CURRENT NEWS

November 3, 2006 Totten Inlet Dive Results

On 11/3/06, two professional divers dove near the mussel rafts in Gallagher Cove in Totten Inlet to observe and photograph the seabed.  They discovered many disturbing changes to the area, including a large growth of white matting, which turned out to be Beggiatoa (a gram negative bacteria) and at least three large clumps of an aggressive colonial tunicate; there was no evidence of algae or other plant life.  The divers collected samples of the white matting, which was examined by Dr. Joel Elliot of the University of Puget Sound, who concluded:  “. . . one of your samples had a lot of Beggiatoa in it.  As for the sediment from the sample with all the Beggiatoa, there was a high concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the porewater . . . consistent with the conditions where you find the growth of surface mats of Beggiatoa.  Our attorney, David Mann, in his letter of 12/1/06 to Doug Southerland and Lindie Schmidt of DNR, states:  “Obviously the presence of high levels of hydrogen sulfide and Beggiatoa is not consistent with a healthy ecosystem.  It is far more indicative of an oxygen deprived dead zone,” a finding consistent with the diver’s observations.

So if intensive aquaculture is so beneficial to the waters of Puget Sound, why is Totten Inlet in trouble? This is or was the cleanest of the South Sound Inlets, without leaky septic systems, without industrial run off, without agricultural runoff, and with much natural vegetation adjacent to the shoreline.  The only thing we have an abundance of in Totten Inlet is intensive, extensive aquaculture.

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On August 10, 2006  a permit application was filed with Thurston County for a Countywide Programmatic Shorelines Permit.  The applicant is "Thurston County Geoduck Growers, and the Agent is Diane Cooper, Taylor Shellfish Farms."    

More information on this will follow as APHETI learns more details.            

STATUS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY

APHETI and Thurston County are still waiting for Taylor Resources to complete this study.