From Rosemere Neighborhood Association
Re: Article By Erik Robinson, Columbian Staff Writer
“Burnt by pollution”
April 29, 2004
In this article, Mr. Robinson states “Leaking septic systems are a major source of microbial pollution — at least 12.7% of the total, according to a 1999 study commissioned by the City of Vancouver — but the study also laid the blame on Mother Nature.” This figure has been widely misrepresented by the City of Vancouver in an attempt to downplay the severity of contaminants that come from human waste.
The RNA met with Clark County Health Department officials in March to discuss how failing septic systems are contributing to the pollution of Burnt Bridge Creek (which feeds into Vancouver Lake). There are several homes in Rosemere that do not have access to City Sewer Service. Neighbors approached the RNA in 2001 to ask how they could get sewer service where there are no sewer mains. There are cesspools and aging sewer systems in Rosemere (and throughout Vancouver) that are not being properly maintained or inspected. Water quality tests indicate that effluent from failed septic tanks is polluting the creek and is also creating a public health risk.
Materials collected from workshop on Septic Tanks and Private Wells
Intro:
We attended a special workshop for homeowners on how to properly maintain septic systems and private wells on their property, how to prevent costly repairs, and how to protect drinking water from contamination. This workshop was presentd by the Washington State University Cooperative Extension and Clark County Health Department, and it was sponsored by Clark County Clean Water Program, and Clark Conservation District.
In a Columbian article (January 11, 2004, ‘Rosemere faces off with City Monday’), it says of Victor Erlich (Vancouver City Engineer), “Erlich said Rosemere’s reasoning in applying for the grant based on septic failure ‘is a mystery to us.’ We don’t find any evidence to support the claim that there are environmental health problems stemming from failing septic systems in the neighborhood.” If the City hasn’t found any problems, its because they haven’t been looking!
(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.
Well water quality is just as important as quantity, but easier to overlook. There is rarely a clear signal when microorganisms, nitrates, pesticides or VOG’s (volatile organic compounds) contaminate well water. Yet these contaminates do make their way into private wells. Homeowners who choose the “blinders” approach, assuming that their well water is OK, are taking a gamble with their health. The potential risks are kidney and nervous system damage, intestinal illness, cancer and birth defects. According to a US Geological Survey, many wells in Clark County and Vancouver were tested and found to contain contaminates.
July 24, 2003
4 – 6 PM
Present: Brian Carlson, City of Vancouver Environmental Services
Victor Ehrlich, City of Vancouver Environmental Services
Brent Boger, City of Vancouver Attorney
Lou Dooley, Clark County Health Department
Randy Phillips, Clark County Health Department
Monica Kirk, EPA
Iloba Odum, Department of Ecology
Dave Howard, Department of Ecology
Discussion:
* This meeting was requested by EPA and Ecology to better understand a complaint from the Rosemere Neighborhood Association about possible septic tank pollution impacting Burnt Bridge Creek.
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.
The Rosemere Neighborhood Association, through a Freedom of Information Act request, has obtained a copy of a test called http://www.rosemerena.org/home/wp-admin/edit-tags.php”Burnt Bridge Creek Microbial Source Tracking; Identification of Sources of Microbial Pollution in Burnt Bridge Creek Watershed,” dated October 1999. The RNA obtained a copy of this report through the Freedom of Information Act.
In the summer of 2001, Rosemere residents complained to the RNA Board that they had no access to the City’s sanitary sewer service. They could not afford the expense of installing sewer mains for their entire street. They asked the RNA Board to find out what could be done to upgrade.
