4/23 Contest, Dogfish Cr, spill recovery, Woodway condos, pipe spill, BC pipe, Pruitt pre-EPA, whale ID

Kelp [Peter Naylor/SeaDoc Society]

Salish Sea in Focus
The SeaDoc Society has launched its first Salish Sea in Focus photography contest to showcase the Salish Sea marine ecosystem and will be accepting photo submissions from now until June 4th. The competition offers more than $6,000 in cash prizes including a $1,000 overall grand prize. The top 100 photos will be featured on an IMAX screen at a gala at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle on October 4. The contest is open to photographers of all skill levels. The contest will be judged by three of the region’s most celebrated photographers, Amy Gulick, Cristina Mittermeier and Kevin Shafer. For details, Salish Sea In Focus Photo Contest.


People and pets advised to stay out of Dogfish Creek in Poulsbo after sewage spill
People and their pets are being asked to stay out of the water of Dogfish Creek in Poulsbo through Monday after about 2,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled out of a manhole. The no-contact advisory for the creek, which runs through Poulsbo’s Fish Park, was issued Friday by the Kitsap Public Health District. The advisory lasts for three days and extends for the area between Highway 305 and Liberty Bay. The advisory recommends against swimming, wading or any activity that could result in water entering the mouth, nose or eyes. If the water contacts skin, the district recommends immediately washing with soap and water. Andrew Binion reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Years after oil spills, money still owed to Vancouver, aquarium and Heiltsuk Nation
Despite "polluter pay" laws in Canada, local governments and agencies are still waiting to recover costs incurred during two significant fuel spills off B.C.'s coast. The City of Vancouver and Vancouver Aquarium are collectively waiting on nearly $700,000 in losses related to a 2015 leak of bunker fuel, while the Heiltsuk Nation in Bella Bellla, B.C., continues negotiating over $200,000 in repayments for its response to a tugboat that ran aground in 2016. (Canadian Press)

County planners seek denial of Woodway-area luxury condos
Building height and traffic are among the reasons Snohomish County planners have asked that a project with 3,081-unit waterfront condos at Point Wells be denied. If the hearing examiner agrees during a scheduled May 16 meeting, that would end seven years of work by developer BSRE Point Wells and the county. Much of that time has been spent in a back-and-forth of reviews and recommendations. The proposal’s progress stalled in February, when the county signaled its intent to ask the examiner to deny the proposal. This week’s recommendation follows through. Ben Watanabe reports. (Everett Herald)

Pipeline Spills 76,000 Gallons of Crude Oil Emulsion in Northern Alberta
A pipeline owned by Paramount Resources Ltd. released an estimated 100,000 liters (approximately 26,000 gallons) of crude oil and 190,000 liters (approximately 50,000 gallons) of produced water near Zama City, in northwest Alberta, according to an April 11 incident report filed with the Alberta Energy Regulator. The release was discovered after company personnel looked into a low-pressure alarm from the company's leak detection system, the incident report states. The emergency status of the spill ended April 16. The report says that although "the release was initially believed to be minor," further investigation shows the spill to be around 290,000 liters and has impacted an area of 200 meters (approximately 656 feet) by 200 meters. Carol Linnitt reports. (EcoWatch)

400 B.C. businesses sign letter opposing Trans Mountain expansion
While many in the B.C. business community have thrown their support behind Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, others in the technology, green tech and tourism industries are less enthusiastic. Representatives from 400 businesses signed an open letter to Premier John Horgan this week asking him to continue his opposition to the project. Signees say the pipeline, if built, will prove disastrous for businesses in B.C. that rely on a clean, protected environment. (CBC)


Scott Pruitt Before the E.P.A.: Fancy Homes, a Shell Company and Friends With Money
.... At the E.P.A., Mr. Pruitt is under investigation for allegations of unchecked spending, ethics lapses and other issues, including his interactions with lobbyists. An examination of Mr. Pruitt’s political career in Oklahoma reveals that many of the pitfalls he has encountered in Washington have echoes in his past. Steve Eder and Hiroko Tabuchi report. (NY Times)

Researchers ID Whales By Genetic Bread Crumbs Left Behind
Researchers at Oregon State University have worked out a way to detect and identify whales long after they move on – just by sampling the water.  When whales swim they leave behind a plume of genetic material in the environment: skin, poop and bodily fluids. If you know what to look for, you can use that DNA to figure out what kind of whale went by. Scott Baker is associate director of the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center. His research team tested this idea on orcas in the Salish Sea, collecting and testing water samples in their wake.... The research was published Friday in the journal Frontiers. Jes Burns reports. (OPB/EarthFix)

Vancouverites are good at recycling — just not when it comes to plastic bags
Over 2 million plastic bags are thrown in the garbage every week in Vancouver. Vancouver has one of the lowest rates of contaminated recycling in the country — but residents are still struggling to figure out where to put their plastic bags, according to the managing director of Recycling B.C. Vancouver boasts a contamination rate of just 4.6 per cent, a small figure when compared to cities like Toronto, at 26 per cent, and Edmonton, at 24 per cent, according to data obtained by CBC News. But the low number still falls short of provincial targets. Jon Hernandez reports. (CBC)


Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  243 AM PDT Mon Apr 23 2018   

TODAY  SE wind 5 to 15 kt. Wind waves 1 to 2 ft. W swell 5 ft  at 12 seconds. 

TONIGHT  E wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft after midnight. W  swell 5 ft at 12 seconds building to 7 ft at 17 seconds after  midnight.
--

"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