7/17 Forks weather, B'ham waterfront, water conservation, BC farming, Cedar Grove odor, drones

Waterfront of Subdued Excitement

KOMO meteorologist Scott Sistek writes: I'm not sure what everyone in Forks thought they were going to wear Tuesday morning when they got up but whatever it was, it was probably the wrong choice... unless they put on their entire wardrobe.  The town has gone through a temperature roller coaster the likes that Western Washington rarely sees. Town of Forks has most absurd weather day... ever!?!  

Port of Bellingham staff presented eight different proposals at the port commissioners' meeting Tuesday, July 16. The proposals were focused on the first phase, a 10.8-acre parcel around the Granary building. Three of those eight proposals were for the overall project; three were for the Granary Building and two were for specific buildings. Dave Gallagher reports. The Port of Bellingham will be able to draw on local, regional and international perspectives as it begins the process of selecting a developer for The Waterfront District.

Seattle was among the first major American cities to accept that it had hit the limit. The Emerald City taps a clear mountain river called the Cedar, and a smaller river, the Tolt, to quench the thirst of 1.4 million urbanites and corporate giants from Amazon to Microsoft. Beginning in the 1960s, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) offcials were convinced the system could not meet the demands of a fast-growing population that, like most of America, used water as if it were abundant as air. While many cities faced one water anxiety or another — dwindling supply, looming infrastructure costs, flooding, sewage and stormwater overflows — Seattle, its original waterworks so old they had been built with wooden stave pipes, faced all of those and more. Cynthia Barnett writes in Part 3 of Water Works, 3: The conservation conversation

Local agriculture is big these days, spurred by the success of the 100 Mile Diet, the ongoing blueberry bonanza and the rising demand for organic produce. Farmers’ markets have never been more popular. Yet a perplexing problem confounds agricultural advocates on the Lower Mainland, home of some of Canada’s richest farmland. Many owners of this fertile land aren’t farming it at all. Rod Mickleburg reports. ‘Land-banking’ leaves Lower Mainland’s fertile farms fallow   Meanwhile: Canadians waste more than $2.5 billion in fresh produce each year, study says

As the weather keeps heating up, so again are the complaints against Cedar Grove Composting. The Smith Island business was cited for four odor violations last month by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. Inspectors for the agency recently traced the smells from residences in Marysville to the composting plant, twice June 6 and twice again June 25, agency spokeswoman Joanne Todd said. The citations bring the total to 13 in the past five years for Cedar Grove. Bill Sheets reports. Cedar Grove odor complaints return  

Once used mostly for surveillance and reconnaissance on the battlefield, small, unmanned aircraft are now fetching data for Northwest scientists. Sandi Doughton reports. Northwest scientists using drones to spy on nature  

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PDT WED JUL 17 2013
TODAY
W WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS. ISOLATED
 THUNDERSTORMS THIS MORNING.
TONIGHT
W WIND 10 TO 20 KT...EASING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT...SUBSIDING TO 1 FT. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
--
"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. To subscribe, send your name and email to msato@salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate

Follow on Twitter.

Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told