Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival, Toni Droscher
  1. Take care of your septic system. Keep your septic system in top working order. Have your system inspected regularly. Get your tank pumped when needed. When replacing your septic system or building a new home, consider installing a system that treats nitrogen along with bacteria.

    >> Learn more about caring for your septic system at Washington Sea Grant Program’s Septic Sense Web page.

  2. Use fertilizers sparingly or not at all. If you must use fertilizer, use organic, time-released fertilizers and follow the directions on the label. Don’t fertilize before a rainstorm.

    >> Learn more about Stewardship Gardening in Hood Canal from the Washington State University Master Gardener Web site.

  3. Compost grass clippings and other yard waste well away from the canal and nearby streams. Don’t throw yard waste in streams or Hood Canal.
  4. Manage stormwater runoff. Runoff can pick up nutrients from fertilizers and pet waste and deliver them straight or indirectly to Hood Canal . Install a buffer of native plants or a rain garden to intercept and filter stormwater runoff from your property before it reaches a stream or Hood Canal . Direct roof, driveway and patio runoff into planted areas so that it can soak into the ground. (Be sure to keep it away from your septic system’s drain field.) Maximize planted areas and use permeable materials or gravel for paths, patios and driveways.

    >> Learn more about managing stormwater on your property    . 

  5. Keep pet waste out of the canal. Properly dispose of dog poop and cat litter. Double-bag pet waste and put it in the trash.

  6. Keep cow and horse manure out of the canal. For assistance, contact your local conservation district:
  7. Grow shellfish. Shellfish are filter feeds that remove plankton from the water.

    >> Learn more     about shellfish aquaculture and how to grow shellfish from Washington Sea Grant Program.

  8. Properly dispose of sewage from boats. Use pump-out stations for sewer waste and don’t throw bait overboard.

     >> Pumpout stations in Washington State.

  9. Get involved and stay informed.
  10. Keep an eye on Hood Canal . If you see algae blooms, dead fish, or odd behavior in fish or other marine animals call 800.OILS.911.
Thanks to the Washington Sea Grant Program for helping the Puget Sound Partnership compile these "What You Can Do" ideas.

Don’t feed nutrients to Hood Canal

Nutrients form the basic building blocks of life. All plants and animals need nutrients to grow and maintain their bodies.

But too many nutrients can upset the balance in a sensitive ecosystem such as Hood Canal .

Ordinary lawn and plan fertilizers, animal manure and sewage contain nitrogen compounds that wash into Hood Canal when it rains. Sun and plenty of nitrogen cause huge blooms. When the blooms die, bacteria multiply and remove oxygen from the water as they decompose the algae. As the low oxygen zones spread, they displace, stress, or even suffocate marine life.

 

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