Mark Christie Will Run For DLWID Board

On February 14, 2012 during Sherwood School District’s School Board meeting, Director Mark Christie announced his resignation from the Board of Directors, effective June 30, 2012. The resignation will allow Mr. Christie to continue his commitment to public service and run for a position on the Devils Lake Water Improvement Board, where his family owns property on Sandpoint.

Mark Christie has served as a director on the Sherwood School Board since 1997, and his four children all graduated from Sherwood Schools. In his resignation letter, he notes it has been “an amazing15 years…serving our great Sherwood School District” and praised the other members of the Board for their commitment to providing the best educational experience to each individual student in the District.

“It has been such a pleasure to work with, and learn from, Mark Christie,” said Superintendent  Heather Cordie, “His love of our school district and community, coupled with his years of experience, have been such a wonderful addition to our Board of Directors. He will be missed!” Board Vice Chair Sue Hekker is most impressed with Christie’s commitment to speaking his mind, always with the best interest of the children and the community he serves. “It is certainly hard to sum up the many years of service Mark Christie has given this community. He has answered the call … and left us all better for it,” notes Hekker. Fellow Director Kevin Noreen said he will miss Mark’s “sense of humor, dedication and love for the Sherwood School District.”

Christie’s term set to expire June 30, 2013 allowing him to concentrate on the 2013 election. “It’s time to pass the baton,” Christie said. “I’m leaving it in good hands.”

Look to the Devils Lake Navigator to keep you informed on all the candidates.

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March DLWID Board Meeting Report

The Devils Lake Water Improvement District Board meeting was on Thursday March 1st at 6:00pm and was held in the City Hall Council Chambers located on the third floor of City Hall.

Public Comment: There were 6 interested parties in attendance. Comments were made to the Board related to various concerns pertaining to District expense, including printing and educational activities. The commenter also expressed at staffing levels and board oversight of DLWID staff.

Septic Ordinance: A brief explanation was given to the board on the meeting recently hosted by DLWID with representatives from the City, DEQ, Lincoln County and private onsite wastewater management installers, pumpers and inspectors.  A discussion of the inspection criteria occurred; both the order of selection of properties to be inspected and the type of activities that occur during the inspection. It was suggested that proprieties within 300 feet of existing sewer should be first on the list to help minimize concerns related the sewer LID, (see below). Continue reading

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Total Maximum Daily Loads and Why Do I Care?

The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has begun the planning process for developing Total Maximum Daily Loads for waterbodies in the Oregon Mid-Coast Basin. The initiation of this process has been a long-time coming. Devils Lake was originally listed based on data collected between 1986-1991 under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act for Chlorophyll and pH and Thompson Creek was listed for fecal coliforms. Over the coming 18 to 20 months, the DEQ will be developing Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), for these waters.

What is Section 303(d) of the Clear Water Act?

The goal of the Clean Water Act (CWA) is “to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters” (33 U.S.C §1251(a)). Under section 303(d) of the CWA, states, territories, are required to develop lists of impaired waters. These are waters for which technology-based regulations and other required controls are not stringent enough to meet the water quality standards set by states. The law requires that states establish priority rankings for waters on the lists and develop Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), for these waters. A TMDL is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a water body can receive and still safely meet water quality standards.

The TMDL allocates that load to point sources, (Wasteload Allocation or WLA), and nonpoint sources (Load Allocation or LA) which include both human and natural background sources of the pollutant. In many cases, the TMDL analysis is the trigger for determining the source(s) of pollutants. A TMDL may contain WLAs only, LAs only, or a combination of both. Under the Clean Water Act TMDLs are not self-implementing, meaning EPA cannot enforce implementation of a TMDL once the analysis is complete. If the TMDL identifies nonpoint sources of pollutants as a major cause of impairment, states can apply for EPA funded grants, called section 319 grants. These grants can be used to fund state programs for nonpoint source assessment and control as well as individual projects.  DLWID has recently completed work categorizing historically water quality data into a modern database format under a 319 grant.

How Will This Process Begin?

The DEQ has formulated TMDL stakeholder committees consisting of representatives from local, state and federal government, special districts, Tribal Nations, private industry, forestry, agriculture, conservation, NGOs, watershed councils, landowners.  It is the job of these stakeholder committees to play an advisory role and one such committee, the Local Stakeholder Advisory Committee (LSAC) will hold their kick off meeting from 9-5 on March 20, 2012 in Newport. This group will assist the Mid‐Coast TMDL Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), which will play a large role in developing TMDL’s and thier associated implementation plans. Specific areas of interest in TMDL include Temperature, Bacteria, Sediment, Dissolved Oxygen, Aquatic Weeds, and Harmful Algal Blooms.

How do I Stay Informed on the Process?

Of course, check back on a regular basis to the Devils Lake Navigator as we plan to try to decipher this complicated topic and report it to you.  You can check in with the DEQ by following these links

Sign up to Receive Email Updates on Mid-Coast TMDL Development

Total Maximum Daily Loads Overview DEQ

Total Maximum Daily Loads Program Mid-Coast Page

Total Maximum Daily Loads Map

Background on the Clean Water Act from EPA

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Attend March DLWID Meeting

Council Chambers March 1, 2012 6:00pm

The Devils Lake Water Improvement District Board meeting will be held on Thursday March 1st at 6:00pm. The meeting will be held in the City Hall Council Chambers, which are located on the third floor of City Hall.

Septic Ordinance

Recently DLWID staff hosted a meeting with representatives from the City, DEQ, Lincoln County and private onsite wastewater management installers, pumpers and inspectors. The topic of the meeting was a discussion of potential inspection criteria, and state requirements. Staff will share the details of the meeting.

Save Our Shoreline

Learn about the Lakescaping class the District is sponsoring on Saturday, March 31.  The goal of the class is to educate participants on how native planting can not only simplify yard maintenance but improve the lake’s water quality and wildlife habitat at the same time. Continue reading

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The Language of the Lake

PATRICK ALEXANDER
The News Guard

Terminology took center stage at a recent meeting of the Devils Lake Water Improvement district (DLWID) board of directors, as members grappled with the question of how to describe the various threats to water quality.

At their Feb. 2 meeting, board members wrestled with a decision about how to word signs warning of cyanobacteria blooms and went on to discuss whether the nutrients that contribute to those blooms should be described as “pollution.”

In a split vote, the board decided to stick with a modified version of the signage the District currently uses to warn of cyanobacteria blooms rather than switching to a uniform system of signage developed by the state.

Both options give less prominence to the word “cyanobacteria” than the District’s current signs, preferring the terms “Harmful Algal Blooms” and “Blue-green algae,” – a widely used but scientifically inaccurate term for the scummy substance that thrives in nutrient-rich water and can release toxins that affect the liver and brain. Continue reading

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February DLWID Board Meeting Report

The Devils Lake Water Improvement District Board meeting was on Thursday February 2nd  at 6:00pm and was held in the City Hall Council Chambers located on the third floor of City Hall.

Public Comment: There were 12 interested parties in attendance. Comments were made to the Board which were related to the septic program expressing concerns that the District may be creating a regulatory morass that could put homeowners in a situation where inspections by one agency would not satisfy the requirements of another.  The District was encouraged to defer to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality as a basis of their program.  Other items mentioned included the Cafe, Cyano-Watch, the Lakescaping Course, and the Public Records Policy.

Septic Tank Revitalization: District Project Manager, Seth Lenaerts reported on the recent events related to the septic tank revitalization program. In the past months, the District obtained updated permit information from January 2010-December 2011. Over the two-year period, a total of 19 permits were issued by the county. It was reported that permits are issued for a number of reasons, including: new construction, repairs, alterations, authorizations, and site evaluations.  Of the permits issued 12 were for minor repairs or tank replacement, 1 was for a major repair, the balance were for alterations, authorization and site evaluations. Continue reading

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Attend February DLWID Meeting

Council Chambers February 2, 2012 6:00pm

The Devils Lake Water Improvement District Board meeting will be held on Thursday February 2nd at 6:00pm. Please note that these meetings have moved to City Hall Council Chambers, which are located on the third floor of City Hall.

Septic Ordinance
On November 7th, DLWID board members and staff attended a City Council workshop to discuss the possibility of a septic inspection ordinance and options to accelerate sewer extension around the lake.  City Council has directed staff to prepare a septic ordinance, which is anticipated sometime in February.  The District has indicated that they feel that inspections performed by the County the government body assigned to this task are inadequate to meet the goals of the program and they intend to take the lead on developing the new inspection criteria.  Continue reading

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