Dungeness Watershed Research

The studies below were conducted as part of an Environmental Protection Agency Targeted Watershed Grant awarded to the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe in 2004 that focused surface water cleanup efforts in the lower Dungeness Watershed and Dungeness Bay in Washington State. The Targeted Watershed Grant (TWG) program contained a number of elements that utilized innovative community-based approaches and management techniques to promote and restore clean surface waters, including:

Task 1: A microbial source tracking study to determine the predominant sources of fecal coliform bacteria in the lower watershed and Bay (Woodruff et al. 2009a, linked below).

Microbial Source Tracking in the Dungeness Watershed, Washington - 66 Page PDF Document 1.6MB

Task 2: Innovative best management practice (BMP) demonstrations including a Mycoremediation Demonstration for the removal of fecal coliform and nutrients (Thomas et al. 2009, linked below), homeowner sewage management education and training (including cost-share incentives for septic repairs) and an irrigation ditch piping demonstration.

Field Demonstrations of Mycoremediation for Removal of Fecal Coliform Bacteria and Nutrients in the Dungeness Watershed, Washington - 46 Page PDF Document 2.5MB

Task 3: An effectiveness monitoring study that evaluated the effectiveness of the best management practices conducted in Task 2, and examined the implications within a larger watershed context both geographically and temporally (Woodruff et al. 2009b, linked below).

Effectiveness Monitoring of Fecal Coliform Bacteria and Nutrients in the Dungeness Watershed, Washington - 109 Page PDF Document 6.5MB

Task 4: A public outreach component to better inform the public about bacterial pollution, prevention, and remediation activities, and to provide regular updates on project findings.