Brief Description: Establishing an aquatic rehabilitation zone on Hood Canal.

Sponsors: Representatives Eickmeyer, Appleton, Chase, McCoy, Moeller, Haigh and McIntire.

Hearing Date: 1/19/05

Staff: Caroleen Dineen (786-7156).

Background:

Hood Canal is a glacier-carved fjord approximately 60 miles in length that includes approximately 180 miles of shoreline. It begins at Admiralty Inlet between Tala Point in Jefferson County and Foulweather Bluff in Kitsap County and ends near Belfair in Mason County.

Portions of Hood Canal have had low dissolved oxygen concentrations for many years. The University of Washington recorded low dissolved oxygen concentrations in the 1950s. In recent years, low dissolved oxygen concentration conditions and significant fish death events have been recorded on Hood Canal. The 2004 dissolved oxygen concentrations in southern Hood Canal were the lowest recorded concentrations for the water body. The southern portion of Hood Canal is listed on the state's impaired water bodies list because of (among other water quality parameters) dissolved oxygen concentrations.

The Puget Sound Action Team (PSAT) is a state agency that develops and coordinates water quality programs in Puget Sound. The Hood Canal Coordinating Council (HCCC) is a group of county and tribal governments established to address water quality problems and natural resource issues in the Hood Canal watershed. In May 2004 the PSAT and HCCC prepared a report - the Preliminary Assessment and Corrective Plan (PACA) - assessing sources of nitrogen introduced into Hood Canal. The PACA used existing research to define and quantify nitrogen sources. The PACA identifies six major categories of human-influenced sources for Hood Canal and specifies recommendations for corrective actions for these six major categories.

Research and monitoring related to Hood Canal's low dissolved oxygen concentrations is being conducted. The Department of Ecology has a marine waters monitoring program that includes testing stations at various locations on Hood Canal. The University of Washington has a Puget Sound Regional Synthesis Model (PRISM) program, which involves testing at numerous Hood Canal stations. In addition, Hood Canal monitoring and research are also being conducted by the United States Geological Survey and various local agencies and organizations. Further, a group of 20 federal, state, local, and tribal agencies and nonprofit organizations have established the Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Program (HCDOP), a three-year effort to coordinate monitoring data, analysis, and modeling results for Hood Canal.
   

Summary of Bill:

An aquatic rehabilitation zone (ARZ) is established. The ARZ includes all counties that border Hood Canal. The specified boundary is a line projected from Tala Point in Jefferson County to Foulweather Bluff in Kitsap County.

ARZ provisions are enacted as a new chapter in Title 90 RCW. ARZs are to be governed only by the provisions of this new statutory chapter and any provisions of existing statutes that expressly are applied to ARZs.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Effective Date: The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.