Vancouver Lake | Rosemere Neighborhood Association

Sewage Spill Reported at Frenchman’s Bar for Second Year in a Row – April 8, 2005

April 3, 2009 Author: admin

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Anglers return to Frenchman’s Bar the day following the report of a sewage spill

The Washington State Department of Ecology’s Spill Responder’s Unit was dispatched to Frenchman’s Bar (near Vancouver Lake) on April 5, 2005 following another report of a raw sewage spill. This scene is a replay from a year ago when fishermen called in the worst sewage spill in memory at Frenchman’s Bar in April 2004, where the spill team found tampons, condoms, syringes, and globules of raw sewage washed ashore along two ½ miles of beach at Riverfront Park. A source was never discovered for the 2004 sewage spill, though a spill responder indicated that wind and weather conditions supported the theory that the spill was caused by a sewer overflow from Portland. However, Oregon’s DEQ was not able to identify a malfunction of Portland sewer treatment facilities. The Health Department closed Frenchman’s Bar under a public health emergency and special equipment was brought in to collect syringes hidden in the beach sand. [Read More...]

Rosemere Neighborhood Association and Clark County Natural Resources Council File Supplemental 60-Day Notice of Intent to Sue Under the Clean Water Act – April 8, 2005

April 3, 2009 Author: admin

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The RNA and CCRNC filed a Clean Water Act lawsuit in October 2004 against
the City of Vancouver pertaining to the City’s unpermitted and contaminated stormwater discharge into Burnt Bridge Creek, and the Columbia River (both of which flow into Vancouver Lake). These discharges into threatened or endangered waterbodies are conveyed through the municipal stormwater sewer system.

On April 1, 2005, RNA and CCNRC’s attorneys filed a supplemental notice of
intent to sue the City of Vancouver under the Clean Water Act for
unpermitted and contaminated non-stormwater related discharges. The city’s municipal stormwater system illegally conveys discharges into Burnt Bridge Creek and the Columbia River on a daily basis during dry weather. These discharges travel to and can impact the water quality of Vancouver Lake. [Read More...]

FISH IN VANCOUVER LAKE ARE CONTAMINATED AND UNSAFE FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION – November 1, 2004

April 2, 2009 Author: admin

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Largemouth Bass

Anglers frequent fishing spots along the Columbia River and Vancouver Lake, and have done so for many years. However, Toxic Monitoring Data from the Washington State Department of Ecology indicates that fish in Vancouver Lake are not safe to eat. This is particularly dangerous for low-income folks who fish in this area out of necessity. [Read More...]

Media Correction: RE Columbian article “Rank water a worry” – July 19, 2004

April 2, 2009 Author: admin

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On July 19, 2004, the Rosemere Neighborhood Association sent the following request for a correction to Erik Robinson, environmental reporter with the Columbian. This email was not aknowledged, nor did Mr. Robinson issue the correction. [Read More...]

SWIMMING MAY BE DANGEROUS IN LOCAL WATERS – July 14, 2004

April 2, 2009 Author: admin

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According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, “Study finds pollution in coast rivers, hot spots have fecal bacteria that pose a danger to swimmers” (5 Jan 2001), this statement was reported in bold: “Fecal coliform, for instance, can cause hepatitis A, bacterial meningitis and encephalitis.” Fecal coliform is present in dangerous levels in many of the public swimming areas in our local lakes and rivers, meaning that these waterbodies are unsafe for human contact when fecal coliform levels are on the rise. [Read More...]

Cleaning up Vancouver Lake – June 15, 2004

March 29, 2009 Author: admin

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VANCOUVER LAKE TASK FORCE MEETINGS

To: Iloba Odum, Director, SW Regional Office, Deprtment of Ecology
From: Dvija Michael Bertish, Chairman, Rosemere Neighborhood Association

June 15, 2004

Iloba,

Attached below is an email that I sent to Betty Sue Morris last December asking to be part of the Vancouver Lake Task Force. I did not receive a response to this request, and suffice it to say that I was disappointed at what I read in the Columbian today as well as the Task Force’s media release. Everyone knows that RNA has been extremely active in this situation and that we want to participate in this process. [Read More...]

Sewage spill at Frenchman’s Bar Park – April 15, 2004

March 29, 2009 Author: admin

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The RNA received this response to our complaint from the Washington State Department of Ecology in Olympia on April 20, 2004.

Thank-you for voicing your concerns in this matter. Ecology was notified of the incident on the day that it occurred. This Department is actively investigating the situation at this time. The report will be available to the public upon the completion of the investigation. Please feel free to inquire after June 1st about the status of this investigation. Please refer to ERTS number 540239 when making inquiries. [Read More...]

Rosemere Neighborhood Association Water Walk – December 7, 2003

March 24, 2009 Author: admin

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RNA Board Members, Rosemere residents, and concerned environmental activists gather in the rain to hear Thom McConathy explain the terrain and our community's failing stormwater and groundwater facilities.

On December 7, 2003, the RNA Board, accompanied by environmental activists, toured the Burnt Bridge Creek Basin and Vancouver Lake to learn more about the contamination of our waterways. This tour was lead by Thom McConathy, a very active community steward who has passionately fought to save our ground and surface waterbodies for more than 20 years. Mr. McConathy is among our community’s most knowledgeable experts on the subjects of water quality and contamination, and he has been instrumental in helping the RNA address the contamination of Burnt Bridge Creek and Vancouver Lake, as discussed in the RNA’s federal Title 6 complaint.

[Read More...]

THE FLUSHING CHANNEL WILL NOT WORK FOR VANCOUVER LAKE

March 24, 2009 Author: admin

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The Rosemere Neighborhood Association offers this information to substantiate the objection to the proposed re-dredging of the flushing channel connected to Vancouver Lake. This project is being proposed by the Port of Vancouver as an attempt to rid Vancouver Lake of serious contamination. [Read More...]

CONTAMINATION OF BURNT BRIDGE CREEK AND VANCOUVER LAKE HAS BEEN KNOWN FOR MANY YEARS

March 24, 2009 Author: admin

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The Rosemere Neighborhood Association acquired a number of official reports from Clark County Health Department that pertain specifically to Burnt Bridge Creek. Within one report it states that the city cannot enforce actions to eliminate septic systems unless the Health Department declares a health emergency. This cannot happen until a current water quality test is performed to quantify the allegation that the creek is contaminated with human waste from septic systems, and that the contamination is 25 times the state warning levels. [Read More...]