Whales are in Puget Sound Early This Year

Keep your eyes out on the Sound: there have recently been gray whale sightings a month ahead of the usual time, and the Pacific coast is reporting more whale sightings than have occurred in the past 5 years. That also bodes well for seeing some of those whales stop into Puget Sound on their winter rounds.

So keep your binoculars and spotting scopes at the ready!

FEMA Flood Insurance Maps To Be Redone

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that its new revisions to flood insurance maps had so many errors in them that they are re-drafting a new set, perhaps to come out again within six months.

This can affect any waterfront home owner - whether on Puget Sound, a lake, or river - if you want to have flood insurance. Your home may have not been in a designated flood plain, but could potentially go into one now, or even vice versa.

The issue was primarily raised by city and county officials around the country who saw some aspects of the new maps being too stringent for their development plans, and in some cases completely important topographical details were missed. So FEMA will have their contractor redo all of the maps, and they will be more involved with quality control for this second round.

Puget Sound Restoration Projects Get Federal Funding

The Puget Sound Partnership doubled its budget this year with a new large injection of $50 million in federal funding. Separately, $152 million is being received for other Sound related restoration projects. Here is a summary of some of the initiatives that the money will be used for preserving Puget Sound:

• Determine performance measures
• Reduce storm water pollution
• Preserve specific habitats
• Remove Elwha River dam
• Build Belfair sewer system for protection of Hood Canal
• Remove dikes to restore Nisqually estuary habitat

Seattle Landslide Prevention Workshops

Some of our waterfront communities are perched at the edge of steep slopes formed long ago by grinding glaciers and since then by gradual wave and rain erosion. The result is spectacular views hovering over the water. The downside is that without proper care of your property's drainage and storm water runoff there can potentially be a landslide in some areas.

There are many resources for waterfront bluff owners that explain how to protect their gorgeous investments, including resources I have collected together for you at my WaterHavens geotechnical resources page.

In November the Seattle Department of Planning and Development is providing two free meetings that will go over strategies for maintaining landslide-prone properties. They may be well worth your time if that applies to your property.

• November 7th 10:00am to noon at South Seattle Community College's Judge Warren and Nobie Chan Education Center (6000 16th Ave SW, Seattle)
• November 21st 10:00am to noon at the Northgate Community Center (10510 Fifth Ave NE, Seattle)

Bellevue waterfront home permit dispute

Want to see two immovable forces battle over riparian zone and salmon related permit issues? Check out the article in today's Seattle Times about the legal battle between a Bellevue/Newport Shores attorney and the city of Bellevue over the construction of his home beside Coal Creek.

There are some interesting twists to this story, a bit different than the usual disputes over buffer zones, pervious surfaces, geotech, and such. The two opposing sides had a prior dispute 5 years ago, and are at it again. The home owner has built a nice new home beside Coal Creek and actually installed what amounts to a small salmon hatchery plus water-filtration plant with sump pumps to feed an artificial stream and holding pond! He even has a bridge over Coal Creek. The city claims he exceeded the size and location of disturbance zones around the home, plus says the mini salmon hatchery was never approved and he also did not create required flood mitigation berms. Bellevue is holding back his occupancy permit, and the home owner says he may not be able to move into his new pad for another 5 years.

Wow, what a convoluted mess there for everyone involved. Hope they get it all worked out.

Salute to the Sound

The Puget Soundkeeper Alliance is holding their "Salute to the Sound" event on Saturday September 26th at the Great Hall of Lake Union Park. From their announcement:

"Celebrate the bounty of the Sound and help us welcome keynote speaker Hedrick Smith, the Frontline correspondent of the recent Poisoned Waters series on PBS.

Join us for oysters, clams, catering by Bacchus and Arianna, Soundkeeper Organic Pale ale & other brews, local wines, live music and a Silent Auction."

Removal of Logs on Lake Washington

I was recently asked an interesting question: who is responsible for removing floating logs from Lake Washington? I did some digging with King County and the US Army Corps of Engineers, and this is what I found out:

The US Army Corps of Engineers is usually responsible for managing on-water safety issues, including occasional removal of floating danger logs from Lake Washington. This is part of their mission mainly because the lake is considered a navigable waterway with heavy marine traffic.

However, a "nuisance log" has many different interpretations and would not be addressed by most agencies, especially if the logs are onshore and not posing a hazard to marine traffic. What one person may not want may actually be good habitat for many creatures, and hence there would be a permitting conflict. There are actually Fish and Wildlife regulations against removing large wood from shorelines because the removal decreases refuge and food sources for fish. Officially, a hydraulic project approval would even need to be obtained from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife before such work could be done in the water. Smaller stuff is usually just handled by home owners on an individual basis.

Updated to answer reader question: I contacted the Army Corps of Engineers to get more information about what they do with the logs that they corral. They try to empty the holding pen monthly plus make a monthly round of Lake Washington as their schedule permits. The collected debris is off-loaded onto storage barges at the Ballard Locks. They dispose of usable debris to government agencies for restoration work or recycle it. The rest goes to the landfill.

Celebrate Earth Day Waterfront Events

Upcoming events from Puget Soundkeeper Alliance:

Sunday April 19th
What: Gary Manuel Aveda Institute Cut-a-Thon
Who: Schedule a hair and/or spa service for April 19th between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm and the proceeds go to Puget Soundkeeper Alliance
When: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Where: Gary Manuel Aveda Institute, (206) 329-9933
Address: 1514 10th Ave, Seattle
http://www.gmaveda.com/
Puget Soundkeeper Alliance will receive 100% of the proceeds.

Wednesday, April 22nd
What: Gary Manuel Salon Belltown and Capital Hill Earth Day Cleanup Event
Who: Calling all volunteers
When: 9:00 am – 10:30 am
Where: Belltown and Capital Hill
Call Betsy Moyer at Puget Soundkeeper Alliance if you would like to volunteer (206) 297-7002

Saturday, April 25th
What: Everett Marina and Jetty Island Cleanup Event
Who: All Volunteers welcome – bring gloves, warm clothes and appropriate footware. No reservations needed.
When: 9:00 am – 12:00 (lunch served after). Transportation to and from Jetty Island provided.
Where: Popeye’s Marine & Kayak Center
Address: 814 13th St, No. Marina (access via 14th St)
Puget Soundkeeper Alliance has been involved for 15 years. Call Chris Wilke for info (206) 297- 7002.

Saturday, April 25th
What: Premiere Salon It’s the Water Event (live music, refreshments, raffle)
Who: All are welcome
When: 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Where: Premiere Salon and Spa (360) 753-3299
Address: 111 Market St #101, Olympia
Call or email Kelly Bakala at Kelly@premieresalonandspa.com. Tickets: $10
Proceeds support Puget Soundkeeper Alliance’s clean water work.

Sunday, April 26th
What: Aveda and Puget Soundkeeper Alliance Walk for Water
Who: All are welcome. Please pledge $25 to participate
When: 9:00 am registration (10 am to 12:30 pm walk & trash pickup)
Where: Golden Gardens Park
Address: 8498 Seaview Ave N, Seattle
Call Betsy Moyer for info (206) 297-7002

Sunday, April 26th
What: 2nd Annual Community Oyster Roast
Who: Anyone who likes Oysters, sausage, beer, wine and live music
When: 2-seatings – 1) from 2:00 pm to 4:00pm and 2) from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Where: Golden Gardens Bathhouse
Address: 8498 Seaview Ave N. Seattle
http://www.pugetsoundkeeper.org/events/community-oyster-roast
Tickets available at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/54821
Annual fundraiser for Puget Soundkeeper Alliance’s work to protect and preserve Puget Sound

Saturday, May 2nd
What: Clean and Green Boating Fair, free event to kick off the boating season
Who: All are welcome – free boat tours included
When: 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Where: Delin Docks Marina on Thea Foss Waterway
Address: 1616 E “D” St, Tacoma
http://www.cleangreenboating.blogspot.com/

Saturday, May 9th
What: The Sweep – 7th Annual Lake Union and Portage Bay Cleanup
Who: All Volunteers welcome. Please sign up first (206) 297-7002
When: Volunteers check in at 8:30 am (for most)
Where: Lake Union Park (for most)
Address: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle
http://www.pugetsoundkeeper.org/events/7th-annual-lake-union-and-portage-bay-sweep

Great Real Time Puget Sound Marine Traffic Info

If you are on Puget Sound, have you ever wondered about a large ship passing silently up the shipping channels? Perhaps wonder what country it is from, or where it is heading, or even some design specs on its size?

I have just added a new feature on WaterHavens.com that offers all of that and more: real time Puget Sound marine traffic maps and info. It shows the current location of major vessels throughout Puget Sound (and the rest of the world), tracking every ship's location, direction, and registry information. It even includes a photo of many boats, plus a graphical track of where it has just been on its recent course plotted over time.

Pretty neat stuff. You can literally look out your window and bring up this info on WaterHavens at any time to know a lot more about any boat that is right in front of you!

Lake Washington Dock Permits Can Be Important

A waterfront home owner who lives on the Renton shores of Lake Washington was recently found guilty of constructing a dock and boat lift without permits. Apparently a neighbor complained to the US Army Corps of Engineers (they are involved in the shoreline permitting process for docks), and even after the Corps cited the home owner to stop work he still kept going. As a result, he now faces up to a year in prison plus up to a $100,000 fine! He was charged with a misdemeanor violation of the federal Rivers and Harbors Act.


For information on who to contact to determine regulations on dock construction and refurbishing, check my list of Seattle area government waterfront regulatory agencies on WaterHavens.com.

So make sure you have those permits in hand, and then you can relax and fully enjoy a beauty like this Lake Washington waterfront home for sale: