The Conservation District has been assisting with the funding of a county-wide water quality monitoring program since 2002.
Water Quality Monitoring Final Report 2005 (685 KB PDF)
Map of the Testing Locations (JPEG 100 KB)
Watershed Sites 2008(PDF 1.2 MB)
You can read about how the labs perform the testing while engaging local high school students at:
University of Washington's Friday Harbor Labs Water Quality Monitoring Program
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| CCWF 2005-09 |
Water Quality Monitoring Data
The Conservation District worked with the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories to monitor select sites throughout San Juan County.
For Water Quality data and results please pick one of the following links:
San Juan Island Water Quality Data 2005-2007
San Juan Excel Data: SJWS_08_CD
Orcas Island Water Quality Data 2006-2007
Orcas Excel Data: OrcasWS_08_CD
Lopez Island Water Quality Data 2004-2008
Lopez Excel Data:LopezWS_08_CD
If you are interested in water quality monitoring, or how other groups monitor it, you can download this report:
Water Quality Monitoring Guide (Oregon) (PDF)
Shellfish Growing Areas
San Juan County has eight shellfish growing areas. These areas are monitored by the State of Washington Department of Health - Office of Shellfish and Water Protection.
Buck Bay
East Sound
Hunter Bay
Mackaye Harbor
Mud Bay
Upright Channel
Westcott Bay
Get Annual Water Quality Reports at www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/sf/growreports.htm
Wetlands
Wetlands have many valuable functions to play in the environment, one of the major roles is in acting as a purifying resource. Learn more here:
Exploring Wetlands Stewardship (PDF 1.1 MB)
Exploring Wetlands Stewardship (Canada) (PDF 700 KB)
PCBs
PCBs have been detected in fish tissue in Mountain & Cascade lakes on Orcas Island:
WA State Toxics Monitoring Program Contaminants in Freshwater Fish in 2004 and 2005 (PDF 800 KB)
Other Reports
Seawater Intrusion in Coastal Aquifers (1999) (PDF 128 KB)
This problem particularly affects Lopez due its composition of mainly glacial till. Other islands are affected though, usually where wells are being drilled close to salt water (eg Deer Harbor).