More Problems Than Pesticide Spraying
by Connie Gallant, OFCO Board President
King5 TV reports that the Washington State Dept. of Ecology (DOE) and shellfish growers have canceled a recently issued pesticide spraying permit … but that’s not the only problem that needs to be resolved.
The problem is not only on Willapa Bay and not confined to Taylor Shellfish Farms or to the spraying of pesticides. One of the problems with some of the large shellfish corporations is that they are disinfecting their tanks with chlorine-based chemicals and flushing that waste water right on to the bays. That is exactly what is happening at Coast Seafoods on Quilcene Bay (northern Hood Canal, Jefferson County), owned by the conglomerate Pacific Seafood. They have increased their output of production of baby oysters from 8 billion annually to 40 billion annually in the past several years. Think about it: That’s 40 billion baby oysters peeing and pooping in those tanks—and those tanks must be kept very clean and flushed with filtered incoming water from the same bay.
So the chlorine-based chemicals are flushed into the bay, harming eelgrass, fish, birds—and kids/adults who swim in that bay. Local residents can often smell the chlorine. Does DOE care? No. Have they been informed about it? Yes. Does our county government care? Apparently not, since they have issued permits without even inspecting the premises.
The Olympic Forest Coalition is one of the enviro organizations following this issue—an issue that most locals are dismissing because of fear of losing jobs, so they would rather believe in what the company is telling them: Everything is “peachy.” There is no need for any job losses if the county initiated a State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) decision and the company be forced to filter the water out.
Residents along Puget Sound are having to make expensive modifications to their septic systems to protect our waters. What about businesses polluting the same waters? Companies must be made responsible also for being good stewards of our environment, not simply providing a profit to shareholders.