3.14 Pi, toxic algae, Vic sewer, stormwater plan, coal export, BC LNG, methanol, logging pollution

Why Pi Matters
Steven Strogatz writes: "Every March 14th, mathematicians like me are prodded out of our burrows like Punxsutawney Phil on Groundhog Day, blinking and bewildered by all the fuss. Yes, it’s Pi Day again…. Why do mathematicians care so much about pi? Is it some kind of weird circle fixation? Hardly. The beauty of pi, in part, is that it puts infinity within reach. Even young children get this. The digits of pi never end and never show a pattern. They go on forever, seemingly at random—except that they can’t possibly be random, because they embody the order inherent in a perfect circle. This tension between order and randomness is one of the most tantalizing aspects of pi…." (The New Yorker)

Climate change could foster toxic algae along Pacific coast, says report
A recently published study suggests climate change may encourage longer and more frequent blooms of toxic algae along Canada's Pacific coast. The research on the presence of algae toxins in marine mammals along the Alaska coastline holds a warning for British Columbia, said study author Kathi Lefebvre. "It's the same coastline," said Lefebvre, a biologist with the U.S.-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Those regions are at risk in the same way as were Alaska and Washington." (CBC)

The never-ending sewage conundrum
The Capital Regional District’s two-plant sewage solution is a compromise not many people saw coming and is almost guaranteed a bumpy ride on any road that leads to final approval. After more than a year of study and consultation, CRD directors decided last week that building two tertiary-treatment plants — one buried at Victoria’s Clover Point and the other at Esquimalt’s McLoughlin Point — presents the best option for moving forward with this troubled mega-project. (Tertiary treatment refers to cleaning sewage to a point that it becomes usable water.)But even with the March 31 deadline for $83 million in federal government funding only weeks away, this is no done deal. Bill Cleverley reports. (Times Colonist)

King County seeks input on Stormwater Pollution Plan
Once a year, King County reveals its storm water runoff management plan to improve drainage issues and water pollution problems. The Washington State Department of Ecology considers storm water runoff the No. 1 water pollutant in Puget Sound, lakes and rivers. And it's not just industrial businesses to blame, but people and the products they throw down the drain…. The county wants public input on where it should be spent $18 million dollars of taxpayer money. The plan ranges from street sweeping, catch basin cleaning to business inspections or upgrading storm water treatment facilities. Teresa Yuan reports. (KING)

Activists: Otter Creek Decision Is 'Another Nail In The Coffin' For Longview Export Facility 
Suspended plans for a major coal mine in Montana spell good news for people concerned about coal exports planned to go through ports in the Pacific Northwest. Activists say the proposed terminals left on the books are all nearing what they call "zombie status." Zombie status, as in: still moving forward, but basically dead. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KPLU)

LNG dream dying in B.C.'s gas fields
With no LNG projects confirmed, British Columbia's once booming gas fields are now one of the worst places in the province to find work. And while analysts have been closely watching Alberta's oil patch slump, few have noticed the collapse of B.C.'s gas patch — except those who are suffering the most. Don Loewen, a long-time contractor for the natural gas industry in northeastern B.C., has had to cut 48 people from his crew of 60 workers. His experience is all too common. Betsy Trumpener reports. (CBC News)

Unlike Tacoma project, Kalama methanol plant gets warmer reception
Three weeks after Northwest Innovation Works hit the pause button on its proposed Tacoma methanol plant, some observers are still in awe at the ferocity of the opposition the company met there. Public hearings on the plant drew 2,000 people, mostly voicing negative comments, and officials from the nearby city of Federal Way opposed the plant…. By contrast, opposition to Northwest Innovations’ proposed Kalama plant, smaller but in all other respects identical to the one proposed in Tacoma, has been tepid at most. Marissa Luck reports. (Longview Daily News)

Feds Cut Oregon Funds Over Failure To Protect Coastal Waters From Logging
After warning Oregon that its rules don’t adequately protect water in coastal streams from logging, two federal agencies are denying the state $1.2 million in grant funds. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sent a letter this week notifying the state’s natural resources director that Oregon hasn’t done enough to prevent pollution from forestry practices like logging and road building. Cassandra Profita reports. (EarthFix)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-  900 PM PDT SUN MAR 13 2016  

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE MONDAY NIGHT  

MON  W WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 12 FT AT  13 SECONDS. SHOWERS.

MON NIGHT  W WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 12 FT  AT 12 SECONDS. SHOWERS.
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