Experts don't want to be confused by facts

By Martha M. Ireland

Environmental experts are at it again--deciding how to solve problems before getting all the facts.

A generation ago, the experts insisted that loggers remove every scrap of wood from the streams. Now there are few fish. The experts blame loggers--make that ex-loggers--who are now lucky to get hired to put wood back in streams.

Meanwhile, the experts continue to spread their expertise.

Monday, the state Department of Ecology will begin inspecting 61 Dungeness Valley farms, according to an April 18 PDN report. Ecology will hand out advice on how to reduce fecal coliform levels in Sequim Bay.

Just like with 20th century logging, they haven't determined the cause of the environmental degradation they're seeking to counteract.

Agricultural practices are one possible source of fecal coliform. Others include marine birds and mammals, failed septic systems, stormwater runoff, and reduced water circulation due to excessive silt accumulating in the bays.

Which are the real culprits? There is not sufficient evidence to move beyond speculation, says Bob Martin, Director of Community Development for Clallam County.

Science can provide hard evidence. RNA testing would reveal the actual source of pollutants, a Clallam County delegation learned during a November 1998 visit to Battelle Marine Sciences Laboratory.

Dr. Jack Word, then director of the lab on Sequim Bay, explained that Battelle has access to testing capability which would identify the exact source or sources of fecal coliform. RNA testing can even reveal specific problematic septic or agricultural sites.

Noting the then-emerging issue of rising coliform counts in the bay, Martin told Word, "We are being pushed into policies with no evidence."

That hasn't changed.

Deteriorating water quality has Clallam County on the verge of creating a Sequim Bay-Dungeness Watershed Clean Water District that "complies with the bare minimum under state statute," Martin says.

An educational public forum is scheduled Wednesday, May 2, 6:30-8:00 p.m. at Sequim's Carrie Blake Park, with a hearing on the proposed Clean Water District during the Tuesday, May 8, commissioners' meeting, which begins at 10 a.m. at the Courthouse in Port Angeles.

All three Clallam County commissioners say state law requires them to create the district. All three are aware that the source of the pollution has not be documented, although it could be.

There is opposition to RNA testing, Martin observes. The state Department of Health felt it got stung with adverse publicity after a Whatcom County RNA research project. Opposition seems to be lessening, Martin adds, and costs are getting a little more reasonable.

At $2,200 per testing station, RNA tests are limited by the range of samples available for comparison. At Sequim Bay, the number of stations needed could push the total cost to around $50,000.

RNA testing will not produce "a magic bullet," Martin says, "but we will never lay this to rest until we do the study."

Contrary to published reports about the Clean Water District, "there is no intent to tax," says Commissioner Mike Doherty. Commissioners Mike Chapman and Steve Tharinger agree, saying they anticipate tapping existing funding sources and seeking grants.

The question is, how will those funds be used? Ecology is handing out advice--backed by threats of enforcement--without first getting the facts.

As Chapman says, "Testing to get the real answers" should be the first priority.

###