Water Quality is Important to All of Us

Whether we think about it very often or not, water quality is an essential part of every person’s life. Clean drinking water is necessary to live! Healthy rivers, streams and Puget Sound are important for local wildlife AND essential for our local economy; whether focused on shellfish harvesting, navigable waterways, or tourism. Most of us have a favorite park, river or beach spot where we take our loved ones or go to gather our thoughts and recreate. Healthy water quality is an important part of our overall health as people, and as a community. It’s also one reason why so many of us are grateful to live in this beautiful, water-rich region! Learn more about what you can do to protect water quality in the Thurston Talk article below:

http://www.thurstontalk.com/2018/11/07/what-can-you-do-to-improve-local-water-quality/

Getting Rid of Unwanted or Expired Medicine

Many of us have unneeded, unwanted and expired medications in our bathrooms, cupboards, and nightstands. We know that there is something that we are supposed to do with it…it can’t go into the trash and certainly shouldn’t go down the drain or into the toilet, so what are our options?

There are 7 locations in Thurston County to take unwanted medications for FREE DISPOSAL! Keep medicines out of the landfill and protect our drinking water by disposing of unwanted medications at one of these locations:

Thurston County Sheriff’s Office

2000 Lakeridge Dr. SW, Bldg. 3, Olympia

Open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day

Lacey Police Department

420 College St. SE, Lacey

Open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day

Rainier City Hall

102 Rochester St. W, Rainier

Open Mon-Thurs, 8am-5pm

Tenino Police Department

358 McClellan St. SE, Tenino

Open Mon-Fri, 7:30am-4pm

Tumwater Police Department

555 Israel Rd. SW, Tumwater

Open Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm

Yelm Police Department

206 McKenzie Ave. SE, Yelm

Open Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm

Olympia Walgreens

1510 Cooper Point Rd. SW, Olympia

Open 7am - 9pm

Drop boxes accept prescription medication, over-the-counter medication, pet medicine, medicated ointments and lotions, inhalers and liquid medicines in a leak-proof container. NO used needles, gloves, vitamins, supplements or business waste accepted.

Contact us at 360-866-2674 or johnsoj@co.thurston.wa.us with any questions or for more information.

Alert Still In Place: New Summit Lake Results For Friday May 11, 2018

This update is for Friday, May 11, 2018.

Summit Lake has a toxic algae bloom.  Thurston County Health Department issued a health advisory for residents who use the lake for drinking water, recommending that no one should drink the lake water, or use the water for household water uses.  Filtration, boiling, and other water treatment methods do not remove or deactivate the algae toxin.  

Lab results received today found Anatoxin-a at 0.076 ug/L, below the state advisory level of 1 ug/L. Anatoxin-a is a potent neurotoxin that is fast-acting, and which can cause serious illness, or even death. The health alert for Summit Lake will remain in place until samples are within safe levels for two consecutive weeks. Testing will continue weekly until the samples are within safe limits for two consecutive weeks. A new sample will be taken on Monday, May 14th, 2018, with results anticipated Friday, May 18^th.

Public Health advises residents and the public that if your source of water comes from the lake, they should not consume the water, or use it to:

·         Mix formula or other food/drink.

·         Rinse food or do dishes.

·         Brush teeth, or bathe.

In addition, Public Health recommends that people:

·         Do not swim or water ski in the lake.

·         Keep pets out of the lake and do not let them drink lake water.

·         Should not eat fish that come from the lake during an algae bloom.

For more information on Summit Lake, visit the Summit Lake Toxic Algae website. For more information about blue-green algae, frequently asked questions, and the County lakes program, visit the County’s Blue-Green Algae Advisories website. You can sign up to receive email algae alerts on the website or by calling 360-867-2645. This information line will be updated when lab results are received. 

New website - Updated information about the Summit Lake toxic algae advisory

This advisory is no longer in effect.

There is a new website with updated information about the toxic algae advisory at Summit Lake. The website address is http://bit.ly/SummitLakeAlgae.

What you will find on the website:

• Guidance for avoiding risks posed by algae toxin in Summit Lake.
• Water truck information for residents on Summit Lake.
• Algae toxin lab test information.
• Maps of testing sample locations.
• Information about labs accredited for algae toxin testing.
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Public Health contact information.
• Links to information about blue-green algae. 

The website and the public information line (360) 709-3080 have the most updated information about the Summit Lake water emergency.

Summit Lake Toxic Algae Bloom Update – Thursday May 11

This advisory is no longer in effect.

Water truck available daily between 4-7 p.m.

The water truck (Water Buffalo, Inc.) will park at the Fire Station at 2815 Summit Lake Shore Rd NW between 4-7 p.m. Residents can bring their own containers to collect water for drinking and cooking during those times. This water truck will be available daily between 4-7 p.m. until further notice.

Community meeting on Saturday. *** Updated: Location Change***

Come to the community meeting on Saturday May 13 from 2-4 p.m. at the new location - the Boy Scout Camp 11740 Summit Lake Road NW. Staff from Thurston County Public Health will be there to answer questions.

Public Information Line: (360) 709-3080

The Public Information Line is being updated regularly.

Thurston County Public Health advises no contact with the water.

Summit Lake is under advisory for a toxic algae bloom. The algae bloom is producing high levels of the toxin Anatoxin-a, which is toxic to the nervous system. The Thurston County Board of Health has declared this as a community emergency.

•  Do not drink the water, do not shower or bathe in the water, do not use the water for cooking, washing dishes, laundry or to water pets or animals. 
• Avoid all contact with the lake water.
•  Keep pets and children out of the water.
•  Don’t fish or swim in the water.

Public Health took 11 additional samples from around the lake on Tuesday May 9 and should have tests results back by Friday May 12. We will continue to update residents as we know more. 

If you have additional questions or concerns, contact Thurston County Environmental Health at (360) 867-2626.

Summit Lake residents are advised not to use their tap water.

This advisory is no longer in effect.

Summit Lake is under advisory for a toxic algae bloom. Residents living on Summit Lake who get their tap water from the lake should not use their tap water for drinking, cooking, or bathing. Disinfection, boiling, and treatment systems don’t remove or deactivate the algae toxin.

Current levels are at 354 micrograms per liter. One microgram per liter is considered a reason for health concern. The bloom is producing high levels of the toxin Anatoxin-a, which is toxic to the nervous system.

Public Health also advises the following other precautions:

  - Residents should find a temporary alternative source of safe drinking    water.

  - Don't shower in water taken from the lake until laboratory tests show    the water is safe.

  - Avoid contact with lake water.

  - Keep pets and children out of the water.

  - Don't fish or swim in the water.

Public Health will continue to monitor the situation and will take more lake samples in the next week. We will continue to update residents. Please share this information to help get the word out. You can find more information about toxic algae here.

Residents and lake users with questions can contact Jane Mountjoy-Venning at 360-867-2643 or venninj@co.thurston.wa.us

More Ways To Protect Drinking Water

Most people in Thurston County get their drinking water from the groundwater supply, either from a private well, or one of the many public wells throughout the county. Typical private residential wells are only about 50 feet deep, and most of our county’s public wells are 200 feet or less from the surface. Contamination can happen quickly and put people’s health in danger. To protect public health, areas surrounding the county’s many public wells that are vulnerable to contamination have been designated as wellhead protection areas. 

Whether or not you live in a designated wellhead protection area, your actions affect our drinking water supply. We all share the responsibility to help keep our community’s water supply safe and healthy to drink. Easy ways that you can do your part to help keep our water safe for your family and everyone else include:

• Pick up dog waste – One pile of dog waste contains nearly eight billion fecal coliform bacteria! When people don’t pick up after their dogs, rain water can wash those bacteria down storm drains directly into streams, lakes, and Puget Sound. This rain water run-off is called stormwater. People who swim in or drink water that has been polluted with fecal coliform bacteria can suffer from cramps, nausea, diarrhea, and headaches, with infants and young children at the greatest risk. In wellhead protection areas, rain run-off can wash dog waste bacteria into our drinking water. Stormwater usually either filters into groundwater or it flows into a nearby body of water rather than to a wastewater treatment facility. TIP: Bag, tie up, and dispose of your pet waste in the garbage, and never flush it down the toilet.

• Avoid the use of toxic weed and bug killers and fertilizers on your lawn – Chemical pesticides and fertilizers, including popular “weed and feed” products, are toxic and can seep down through the soil beneath your lawn and into groundwater, which in much of Thurston County is the drinking water supply. Regular exposure to these toxics, such as through drinking contaminated water, can cause all sorts of medical problems, including cancer.

• Take hazardous substances to HazoHouse for safe disposal – HazoHouse is a drive-through hazardous waste disposal facility located at the Thurston County Waste and Recovery Center in Lacey and is open daily from 8:00am until the gates close at 4:45pm. If you have a product in your home labeled “Poison,” “Danger,” “Warning,” or “Caution,” it is considered hazardous and should never be flushed, poured down the drain, or thrown in the garbage. If you need to dispose of such products, please bring them to HazoHouse. TIP: For a list of the types of substances and products that are and aren’t accepted at the facility, visit the HazoHouse website by clicking here. If you have any further questions, you can contact HazoHouse by calling (360) 867-2912 or sending an e-mail to ThurstonSolidWaste@co.thurston.wa.us. 

• Bring unused medication to a safe disposal center – For those with on-site septic systems, flushing unused medications can end up contaminating your drinking water supply – and possibly your neighbor’s too. Septic systems cannot remove medications from your wastewater, which means that they will be pushed out into your drainfield and seep into the groundwater. In particular, flushing unused or expired antibiotics can cause two serious problems for septic system owners. First, they will damage your septic system by destroying the helpful bacteria that break down wastes in the septic tank. Second, the antibiotics that make their way into our drinking water are thought to be contributing to the increasing levels of antibiotic-resistant germs. You can find more information on safe disposal at the County’s website. TIP: Safely dispose of unused or unwanted medications for free at the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, the Tenino, Yelm, Lacey, or Tumwater Police Departments, or Rainier City Hall.

Water - a precious resource

Our society is becoming more and more aware that water is a precious resource. Currently, at least 24 of Washington’s river basins are in a declared drought emergency. For the most updated drought information for Washington, visit “Washington Drought 2015.” Thurston County is not in a declared drought emergency. However, conserving water can help protect this precious resource, human health, and the environment. 

There are many choices we can make to conserve water. Here are some tips from wateruseitwisely.com.

Conserve water in the kitchen.

• Keep a pitcher of drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap until it is cold. This way, every drop is a drink instead of going down the drain.
• Cook food in as little water as possible. This also helps your food retain more nutrients.
• When washing dishes by hand, make an effort to reduce the amount of time you run the faucet. Soak dishes and scrub them clean before running water to rinse them off.
• When shopping for a new dishwasher or any new appliance, look for energy efficient models and compare water usage.

Conserve water in the bathroom.

• Turn off the water while you brush your teeth to save up to four gallons a minute.
• Try to keep showers to five minutes.
• Turn off the water while washing your hair and save up to 150 gallons a month!
• Test your toilet for leaks at least once a year. Test for leaks with dye tablets. These may be available through your local water provider.
• Place tissues in the trash instead of flushing them down the toilet.
• If your shower fills a one-gallon bucket in less than 20 seconds, replace the showerhead with a WaterSense® labeled showerhead.
• One drip every second adds up to five gallons per day. Check faucets and showerheads for leaks.

Conserve water in the yard.

• Mow grass to two inches and leave clippings on the lawn. This helps the soil hold moisture.
• Use an empty tuna can to measure how much water your sprinkler puts out. ¾-1 inch of water is enough to water your lawn.
• When installing a lawn or re-seeding, use a grass seed mixed for the Pacific Northwest.
• Plant native plants. Once they are established, they need less water than non-native plants. Use our Plant List to find plants that have low water use.
• Make sure your sprinkler or watering system is set up to water plants and not sidewalks or driveways.
• Apply mulch around plants to help hold moisture. You can mulch with bark, woodchips, straw, or leaves.

Keep in mind that water goes into making many of the everyday items we use and the food we eat. You can help conserve water by being a smart consumer, saving energy, and doing your best to reduce, re-use, and recycle. There are many ways we can conserve water. What do you do to conserve water?

All drains lead somewhere...

When something goes down a drain, it may seem like it disappears, but it doesn’t. All drains lead somewhere.  There is no such thing as going “away.” Yes, you may flush your waste, you may watch as the unwanted material swirls down the drain but really, all of that material ends up somewhere.  The where depends on the locations of the drain. 

Do you have an on-site septic system in your back yard?  The water from that system filters through the soil in the drainfield and helps replenish the groundwater system.  Remember where your drinking water comes from?  For most people in our county, it’s groundwater.

If your house’s drain is connected to LOTT Clean Water Alliance, the public sewer utility in Thurston County, then the waste ends up at LOTT for treatment. There, the sewage is treated, the water is reclaimed and it goes into Puget Sound or into the reclaimed water system.

Most storm drains go directly into a body of water without treatment and only a few direct water to a treatment facility.

It is up to all of us to help protect our drinking water, our beautiful lakes, rivers, streams and Puget Sound. Be careful about what goes down the drain and what runs off of your yard, driveway, and rooftop. These five tips can help!

1. Reduce or eliminate your use of toxic products – choose safe cleaners, art supplies, detergents and more.

2. Be aware of what goes into the toilet.  Human waste and toilet paper are the only things that should be flushed, ever. This means NO wipes, feminine products, condoms, medications, undigested food, cotton swabs, etc.

3. Choose safe garden products – invest in organic fertilizers, weed tools, bird baths, mulch, and less hazardous garden products. What goes on the ground can end up in the ground or in the nearby surface water that our kids and pets love to splash in.

4. Dispose of used motor oil at one of the 33 locations that accept it for FREE.

5. Dry out latex paint and throw it in your trash. Unwanted oil based paints, solvents, and other unwanted household hazardous materials go to HazoHouse for free, safe disposal.

Remember that there is no such thing as going down a drain and “away.” It all goes somewhere and that somewhere could be anyone’s back yard. We are all connected and we are all responsible for protecting this beautiful place that we are lucky to call home.

Septic Sense: Regular Maintenance Saves Money

We know that regular maintenance of large investments such as tools, cars, and homes can save money. Regular maintenance of our septic system can do all of that and protect our drinking water, lakes, rivers, streams and Puget Sound.

What many of us want to know is, what exactly does “regular maintenance” of our on-site septic system really mean? 

Annual inspections can help find problems when they are small and easier and less costly to fix. Hire a professional to do the regular inspection or learn how to do it yourself. This septic system inspection video and can help you inspect your own septic system. We suggest that you watch the video and hire a professional for your first inspection. You will learn a lot about how your septic system works, and be better able to maintain it, even if you decide to keep hiring a professional for future inspections.

Set up a regular pumping schedule. All septic systems need to be pumped at some point. Most of them need to be pumped every 3-5 years, depending on how many people live in the home, types of products used and the amount and type of waste put into the system (like water, fats, oil, wipes). The professional who does the initial inspection can help you determine how often to pump your tank.

Everyday ways to keep your septic system healthy

• Be careful of what goes into your septic system. Only water, poop, pee, and toilet paper are meant to enter your septic system. Other items like wipes (even flushable ones), condoms, tampons, cotton swaps, medicine, food, and pet waste (even flushable litter) should not be flushed or put down the drain.

• Keep your drainfield in good condition. Plant only shallow-rooted, low-water-use plants on and near the drainfield. Keep cars and livestock off of your drainfield and make sure to never pave or park over it. This includes the reserve drainfield area that you (hopefully) have in case the drainfield ever needs replacing.

• Use safer products for household cleaning. Baking soda, castile soap and vinegar can tackle most of your cleaning needs. Check out these green cleaning recipes. Avoid using household products labeled with the words “Danger” or “Poison” to protect your septic system and your health.

• Avoid the use of septic tank additives. These are not proven effective and do not replace the need for regular maintenance. 

• Conserve water. Remember the statement above that says pumping schedules depend on the amount of waste treated? All of the water that goes into your system goes through the tank for treatment. Less water means less treatment is needed.

Regular septic maintenance can save you money and protect the health of you and your family. Septic system care begins with you.

Scatter Creek Community Workshop on September 30

You are invited to a community workshop about the preliminary conclusions and recommendations to protect drinking water in the Scatter Creek Aquifer, hosted by the Scatter Creek Aquifer Project Citizens Advisory Committee and Thurston County Environmental Health.

When:           Tuesday September 30, 2014 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Where:         Rochester Middle School Commons  (children’s area provided)

9937 Highway 12 SW

Rochester, WA 98579

This Scatter Creek Aquifer is susceptible to contamination because soils in the area do not filter out contaminants well. Unlike many other areas, there is not another deeper aquifer below the Scatter Creek Aquifer; it is the only source of drinking water for area residents. The Scatter Creek Aquifer Citizens Advisory Committee met for almost two years to learn about the aquifer, help direct computer groundwater modeling scenarios, and develop recommendations for the Thurston County Board of Health.

The preliminary conclusions and recommendations made by the citizen’s committee will be presented at this community workshop and can be reviewed here. Come provide input on the preliminary recommendations to protect drinking water in the Scatter Creek Aquifer. Your input will help shape the final recommendations that the citizen’s committee will present to the Board of Health.

 

This event is an opportunity for the community to learn more about the project, hear the preliminary conclusions and recommendations, and to provide input.  

For more information visit the project website or contact ScatterCreek@co.thurston.wa.us or (360) 867-2582.

Keep your Well, Well!

It’s easy to go about our day and not think about where the water we use comes from. In Thurston County, we drink groundwater and that water comes from either a household, neighborhood or city-owned well.

Well water comes from, groundwater, fed by underground aquifers. When the rain falls, about half of it soaks into the ground and becomes groundwater. The soil does a pretty good job filtering it as it makes its way underground but pollution on the ground can end up in the well.

Steps you can take to protect your well water:

• Inspect your well casing. Cracks can lead to contaminants making their way into well water.
• Inspect the cap or cover on top of the well casing.  There should be no openings, including around electric wires. The cap should have a gasket, making a watertight seal.  If you try to wiggle the cap, it should not move.  There should be a goose neck vent, screened with a fine mesh.  
• Keep the top of your well at least one foot above the ground.
• Keep animals and their manure 100 feet away from your well. 
• Keep household and yard chemicals, such as pesticides, auto products, and any other products with words such as caution, warning, danger, or poison away from your wellhead. Do not store them in your pump house or within 100 feet of your well. 
• Avoid using or mixing fertilizers and pesticides within 100 feet of a well. 
• Don’t pile leaves, snow, or other materials around your well. 
• Slope the ground away from your well.  This will help rainwater that may contain surface contaminants (such as pesticides and oil) drain away and not pool around the well. 
• Have your well water tested for bacteria once a year. Test for nitrate at least every three years, before bringing home an infant, and when a woman living in the home is pregnant, nursing, or trying to become pregnant.

These precautions help keep your drinking water safe and healthy.  These tips can also save money and time by preventing problems that can be costly to clean or repair. We know we need to drink several glasses of water each day, make sure that it is the best water that it can be! 

For more information, visit Thurston County Environmental Health's website.

5 Ways to Protect Groundwater

In Thurston County, we drink groundwater. There are many steps we can take in our daily lives to keep drinking water safe.

Here are five ways that you can protect groundwater.

1. Dispose of unused, unwanted household hazardous products properly. Take them to HazoHouse, where they will be disposed of safely, for free.

2. Have your well water tested. Thurston County Environmental Health Division recommends testing well water for bacteria once a year. Test for nitrate at least every three years, before bringing home an infant, and when a woman in the home is pregnant, nursing, or trying to become pregnant. If you are on city water or a community water system, they test their water regularly. You can call to request the water quality test results.

3. Keep your septic system maintenance up to date. A well maintained septic system is inspected every year and pumped as needed, typically every three to five years.

4. Don't put anything on the ground that you wouldn't want to drink. This includes toxic bug and weed killers that are often mixed in with fertilizers.

5. Conserve water.

We all need safe, clean water. Let's do our part to protect our main source of drinking water: groundwater.

Septic Systems and Groundwater

When you flush the toilet, wash clothes, wash dishes, take a shower… where does that water and everything along with it end up?

For many of us that are not connected to a sewage treatment plant, the wastewater from our homes ends up in our own backyards.  All of that wastewater is treated by an on-site septic system and as long as they are working properly, septic systems do a pretty good job of treating sewage.

Septic systems are designed with a septic tank that works as a settling chamber to treat sewage by holding it in the tank while it breaks down with the help of bacteria.  The “gray” water then passes through that settling chamber and goes out into the drainfield where it slowly filters through the soil.  The soil treats the bacteria that filter through it before the treated water joins the groundwater below it.

In Thurston County, we drink groundwater!

Septic systems that are not functioning properly can contaminate the drinking water supply for an entire community. When this happens, bacteria from the septic system can make their way into the water supply that is then pumped into private wells. These contaminants can make people sick with hepatitis, giardiasis, dysentery and other water-borne illnesses. 

Even well-functioning septic systems are not very effective at removing nitrates and many household chemicals from the treated water.  This is one reason why there are regulations about how close septic systems can be to one another and how close they can be to wells.

A functioning, well placed, and well maintained septic system will protect the groundwater quality and the health of your family and neighbors.

To be sure that your drinking water from your well is safe, you can have it tested through Thurston County Environmental Health Division. Read about how to do this on our Blog Post, “How to test your well water”.

How to test your well water

Thinking about getting your water tested?  Great idea! 

Thurston County Environmental Health Division recommends testing your well water for bacteria once a year.  Test for nitrate at least every three years, before bringing home an infant, and when a woman living in the home is pregnant, nursing, or trying to become pregnant.  So really, when did you last get your well water tested? 

If you are on city water or a community water system, don’t worry.  Cities and community water systems test the water even more often.  You can see the results in their annual water quality report found on each city’s website.  Or, call the water system operator and ask about the water quality test results. 

Ready to test?  Here’s how.

Pick up sample bottles at one of six Thurston County locations including one in Yelm, Rainier, Rochester, Tenino, and Olympia at the county courthouse and the public health building on Lilly Road.  There are also two locations in Mason County. To find the specific locations and hours visit the County’s How to Collect a Water Sample web page or call (360) 867-2631.

You can pay the $27 testing fee at some of the locations or send a check with the water sample (see the web page for details).

There are specific details about collecting a water sample in the directions that come with the sample bottle.  Here are a few hints. 

Be sure to keep the bottle sterile.  Don’t touch the inside of the bottle or the lid, even if you just washed your hands.  You may see moisture or white powder inside the bottle.  It is supposed to be there, please don’t rinse it out.  Actually, don’t rinse the bottle at all, just fill it as directed. 

Plan ahead.  The filled sample bottle should be returned the same day you take the sample.  You might even want to bring it to us in a cooler. Check your preferred location, to see when samples can be accepted, as many have limited hours.  Some testing requires time for any potential germs to grow, so we generally cannot accept samples on Friday.  

You should receive test results by mail within a few days of when you submitted the sample. If your sample shows contamination, you will receive a phone call immediately and information on how to proceed with your specific situation.