There have been several major initiatives launched recently that seek to protect Washington's Coast. The first is the Puget Sound Partnership, an initiative launched by Governor Christine Gregoire and tasked with developing a plan to protect and restore Puget Sound. Another major initiative was the Washington State Ocean Policy Work Group. This initiative was established by the Governor’s Office in order to: 1) summarize the status of Washington’s ocean resources and their value to the state’s economy, cultural identity, and quality of life and 2) provide recommendations for improving protection and management of the state’s ocean resources. Their final product was Washington's Ocean Action Plan.

Washington fully implemented their ocean water quality monitoring program in 2004. Establishing an inventory of shoreline structures and monitoring existing sites with structures would be beneficial. Washington's Coastal Atlas provides a wealth of information regarding coastal features and issues and enhances an already excellent website. The Atlas could be further improved to show coastal access points. The Department of Ecology could be more aggressive in establishing coastal access points and protecting the public's right to access the coast.

The Department of Ecology BEACH Program website allows the public to Find Swimming Beach Closures/ Advisories with a map-based application. Their 2016 Annual Report includes county-by-county details for all sampled beaches.

Indicators

(+) Clear and comprehensive Shoreline Master Program (SMP) Handbook provides detailed guidelines and instructions for municipalities to manage their regional shorelines, and takes into consideration important issues like climate change and sea level rise. Most municipalities have incorporated some level of planning for sea level rise into their regional Shoreline Master Plans.

(+) Washington State Integrated Climate Change Response Strategy lays out an organized and detailed framework containing specific strategies and examples of policies for local decision makers to implement for the protection of their communities in light of climate change.

(+) The Washington State Coast Resilience Assessment Final Report, conducted by the William D. Ruckelshaus Center, explores ways to respond to coastal hazards that are increasingly threatening the state's coast. In addition to identifying the threats, the report provides recommendations for key actions to be taken both by the state and local communities to increase resilience.

(+) Washington’s Coastal Management Program and Washington Sea Grant took initiative through a NOAA CRest Grant to develop the Coastal Hazards Resilience Network (Network). The Washington Coastal Program and Washington Sea Grant have worked in partnership since 2013, developing the Network to focus on Washington’s critical need for multi-hazard planning, preparedness, response, and recovery.

(+) In November 2016 an article in the Seattle Times reported that the state Department of Ecology had proposed a No Discharge Zone in Puget Sound. The new rule would require any vessel with a permanent toilet aboard to store waste until it could be pumped out ashore, instead of dumping it overboard. In addition to the San Juan Islands, and portions of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the no-discharge zone would include all marine waters in and around Seattle, as well as the fresh waters of Lake Washington, Union Bay, Montlake Cut, Portage Bay, Lake Union, Fremont Cut and the Lake Washington Ship Canal.

(+) King County's website has a map which shows the current status of combined sewer overflows - discharging, discharged in the last 48 hours, or not discharging.

(+) On March 25, 2013 President Obama signed a proclamation creating the San Juan Islands National Monument to permanently protect the BLM Lands in the islands. This was the culmination of years of effort by the community and its elected leaders to ensure permanent protection of these lands.

(+) It was announced in January 2012 that among all of the coastal United States, Washington would receive more than a third of the federal grants earmarked for wetland conservation. Of the nine wetland projects approved in Washington state, four are in the West Sound region of Kitsap, Mason and Jefferson counties.

(+) An encouraging development regarding shoreline armoring occurred in 2007 when rip rap was removed from the shore at Belfair State Park in the Lower Hood Canal area. This was part of a $2 million estuary restoration project designed to improve both the habitat and the public's ability to enjoy the park. The project included removal of a tidal swimming pool and creation of a sandy beach in its place. A rocky wall was removed to create a walking beach, Little Mission Creek bridge was relocated and a small culvert was replaced to enhance fish passage. Now, kayakers and wind surfers can launch from the beach, which was impossible when rip rap lined the shore.

(+) The Washington Department of Natural Resources’ ShoreZone Inventory provides GIS data for the location and type of shoreline structures along Washington’s marine shorelines.

(+) In October 2005, King County announced the completion of a $77 million "Henderson/Martin Luther King Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Project", which features a 15-foot-diameter, two-thirds-mile-long pipe that can hold four million gallons of combined storm drain and sewer overflow water until it can be treated.

(+) Washington tends to look at beaches as an integral part of the nearshore system which is centered on the intertidal zone, and extends both landward and seaward. Washington has a program in place for collecting data related to beach ecology. The Nearshore Habitat Program at the state Department of Natural Resources is the lead agency for this inter-agency program in Washington State.

(+) The Department of Ecology recently completed the first major overhaul of Washington's water quality standards in a decade.

(+) Washington's Department of Ecology SEA Program website has been significantly enhanced, with a very informative "Washington's Coast" section and aerial photography of the entire coast.

(0) About 40% of the tidelands and 70% of the shorelands are publicly owned.

(0) 80% of Washington residents go to the freshwater or saltwater shoreline at least several times a year.

(-) In general, the state does not "respond" to beach erosion. With few exceptions, private property owners are expected to take responsibility for dealing with their choices to buy and develop coastal property, and to do so within the resource protection laws. In the few instances where joint public-private efforts were taken to address coastal erosion of private property, revetments and/or geotubes were employed.

(-) Washington does not mandate sea level rise planning during the development of Shoreline Master Plans, leaving the contentious decision to plan for it to counties and local municipalities.

(-) There is no unified statewide plan for sea level rise or climate change adaptation.

(-) In March 2017 the Trump administration proposed reducing funding for the Puget Sound cleanup program by 93%.

(-) A King County study of the shoreline of Water Resources Inventory Area 9 (WRIA 9) — an area that stretches from Federal Way to Seattle and includes the Green-Duwamish Watershed and Vashon and Maury islands — found that since 2005, the area has had 1,500 feet of shoreline armoring removed. However, the 92 miles of shoreline in WRIA 9 — about half of which is on Vashon — had more shoreline than that armored and saw a net loss of 70 feet of natural shoreline. More on this.

(-) Washington’s Department of Health closed some shellfish beds in South Puget Sound in late July 2013 for the first time because of elevated levels of diarrhetic shellfish toxin. The biotoxin, which can cause diarrhea and vomiting, appears to be spreading in Puget Sound. It made three people sick after eating mussels harvested in Sequim Bay in 2011. That was the first time anyone had been officially diagnosed with diarrhetic shellfish poisoning in the United States.

(-) The Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve houses a robust ecosystem and one of the largest herring spawning grounds in Puget Sound. Currently, DNR is going through the final steps to incorporate a management plan for this area in order to implement stewardship. Unbelievably, this is where SSA Marine wants to put in a new terminal that Peabody Energy could utilize to export 24 million tons of coal per year. This project would fill in 141 acres of wetlands and impact 11 threatened and endangered species.

(-) In 2008, King County reported that the North Beach combined sewer overflow facility has 10 overflows per year on average that discharge a total of 2.2 million gallons into Puget Sound off North Beach.

(-) In the 2009 legislative session coastal programs endured deep cuts, including Department of Fish and Wildlife shoreline conservation activities and the Department of Ecology's Water Quality Program and Oil Spill Program. In addition, funding for the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program, which provides state grants for park, trail, wildlife habitat, farmland preservation, and shoreline access projects was cut 30 percent.

(-) In 2007, seven beaches identified as high use and/or high risk in Washington were not monitored because of a funding shortage created by increased expenses.

(-) Marine life appears to be disappearing rapidly in Puget Sound. Populations of seabirds, fish (pacific cod, whiting, walleye pollock, salmon), crabs, eelgrass, and tidepool life (sea anemones, sea urchins, sea stars) have plummeted in the last few years. Puget Sound herring contain higher levels of contamination that those in Europe's highly polluted Black Sea. "Dead zones" and extensive fish kills are common in Hood Canal.

(-) The Snohomish County Health District stopped routine monitoring of swimming beaches in 1999 because the tests were too costly and provided little useful information, according to the director of the environmental health for the district.

(-) The Washington Department of Natural Resources’ ShoreZone Inventory found that approximately one-third of all saltwater shorelines in Washington State have some kind of shoreline modification structure (includes boat ramps and landfills).

(-) Over 30% of the Puget Sound shoreline is armored; this includes the eastern shoreline of central Puget Sound between Everett and Tacoma that is more than 95% armored.

(-) The "preferred alternative" to deal with erosion problems in Westport consists of the placement of 40,000 tons of 12-inch minus gravel and cobble material along approximately 1,000 linear feet of beach in the southwest corner of Half Moon Bay.

Victories

Stop New Fossil Fuel Development in the Tacoma Tideflats On November 21st, 2017 the City Council of Tacoma passed interim regulations blocking any new fossil fuel development in the Tacoma Tideflats. This action effectively prohibits any new fossil fuel facilities until a sub-area use plan is finalized in the next 3-5 years. This is a major accomplishment for Washington residents who have been battling fossil fuel development facilities and succeeding, but who now are taking strides toward proactive measures to protect local marine water and reduce climte impacts.
Protect Grays Harbor from Massive Oil Terminals Grays Harbor, on the Southwestern Washington coast, had three oil export proposals for expansion and development over the past few years. These proposals eventually fizzled, resulting in a major victory for our marine ecosystem and recreational enthusiasts of the Washington coast.
Improve Water Quality at Larrabee State Park After water quality results showed consistently low bacteria levels for the last two years, the Whatcom County Department of Health has removed the swim advisory sign and full public access to this popular recreational site has been restored. When a permanent swim advisory sign was posted at Wild Cat Cove beach in the popular campground at Larrabee State Park in Washington, the Northwest Straits Chapter rallied to bring together local stakeholders, government agencies and members of the public to raise awareness of the pollution problem and to find and fix the sources of pollution. This was a multi-year effort, over which a number of pollution sources were identified and fixed and hundreds, if not thousands, of campers participated in Surfrider hosted education programs to learn about ways they could pitch in to help support clean water. Read more about this amazing effort to solve a water pollution problem and restore full access to a treasured ocean recreation spot in Bellingham, Washington here.
Care For The Cove In 1998, a settlement agreement, lasting for the life of the project (50 years), was agreed upon by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Surfrider Foundation to ensure sand replenishment both onshore and offshore of Half Moon Bay. Since 2013, sand replenishment has not occurred due to unavailability of the hopper dredge vessel Yaquina, and degradation of the recreational value of this beach is occurring. In conjunction with further risks to the City of Westport due to erosion, in April 2017 the chapter was successful in achieving (as required in the settlement agreement) sand replenishment in the near-shore cell and beginning a monitoring program to assess its effects to the beach profile and bathymetry. More.
Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve Expansion Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark recently announced he will expand Puget Sound’s Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve north of Bellingham, Washington, adding 45 acres previously considered for a large coal export terminal. At Cherry Point, the Lummi Indian Business Council cited its treaty rights last fall when they asked to add the area originally proposed for the terminal to the reserve’s boundaries. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) then convened a committee of scientists and conducted a public State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review to evaluate the boundary change. The technical review committee unanimously recommended incorporating the additional 45 acres, citing important herring and eelgrass habitat vital to local salmon runs. Any projects proposed in the future for this site would have to be compatible with DNR’s 2010 Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve management plan, which precludes activities likely to have detrimental impacts on the aquatic reserve. Surfrider Foundation's Northwest Straits Chapter played an important role by helping to build local support, and submitting oral and written comments in support. The chapter and Western Washington University Campus Club have increased their stewardship efforts of this special place, organizing numerous beach cleanups along the Cherry Point coastline. Read more on the Surfrider Washington Page.
Local Blue Water Task Force Program Established In April 2016, the Capitol-Olympia Chapter commented on the Department of Ecology’s Draft BEACH List and requested that Priest Point Park be added to the list of water-testing sites for 2016. In their comment letter, the chapter volunteered to help collect water samples from the park. The Department of Ecology was receptive to the chapter’s offer to help and met the chapter volunteers in the field to provide training in proper water sampling technique. Because of collaboration, this summer will be the first time since 2004 that the Department of Ecology has sampled Priest Point Park as part of the BEACH program. Due to proximity to non-point pollution sources, Priest Point Park beach has a permanent swim advisory, and it is recommended that you rinse off after any contact with the water at this beach. The other BEACH sample site in Thurston County is Burfoot Park Beach. The Capitol Chapter is very excited to be able to partner with the State and County to ensure the safety of recreational use of Washington’s amazing beaches. This new relationship builds upon a solid history of successful collaboration between the State and County run BEACH water quality monitoring programs and Surfrider’s Blue Water Task Force in Washington.
Tacoma Reusable Bag Initiative On Tuesday, July 12th, 2016 the Tacoma City Council held a vote and passed a bring your own bag ordinance. After almost four years of work, the South Sound chapter remained dedicated to seeing the policy through. Following three hours of testimony, debate, and a late substitute bill threatening to undo their work, the chapter and the city of Tacoma were victorious with an 8-1 vote in favor of the chapter supported legislation. More.
Cherry Point Saved The country’s largest proposed coal export terminal met its end after a long, drawn out fight. The result brought a major victory for Surfrider and all those who made up the coalition opposing development at Cherry Point. Surfrider was an active opponent from the start as the information slowly came together on the breadth and threat this proposal posed to the health of local waters and the world class recreation the Bellingham area provides. Huge kudos to the Lummi Nation, Northwest Straits Chapter & WWU Campus Club, and all who helped achieve this major victory! Read more about how this campaign grew over the years, and how Surfrider Foundation is building on this momentum to fight other dirty fossil fuel developments throughout Washington.
Smoke Free Parks in Seattle On May 28th 2015, the Seattle Board of Park Commissioners approved a citywide ordinance calling for all parks to be smoke free. A prior ruling back in 2010 set in place a prohibition of the use of tobacco products on city beaches, and within 25 feet of other park users. The current ordinance calls for parks to be completely free from tobacco use, not dependent on the presence of other park patrons. The ruling is set to go into effect on July 6th. With this decision, Seattle joined the ranks of other major cities such as New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston who have similar restrictions in their park systems. The reasoning behind the new regulation is two-fold: to prevent negative health issues from park goers subject to second-hand smoke, and to stifle the presence of litter from cigarette butts. In place of fines, violators will be educated on the new rule for their first infraction. Additional infractions would incur a warning, followed by a short-term ban from the parks. Learn more about the change here. The Surfrider Foundation is pleased with this ruling due to our commitment to protecting the world’s oceans and beaches. Cigarette butts are the #1 item we collect in any of our beach cleanups. This ruling will help to limit the amount of litter in Seattle parks and beaches from errantly discarded cigarette butts. For this very reason, the Surfrider Foundation has created the Hold On To Your Butt campaign, aimed at improving proper disposal of litter from cigarettes. Surfrider Foundation's Seattle Chapter would like to thank each and every one of you who supported this ordinance by signing the petitions that kept this campaign moving forward.
Olympia Reusable Bag Ordinance The Surfrider Capitol Chapter in Olympia helped to pass an ordinance that bans plastic checkout bags at all retailers and includes a minimum five cent fee on paper bags as the incentive to remember reusable bags or go without a bag for small purchases.
Thurston County Bag Ordinance In September 2013 the Thurston County, WA Board of Supervisors passed a Reusable Bag Ordinance for the unincorporated areas of the county. The ordinance bans plastic checkout bags at all retailers and includes a minimum five cent fee on paper bags as the incentive to remember reusable bags or go without a bag for small purchases. The Board of Supervisors Staff presented a report on plastic bags in the area, Reducing Our Use: Plastic Shopping Bags, to the SWAC in September 2012. The group approved the report and recommended that the city councils of Thurston County and the Thurston County Commissioners adopt a plastic bag ban. The overall goal is to have cities in the area to pass the same ordinance for consistency throughout the county. Surfrider activists in Washington sent in letters and spoke in support at public hearings.
Washington Campaign for Ocean Planning Fund New uses coming to Washington Pacific coast threaten our access and the health of coastal beaches. Ocean planning offers a unique opportunity to identify where sensitive coastal resources are located and where popular activities are occurring and then to plan for new uses while minimizing impacts to marine life, recreation, and other human uses.
Marine Spatial Planning Bill Passed Washington Governor Christine Gregoire signed SB 6350 for Marine Spatial Planning which will result in the establishment of an interagency team to help provide recommendations about how to use marine spatial planning in Washington. Newly introduced this legislative session, and brought to passage through the diligent efforts of it's primary sponsor, Senator Kevin Ranker (D-San Juan), SB 6350 drew widespread support from a diverse array of county, state, and federal agencies, local interest groups, fisherman, and many more who utilize the ocean environment for any number of uses from recreation to research.
Seattle WA - Plastic Bag Ban The Surfrider Foundation Seattle Chapter worked with members of City Council and other environmental groups to raise public awareness about the dangers of plastics to the environment and pass a plastic bag ordinance. On Monday December 19th, 2011 the Seattle City Council voted 9-0 to pass a citywide bill that will ban plastic bags and require a five cent fee on paper bags at checkout. Grocers and most retailers are covered by the bill. The Surfrider Foundation Seattle Chapter worked to raise awareness of the issues and be part of the legislative process by rallying the community and testifying at city council hearings.
Bellingham, WA Plastic Bag Ban On July 11th, 2011, the Bellingham City Council voted 7-0 in favor of the ordinance to ban carry out plastic bags and implement a 5 cent fee on brown paper bags starting July 2012. This truly was a community effort, starring two empowering citizens, Jill MacIntyre Witt and Brooks Anderson, who started the local group Bag It Bellingham supported by the Surfrider Foundation, People for Puget Sound, Sierra Club, Environment Washington, and RE Sources, who all helped in organizing hundreds of volunteer hours to gather over 3,000 signatures as well as to outreach and educate the community about the ordinance. The key to this victory was meeting with, involving, and gathering support from everyone in the community- from those at the farmer's markets, church groups, schools, neighborhood associations, dog owners, business owners, and more. The Surfrider Foundation Northwest Straits Chapter hopes that Washington State can soon follow in passing similar legislation to reduce single-use bags to help reduce our impact on our oceans.
Bill passes to improve WA oil spill response programs On the one-year anniversary of the Gulf Oil Spill, WA Governor Gregoire signed into law a bill that requires the state Department of Ecology to develop new rules to expand programs to train volunteers, require regular oil spill drills, equip commercial fisherman to be first responders, and to improve requirements on oil tankers and other vessels traveling through state waters to stockpile state-of-the-art oil spill response equipment. Washington's NWS Chapter and Outer Coast Chapter supported a coalition effort to pass this bill. Big thanks to champions in the WA State Legislator – Rep. Christine Rolfes, Rep. Zack Hudgins and Sen. Kevin Ranker.
Grays Harbor County adopts a Critical Areas Ordinance Grays Harbor County Commissioners voted unanimously to adopt a highly controversial Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) that establishes building regulations for shorelines, wetlands, aquifers, fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas, frequently flooded areas, and geologically hazardous areas. Surfrider Foundation members and activists from the Seattle and Outer Coast chapters have been working for two years to strengthen these regulations, submitting comments, publishing articles, and participating in facilitated meetings between diverse interest groups. Thanks to their hard work, to a community development and planning workshop Surfrider organized this winter, and to a lawsuit brought forward by a coalition of conservation organizations, the County finally adopted a CAO. The ordinance requires buffers between new development and critical areas that range from 60 – 300 feet in order to protect water quality, endangered species, and other ecosystem services.
Started Recycling and Composting Program The Northwest Straights chapter worked with the city of Bellingham, who provided grant funding to start a recycling and composting program to help reduce waste and littering in Boulevard Park.
State Legislation Advances Marine Spatial Planning in Washington WA Governor Gregoire signed into law legislation introduced by Ocean Champion and longtime Surfrider activist, Senator Kevin Ranker, to support Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) of Washington marine waters. MSP is a public process to better understand how our oceans are being used and to identify areas where certain uses may or may not make sense when considering ecological, economic, and social objectives. In short, this type of planning will help to protect the health of our oceans as well traditional uses, such as surfing, from the potential negative impacts of new ocean development projects. The Federal government is proposing to launch marine planning at a national scale. By taking early initiative, Washington State is in good position to design a planning process tailored to meet local needs and interests. Surfrider Foundation is working to advance MSP on multiple coasts, building grassroots support, supporting legislative champions and collaborating with stakeholders and agencies.
Plastic Bags Banned in Edmonds The Edmonds City Council approved a ban on plastic shopping bags following a successful campaign by the Seattle Chapter. The campaign received solid support from the community and local businesses.
Washington State Year-Round Rescue Tug On March 24th, 2009, Washington State Governor Chris Gregoire signed a measure that requires shippers, tankers and other large vessels to pay for a year-round rescue tug at Neah Bay. The bill's primary sponsor was long-time Surfrider activist and past regional manager, State Senator Kevin Ranker. For Washington chapters, it is hard to imagine a better way to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill than by winning this long-fought campaign. Not long after the tragedy in Prince William Sound, Surfrider members and activists began advocating for a rescue tug to be stationed at Neah Bay. The tug aids ships in danger of spilling oil, forming a strong defensive line against oil spills in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and on Washington's outer coast.
Jetty Island Water Quality City of Everett Water Pollution Control Facility averages 2-4 spills per year and with the current methods of reporting the public is not made aware for 24 hours to sometimes 3 days, as was the case for a spill in late October 2008. The belief was that it wasn’t a large issue with not a lot of recreational users in the water; that there were no high use beaches in the area. This is not the case. Jetty Island, just off the shore of Everett, is a prominent location for swimmers, kite surfers and wind surfers, especially the time frames of May – October of every year. So human health is definitely at risk. The engineers from the water treatment facility agreed to err on the side of caution and post immediately for the public to know. Surfrider Foundation in Washington is also on the notification list so that we can alert the public as well to the closures as they happen.
Neah Bay Rescue Tug Funded The Washington State Legislature approved $3.7 million to fund a year-round rescue tug at Neah Bay, located on the northern tip of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. The rescue tug is believed to be the best defense against a catastrophic oil spill for Washington’s coasts which are heavily trafficked by oil tankers and cargo vessels. Scientists believe that just one catastrophic spill in Washington’s Puget Sound could mean devastation for sea bird populations, killer whales and other wildlife. Such a spill would also cause oil slicked beaches, closing the coast to recreation indefinitely. The rescue tug responds to vessels in trouble, preventing spills from ever taking place. Since 1999, a part-time stationed tug at Neah Bay has assisted 40 vessels in distress, including a bulk carrier in February 2008 that had lost propulsion because of a fuel pump failure. Washington chapters and a regional network of conservation groups reached out to decision makers and raised awareness for this important issue and the State Legislature responded by funding the tug year-round. Until now, the tug has only been funded during the winter, but oil spills can happen any time of year. This new state funding is just for one year. Washington chapters are also working on behalf of important federal legislation that will require industry to pay for a year-round rescue tug permanently.
WA Legislature supports coastal Marine Resource Committees The Washington State Legislature passed a bill to support the establishment of Marine Resource Committees on Washington’s outer coast. Marine Resource Committees are citizen advisory groups that address issues concerning coastal ecosystems, including the health of our beaches and rocky shorelines. Similar committees have been working successfully in Puget Sound for over a decade. Now, local governments will be establishing Marine Resource Committees on the state’s outer coast, offering an exciting opportunity for citizens to get engaged in determining the future health of their ocean and beaches. These committees bring together diverse marine interests, including the scientific, economic, recreational and conservation communities and tribes to address some of the toughest environmental threats facing our coastal ecosystems, such as pollution, invasive species and loss of habitat. Surfrider activists in Grays Harbor County and the Olympic Peninsula Chapter helped generate support for this initiative from coastal legislators and county commissioners. This support convinced the legislature to pass this legislation and provide $250,000 to establish coastal Marine Resource Committees.
Stopped gold mining on WA coast The Washington Chapters of Surfrider Foundation enjoyed a victory by stopping a proposed law (House Bill 2588) that would have permitted mining on public beaches. Though designed to make it easier for recreational miners to go out and collect small bits of gold, the bill was worded such that larger operations could have been feasible.
WA septic system legislation The Surfrider Foundation partnered with a number of other organizations in the Priorities for a Healthy Washington coalition. Surfrider activists provided grassroots support to a campaign that ultimately led to greater protections for Puget Sound and better regulation of failing septic systems.
Surfrider Foundation activists helped generate grassroots support for the elimination of state park day-use fees. This change was approved by Governor Gregoire on March 20, 2006.
The Seattle Chapter received a grant to fund their Blue Water Task Force program and partnered with Olympic National Park to design a program for the entire Olympic Peninsula. The Olympic Peninsula Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation then created an online database of water quality data from four peninsula beaches. The water quality monitoring program is the only one of its kind in Washington State because it targets coastal recreational beaches used for surfing, paddling and fishing.
Olympic Peninsula Chapter partnered with Clallam County Parks to improve access and facilities at the Elwha River Mouth, and are working to improve access at a variety of Straits of Juan de Fuca beaches.
According to a May 2005 press release from the State of Washington Departments of Ecology and Health, "Various state and county agencies and the Surfrider Foundation are working with Ecology and Health to sample the beaches and notify the public of the results, using funding from the federal Environmental Protection Agency."