1/23 J50, BC rain, culvert cost, dead whale, sewage to beer, Cowichan herring

J50 and J16 (Dave Ellifrit, Center For Whale Research)

Who yo mama? New orca baby doing well, closely linked to 43-year-old female
The young killer whale born into J pod three weeks ago still appears to be doing well, according to Dave Ellifrit of the Center for Whale Research, who observed the calf when her pod came through the San Juan Islands on Monday. The new calf, J-50, has been sticking close to J-16, a 43-year-old female and her likely mom. In his written notes, Dave said the calf, designated J-50, was staying close to J-16, a 43-year-old female named “Slick.” Meanwhile, Slick’s daughter, 16-year-old J-36 or Alki, remained some distance away. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Environment Canada issues heavy rainfall warning as Pineapple Express hits B.C.
Environment Canada has posted a rainfall warning as the Pineapple Express arrives in Metro Vancouver this morning, bringing with it up to 100 millimetres of rain in some areas. The federal weather agency says rainfall amounts of up to five millimetres an hour will result in 50 to 70 millimetres of rain by Saturday morning, and up to 100 millimetres over parts of Howe Sound and near the North Shore mountains. Tiffany Crawford reports. (Vancouver Sun)

New blog: A Braille Lego Printer, United Nations Food, and “A Few Stupid Extremists”
Yes, let’s change the world: Last week it was Bill Gates drinking water purified from sewage, this week it’s a 13-year old’s prototype of a simple Braille printer built from Legos….

Culvert replacement costs loom as a budget problem for lawmakers
While funding for Washington’s “basic education” remains a potential budget-buster, some legislators are beginning to worry about a $2.4-billion financial pitfall involving culverts and salmon streams. In 2013, a federal judge ordered Washington state to replace nearly 1,000 culverts that block or impede fish passage along Western Washington streams. The $2.4-billion cost, as estimated by the Washington State Department of Transportation, amounts to about $310 million per biennium until the deadline of 2030. Chris Dunagan reports. (Watching Our Water Ways)

Dead whale found under Seattle’s Colman ferry dock
The dead gray whale found under the Colman ferry dock Thursday morning has been moved to a temporary site at Pier 48, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service. The whale, a 32-foot-long female, is partially decomposed and had likely been dead for several days, NOAA said. Divers moved the whale from underneath the dock. Jennifer Sullivan reports. (Seattle Times)

Oregon Water Treatment Company Wants To Turn Sewer Water Into Beer
Clean Water Services of Hillsboro has an advanced treatment process that can turn sewage into drinking water. The company, which runs four wastewater treatment plants in the Portland metro area, wants to show off its “high-purity” system by turning recycled wastewater into beer. But under current rules, the state of Oregon wouldn’t allow anyone to drink it. Clean Water Services has asked the state to amend those rules so the company can give its recycled water to a group of home brewers. Cassandra Profita reports. (EarthFix)

CERCA project aims to bring herring back to Cowichan Bay
It was a cold and rainy evening when 10 Cowichan Estuary Restoration and Conservation Association volunteers met at the Fisherman's Wharf in Cowichan Bay on Jan. 3 to initiate CERCA's herring recovery project in this part of the Salish Sea. The work was timed to take advantage of a very low tide of 0.4 metres at 9:30 p.m., chosen to wrap a whopping total of 28 pilings under the sheltered wharf. Historically, herring had spawned in abundance in numerous places along the shorelines and estuaries of the Salish Sea including the Cowichan Estuary. Dr. Goetz Schuerholz writes. (Cowichan Valley Citizen)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 300 AM PST FRI JAN 23 2015
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON
TODAY
SE WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING S 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 7 FT AT 18 SECONDS. RAIN.
TONIGHT
S WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 11 FT AT 16 SECONDS. RAIN.
SAT
S WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 11 FT AT 15 SECONDS. RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE
 AFTERNOON.
SAT NIGHT
S WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 10 FT AT 13 SECONDS.
SUN
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 9 FT AT 13 SECONDS.
SUN NIGHT
LIGHT WIND. WIND WAVES LESS THAN 1 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 14 SECONDS.
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