New Web site tracks ecosystem's health

British Columbia has put vast stretches of shoreline out of bounds for clam digging because of contamination, while Washington needs to do a better job with sprawling development.

The waters offshore of Victoria don't always mix well -- calling into question the city's limited sewage treatment -- and the amount of tiny air pollutants is expected to rise more quickly in the Puget Sound region than in western Canada.

These are some of the problems that become clear thanks to a new Web site and system for tracking ecosystem health in the Sound and Canada's Georgia Basin.

The effort is being lauded for monitoring conditions on both side of the border, helping regulators and environmental watchdogs detect trends that might otherwise have been missed.

"It puts pressure then for us to catch up, or the other way around," said Scott Redman, toxics reduction program manager for the Puget Sound Action Team, a state agency working to restore the Sound.

The project is an international effort led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Environment Canada. Numerous other state agencies and local governments as well as non-governmental groups contributed.

The effort focuses on nine key indicators: population growth, urbanization and forest cover, trash and recycling, shellfish, air quality, marine species at risk, toxic chemicals in harbor seals, freshwater quality, and marine water quality.

Overall it shows that "conditions are a little worse than people thought," said Michael Rylko, EPA's strategic coordinator for Puget Sound grants.

None of the nine measures was improving. Five were rated as worsening, and four hadn't shown progress.

That doesn't mean residents and regulators should just give up, officials said.

For each of the indicators, the site includes exhaustive tips for turning the problem around, including lists of conservation groups, ways to behave in a more environmentally friendly manner and other resources.

All of the information is linked to other Web sites.

"It's something the public can use to get more involved," said Jeffrey Philip, an EPA spokesman. The idea is, "What are we, the agencies, doing about it, and what can you do?"

Those involved agree that restoring the health of of the region's marine waters -- which have been hammered over the decades by polluting businesses and vehicles, overfishing and continued development -- will require support from everyone in the region.

The Web site adds to other projects under way to save the Sound.

The Puget Sound Partnership, a diverse group appointed by Gov. Chris Gregoire, is crafting a set of recommendations for returning the Sound to health by 2020.

A federal strategy is being developed for the recovery of the Sound's resident orcas, and work is under way to revive salmon populations.

Millions of dollars are being invested in researching the causes of lethally low oxygen levels in Hood Canal and fixing the situation.

The online project, which ultimately will include a print version, cost about $70,000. The intention is to update three or four of the indicators every two years.