Fall 2003 - Interstate 5

Running Off Roads
by Brianne Holte

Men with fishing poles in hand lean side-by-side against a blue fence — the only thing separating them from a surging Whatcom Creek. Across the way, people stand in the creek, waiting for a bite. One man shouts as another fisherman hooks a fish, but to their disappointment, it gets away.

Bellingham resident Doug Davids is intent on the task at hand. Sporting a tattered blue baseball cap, he changes his lure. Davids said he fishes at Whatcom Creek whenever possible.

"Every day if I can," he said. "It’s just something to get out and do."

In order for fishermen to enjoy the yearly salmon runs, Whatcom Creek needs clean water. Runoff from Interstate 5 and other roads, however, can destroy spawning beds and decrease water quality. The Washington State Department of Transportation is taking steps to ensure this will not happen by building a storm water retention pond on I-5 in Bellingham, said Robyn Boyd, a WSDOT transportation engineer.

Currently, certain parts of I-5 in Bellingham have a grassy median to filter runoff. Catch basins retain runoff for a short amount of time before releasing it into Whatcom Creek, Boyd said. The new retention pond will allow runoff to settle, removing pollutants from the water before releasing it into the creek. An existing pipe transports water from the catch basins to Whatcom Creek. WSDOT will use this pipe to transport water from the new pond to the creek. The retention pond will also feature a bioswale, an area where plants are grown for the specific purpose of filtering water.

"(Retention ponds) help a lot," Boyd said. "We’re kind of anxious to get one in the area and see how that bioswale is going to work with the plants."

Retention ponds are the main way to treat storm water runoff on highways, said Sandra Manning, policy lead for Transportation Permitting for the Department of Ecology. After sediments settle to the bottom, the clean water that is left can be released. Manning said this method is the best way to reduce silt in runoff.

The retention pond will be located on the east side of King Street between Lakeway Drive and Meador Street, just off of I-5.

The pond will be about 10 feet deep and concrete lined, much like a swimming pool. The pond is roughly triangular in shape, and 300 feet on its longest side. Construction is scheduled to begin in July and will take six months.

This pond is an important step in recognizing and addressing the problem storm water runoff can cause to waterways, Boyd said.

He said water quality is important to WSDOT. The agency intends to install many retention ponds along I-5.

He said WSDOT is working to make more space available for retention ponds by purchasing land, as well as working with cities to set aside areas for ponds.

"Along the freeway, there’s not a whole lot of area to put retention ponds," Boyd said.

Ponds are only required when new pavement is added to the freeway. WSDOT is currently planning to install nine retention ponds along the Guide-Meridian in Bellingham and six ponds along State Route 543 in Blaine.

Earl Steele, Whatcom Creek Hatchery manager and Fisheries Technology instructor for Bellingham Technical College, said retention ponds can only help water quality improve. He said retention ponds are necessary to maintain healthy streams and prevent roadway pollutants from entering the water.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, potential runoff from roads includes: sediments, including materials worn away from the roads and tires; nutrients that can lead to excessive plant growth; heavy metals such as lead, zinc and iron; and hydrocarbons such as gas and oil. When it rains these pollutants make their way into streams and other bodies of water through runoff.

Polluted storm water runoff can destroy habitat for plants and animals, as well as reduce the quality of recreational waters. Impervious surfaces, such as I-5, create a high volume of runoff, said Mike Sato, director of People for Puget Sound’s North Sound Office.

"Any impervious surface with autos has a whole bunch of pollutants that come off," he said.

When looking at pollution from runoff, silt is one of the most concerning pollutants, Manning said.

She said silt in runoff can fill salmon spawning grounds and clog the fish’s gills. Heavy storm water runoff can also scour the gravel spawning beds.

"Habitat is one of the primary things we look for (when evaluating water quality)," she said. "Salmon need gravel to spawn. Silty materials can choke eggs."

Manning said Ecology’s job is to establish standards for the volume and rate of runoff allowed and the treatments required for the runoff. Enforcement of those standards is then up to Ecology.

"We are the agency with the authority to govern water quality," Manning said.

Ecology’s standards for silt are measured using turbidity. Turbidity indicates how much silt is in water by measuring the amount of light able to pass through the water. A higher level of turbidity means more sediment, said Steve Hood, Ecology water quality engineer. Turbidity cannot exceed 5 percent or 10 percent over the natural levels, he said.

WSDOT faces fines if they don’t meet Ecology’s standards. Hood said those fines vary greatly depending upon the violation’s severity and many other factors.

Independent of Ecology’s supervision, WSDOT is building the new retention pond to protect the Whatcom Creek watershed and meet Ecology’s standards.

These steps ensure that waterways like Whatcom Creek will have large fish runs for many years, Manning said.
Steele said the condition of Whatcom Creek is improving.

"We have fish that are coming back and spawning," he said. "We’ve already made the turnaround."

Whatcom Creek Hatchery sees nearly 300 recreational visitors, including fishermen such as Davids, on the weekends, Steele said. Davids said he will keep fishing at Whatcom Creek as long as it contains fish, but he worries about the habitat being destroyed. He said he would be willing to donate money if it kept the stream viable.

"I want to keep this going," he said.

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