pursue opportunities to implement the HCRPIC Program to protect Hood Canal’s water quality.
