3/11 WA legislature, storm damage, seal protection, sewage spill, Fukushima, plastic-eating bacterium

"Ghost" octopus (NOAA)

Unknown 'ghost octopus' found 2.6 miles deep
On a recent survey of the Pacific Ocean seabed, an unmanned NOAA probe came across an odd octopus that's apparently new to science. (Mother Nature News)

Inslee orders special session, vetoes 27 bills to spur action 
Lawmakers this legislative session had two fundamental responsibilities: Come up with a full plan for K-12 education funding and pass a supplemental budget. But as legislators and lobbyists filtered out of the Capitol building Thursday night — the last day of the 60-day session — there was no supplemental budget agreement in sight and lawmakers weeks ago had largely deferred action on the education money problem. Instead, Gov. Jay Inslee called a special 30-day overtime session, which began Thursday night, and after 10 p.m., vetoed 27 bills — making good on a threat to issue vetoes if lawmakers couldn’t reach compromise. Joseph Sullivan reports. (Seattle Times)

High winds left Puget Sound residents in the dark
Windy weather battered Western Washington Wednesday night and Thursday, leaving more than 51,000 Puget Sound Energy customers without power. There were outages reported throughout the Puget Sound region, with Bainbridge Island and other areas in Kitsap County particularly hard. (Seattle Times) B.C. windstorm: Tree smashes house, kills Port Moody woman in her bed  A woman was killed in her bed when a tree smashed through the roof of her home in Port Moody, B.C., during a powerful windstorm this morning…. The windstorm struck the South Coast of the province late Wednesday night. It then picked up again on Thursday morning around 6 a.m. PT, knocking down trees and cutting power to 110,000 BC Hydro customers just as the morning commute was getting underway. Mike Laanela reports. (CBC)

Federal law to ban feeding, disturbing seals
The seals were floating peacefully off Fisherman’s Wharf on Thursday afternoon — until nine-year-old Jacob Fonseca approached with fish and the quiet was shattered by shrieking seagulls…. The fun could soon be over if proposed changes to the marine mammal regulations of the Fisheries Act are introduced into law. The changes, the result of Canada-wide consultations by Fisheries and Oceans that began in 2003, state that no one should feed, touch, swim or interact with marine mammals. Louise Dickson reports. (Times Colonist)

Plugged culvert leads to sewer sludge spill on Port Ludlow beach
Olympic Water and Sewer is warning residents to avoid contact with the water in Port Ludlow Bay after water containing treated sewer sludge flooded the beach. An alarm at the wastewater treatment plant alerted workers at about 9 p.m. Wednesday, the company said in a news release issued Thursday. Personnel discovered that an upstream community storm water culvert had plugged and diverted the water to the treatment plant property. Water flooded the site and one 9,000-gallon tank containing biosolids — or treated sewer sludge ­— was inundated, causing the contents to mix with the storm water which was then flowing on to the beach. (Peninsula Daily News)

Water, Soil And Radiation: Why Fukushima Will Take Decades To Clean Up
Five years after an earthquake and tsunami caused a series of meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Japan, there are signs of progress. Many workers cleaning up the ruined plant no longer need to suit up in full respirators. Some nearby villages that were evacuated are open to residents. But there are still plenty of problems. Geoff Brumfiel reports. (NPR)

A Plastic-Eating Bacterium Might Help Deal With Waste One Day
Plastic makes great food packaging. It's waterproof and flexible. And best of all, it's impervious to all known bacteria — until now. Researchers have found a bacterium in the debris fields around a recycling plant in Japan that can feed off a common type of plastic used in clothing, plastic bottles and food packaging. The bacterium is a new species called Ideonella sakaiensis, named for the Japanese city Sakai where it was found growing on plastic debris made from a type of plastic called PET or polyethylene terephthalate. (NPR)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  828 PM PST THU MAR 10 2016    

FRI  E WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 8 FT  AT 11 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

FRI NIGHT  SE WIND TO 10 KT...RISING TO 20 TO 30 KT AFTER  MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT AFTER  MIDNIGHT. SW SWELL 7 FT AT 10 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE  EVENING...THEN SHOWERS LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT.

SAT  SE WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING SW 5 TO 15 KT IN THE  AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. SW SWELL 9 FT AT 11 SECONDS.

SAT NIGHT  S WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL  11 FT AT 12 SECONDS...BUILDING TO 13 FT AT 13 SECONDS AFTER  MIDNIGHT.

SUN  S WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING E 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. W  SWELL 15 FT AT 17 SECONDS.

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