HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017 Planned WQ Performance Measures-PlannedJefferson County Water Quality – Planned Performance Measures 2017
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MISSION: The mission of the Water Quality Department is to protect public health by monitoring and responding to threats to water quality for protection of human health and
wildlife habitat by using available local, state, and federal funding effectively and efficiently.
This department implements the following strategic objectives:
Addressing locally identified public environmental health issues.
Protecting and ensuring adequate clean water supplies for citizens, the shellfish industry and wildlife.
Protecting and enhancing natural resources.
Operating within a business plan based on sustainable resources, measured performance, and outstanding customer service.
Goal Objective Task Performance Measure 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Projected
2017
Planned
Goal 1:
Recreationalists at
popular lakes such as
Anderson Lake, Gibbs
Lake and Lake Leland
will be increasingly
aware of toxic algae
threats to human and
animal health.
Monitor all lakes with public
access from April through
September for toxins.
Maintain and improve JCPH
water quality webpage and
other outreach activities.
Sample public access
lakes for presence/
absence of algae blooms
and biotoxins.
Update website with
pertinent information
when found.
# of lakes monitored for
cyanobacteria
# of website updates
6
36
3
14
3
18
3
14
3
10
3
8
Goal 2:
Better understand water
quality trends for
parameters such as fecal
coliform, dissolved
oxygen and temperature.
Use funds awarded by the
state Centennial Clean Water
Fund to carry out Clean
Water projects.
Monitor stream flow data
from high priority streams.
Sample existing water
quality stations for fecal
coliform, dissolved
oxygen and temperature
and conduct trend
analysis.
Sample freshwater
discharges to beaches in
wet season and dry
season.
Review data collected by
other agencies.
# of marine water quality
stations monitored
# of water quality
stations monitored:
Chimacum & Ludlow
# of water quality
stations monitored:
Salmon & Snow Creeks
# of water quality
stations monitored: Hood
Canal watershed
Miles of shoreline
surveyed for pollution
9
28
0
18
45
0
0
19
19
60
0
0
0
20
94
0
31
0
44
94
16
(Oct-Dec)
31
(Chimacum)
12 (Ludlow)
0
19
70
38
12
27
35
157
Jefferson County Water Quality – Planned Performance Measures 2017
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Goal Objective Task Performance Measure 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Projected
2017
Planned
Goal 3:
High priority sites for
pollution identification
and correction will be
identified and corrected.
Condition, status and use of
approximately 300 more
septic systems will have
been surveyed in project
areas.
Conduct educational
outreach to septic system
owners in the form of
sanitary surveys of septic
systems.
# of sanitary surveys
completed 414 506 390 349 500 600
Goal 3.5:
Land use and its
effects on water
quality in project
areas will be better
understood.
Investigate public complaints
about water quality or septic
systems within 72 hours.
Incorporate agricultural
survey data from JCCD into
sanitary survey process.
Update PIC protocol and
sanitary survey form. Pass/Fail -- Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass
Goal 4:
Improve Leland Creek
habitat and water
quality.
Initiate Leland Creek
restoration actions.
Choose a site on Leland
Creek to conduct
restoration activities.
Pass / Fail -- Pass Pass Pass Pass N/A
Goal 5:
Residents in eastern
Jefferson County will be
more aware of project
activities and actions
they can take to protect
water quality in their
neighborhood.
Prepare reports on the status
and trends of water quality in
Jefferson County.
Maintain and improve JCPH
water quality webpage and
other outreach activities.
Send newsletters to
project area residents.
Distribute literature in
person during fieldwork.
Post informational
materials, water quality
results and reports on
website.
# of newsletters mailed
# water quality
brochures distributed
# of water quality reports
posted on JCPH
webpage
12,250
6
1,300
0
500
500
1
2,200
575
2
180
~900
1
200
900
2
Jefferson County Water Quality – Planned Performance Measures 2017
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Goal Objective Task Performance Measure 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Projected
2017
Planned
Goal 6:
Recreationalists at
Jefferson County marine
beaches will be notified
of the status of water
quality in a timely and
efficient manner.
Monitor water quality at
public swimming beaches on
a weekly basis during the
swimming season to protect
public health.
Continue public education
on the importance of clean
water in Jefferson County
focusing on actions citizens
can take to keep our water
clean and productive.
Take water samples of
marine beaches and test
for water quality
Interact with the public
and partners in order to
efficiently deliver
information
Issue press releases when
relevant information
needs to quickly
disseminated.
# of swimming beaches
monitored
Press releases issued
within 24 hours
3
3
3
4
Pass
3
Pass
3
Pass
Goal 7:
The public will stay
informed about the
safety of recreational
shellfish beaches relative
to biotoxin threats and
will be educated on
emerging threats such as
Diarrhetic Shellfish
Poisoning.
Organize a volunteer
network of shellfish
samplers to monitor for
shellfish biotoxins in a
timely and cost effective
manner. Coordinate with
Washington Department of
Health to communicate risks
from the recreational harvest
of shellfish to the public.
Maintain and improve JCPH
water quality webpage and
other outreach activities.
Take shellfish samples
from marine beaches and
test for biotoxins.
Interact with the public
and partners in order to
efficiently deliver
information.
Issue press releases and
post signs when relevant
information needs to
quickly disseminated.
Update website with
pertinent information
when found.
# of beaches monitored
for shellfish safety
7 7 7 7 7 7
Goal 8:
Stormwater inputs into
Port Townsend Bay will
be better known.
Monitor stormwater
discharges to Port Townsend
Bay for pathogens.
Conduct Pollution
Identification and Control
activities in program
areas.
# of shoreline
stormwater outfalls
screened for pollution
0 6 43 0 0 0
Jefferson County Water Quality – Planned Performance Measures 2017
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Goal Objective Task Performance Measure 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Projected
2017
Planned
Goal 9:
Clean Water District
activities will be
evaluated for
effectiveness and
recommendations for
future work will be
made.
Clean Water District
Advisory Council meetings
will be held and evaluation
and recommendations
submitted to the Board of
County Commissioners.
Use funds awarded by the
state Centennial Clean Water
Fund to carry out Clean
Water projects.
Facilitate Clean Water
District Advisory Council
Meetings.
# of Clean Water District
Advisory Council
meetings held
4 1 3 4 3 4
Narrative
The Water Quality division has continued to pursue the pollution identification and correction strategies outlined in the 2012 Clean Water District
Advisory Council recommendations. These include pursuing grant funding for Clean Water Projects. This strategy allows Clean Water District funds
to be leveraged with state funds for projects.
The following Clean Water Projects were active in 2015 so far:
1. Hood Canal Clean Streams Initiative
2. Hood Canal Priority Basins
3. Quilcene-Dabob Pollution Identification and Correction
In addition, Water Quality was awarded funding for two new Clean Water Projects: Strait Priority Areas and Central Hood Canal Pollution
Identification and Correction (PIC). Strait Priority Areas will begin in 2016 as soon as contract negotiation is completed. Water Quality plans to
coordinate monitoring of the Salmon and Snow Creek basin with the Jefferson County Conservation District in this project. Central Hood Canal PIC
will begin in 2017.
The Northeast Jefferson project was completed at the end of 2015 and the final report was posted online in January. It is available at:
jeffersoncountypublichealth.org/index.php?clean-water-projects Northeast Jefferson monitoring included the first occurrence of Port Townsend
stormwater monitoring using Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination techniques. Data from this and other projects was shared with the Jefferson
County Marine Resources Committee to help guide decisions about stormwater retrofit projects. Sanitary surveys helped better distinguish the Port
Townsend properties served by sewer versus onsite septic systems. Shoreline surveys found interesting differences between freshwater flows and
bacteria counts between developed and non-developed areas.
Jefferson County Water Quality – Planned Performance Measures 2017
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The Quilcene-Dabob project was initiated at the beginning of 2016. Shoreline monitoring has begun and marine monitoring and stream monitoring
are planned for later this year. Monitoring in the Chimacum Creek basin under the Hood Canal Priority Basins project began in October 2015 and
will continue through September in partnership with the Jefferson County Conservation District. Also in this project, Port Ludlow stream and
shoreline monitoring will begin in October and continue for the next water year. Hood Canal Clean Streams monitoring ends in September. Stream
temperature data loggers were deployed for a second season and data will be analyzed in the fall. Progress was made by Water Quality staff finding
additional Leland Creek landowners interested in participating in riparian restoration efforts there. Plans are being made to install additional trees and
shrubs to help shade portions of the creek, lower stream temperatures and improve dissolved oxygen.
The Water Quality division was also engaged in other projects such as the Hood Canal Regional PIC project, Lakes Cyanobacteria Monitoring,
Shellfish Biotoxin Monitoring, BEACH program and National Estuary Program-funded projects in cooperation with Jefferson County Environmental
Health/Onsite Septic division.
Water Quality’s participation in the Hood Canal Regional PIC project has led to some interesting experiments in source tracking. Water Quality
collaborated with the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe to deploy an E. coli autosampler in Irondale Creek, a confirmed bacterial hot spot, and also
perform continuous monitoring for optical brighteners and tryptophan (a possible E. coli surrogate). Results are still being analyzed, but E. coli levels
peaked at night and in early morning hours at the time of testing, indicating the potential for undercounts using traditional daytime sampling
schedules. Water Quality plans to coordinate with the tribe in microbial source tracking and real-time nutrient monitoring in 2017. In spring 2016,
Water Quality deployed iPads running ESRI Collector to improve field data collection and plans to explore their use in sanitary surveys.
The Water Quality division began to increase staffing and plan new projects in 2015 after sustainable funding was obtained in 2014. More time is
needed to develop programs and get new projects established through available grant funding cycles. Additional upgrades to databases and GIS are
needed to meet the increased workflow. Water Quality continues to integrate operations closely with the Jefferson County Environmental
Health/Onsite Septic division. Onsite enforcement activity is anticipated to increase over the next year due to the Operations and Monitoring
inspection program entering into an expansion phase throughout the county that began July 2016. Water Quality staff have been handling most septic
enforcement cases to date but plans are underway to increase staffing in the department to help with this new workload in 2017. Water Quality
assisted the Onsite division in developing a notice-to-title process for long-term enforcement actions to help compliance continuity in the event of
property transfers. Water Quality and Onsite sought funding for critical database upgrades to help interdepartmental and interagency permit
coordination, but has not been successful so far in obtaining financial assistance. Water Quality has also been seeking financial assistance in
establishing a water quality abatement fund that could help resolve problems that are not responsive to other enforcement methods.
Jefferson County Water Quality – Planned Performance Measures 2017
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WATER QUALITY DIVISION STATISTICS BY YEAR
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Projected
2017
Planned
Lakes monitored for cyanobacteria 9 9 9 4 3 5 4 3 3 3 3 3
Water quality stations monitored: Chimacum/Ludlow
Crks 0 40 40 28 28 0 28 0 0 18 31
12
Water quality stations monitored: Salmon & Snow
Creeks 0 17 0 19 19 19 17 19 0 0 0
27
Water quality stations monitored: Hood Canal watershed 0 0 0 0 0 17 17 19 20 44 19 35
Miles of shoreline surveyed for pollution N/A 5 49 76 77 89 11 60 94 94 60 157
# of shoreline stormwater outfalls screened for pollution New for 2013 6 43 0 0 0
Marine water quality stations monitored N/A 7 7 7 17 17 9 0 0 0 16 38
Sanitary surveys completed New for 2009 259 241 350 553 738 390 349 500 600
Beaches monitored for shellfish safety 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
Swimming beaches monitored 0 2 3 4 3 6 3 3 3 4 3 3
Stream gauges maintained 8 8 9 8 8 7 Discontinued 2012
Clean Water District Advisory Council meetings held New for 2012 4 1 3 4 3 4
# of Data loggers Deployed New for 2015 12 12 12
Linear Feet of Stream Buffer Planted New for 2014 6500 13,216 2000 0
EDUCATION AND OUTREACH 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Projected
2017
Planned
# of Newsletters Mailed New for 2011 6000 12250 1300 500 2,200 180 200
# of WQ Brochures Distributed New for 2014 500 575 ~900 900
# of WQ reports posted on JCPH webpage New for 2011 1 6 0 1 2 1 2
% of Press Releases distributed within 36 Hours New for 2011 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
# of Websites Updates New for 2012 37 14 21 20 10 8