John Brock

Edmonds Hearing Examiner decides on Perrinville Creek saga

The examiner revoked the city’s Determination of Non-Significance, forcing Edmonds to address infrastructure issues on the creek

By by Eliza Aronson
Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Perrinville creek diversion structures and blockage

Link to Everett Herald article

EDMONDS — The city of Edmonds has work to do on Perrinville Creek.

On Friday, City Hearing Examiner Phil Olbrechts decided city staff must address safety issues about a corroded pipe that connects the last few hundred feet of stream to Puget Sound, and consequently restore fish passage along the lower portion of the creek.

Scientists discover ‘potential breakthrough’ in protecting salmon from urban killer

March 28, 2025 at 6:00 am

By Amanda Zhou
Seattle Times staff reporter

For decades, toxic tire dust has choked coho salmon before they can spawn in their natal streams. Now, King County scientists say they have made a “potential breakthrough” in how to save them.

Western Washington University student researchers split a sample of treated stormwater into smaller amounts for analysis. (Courtesy of Curtis Hinman)

Link to Seattle Time article

Bolstering Shell Creek’s salmon population

By Joe Scordino
For the Beacon

Posted 3/20/25

The Edmonds Stream Team released 5,000 baby chum salmon into lower Shell Creek on Monday. The Suquamish Tribe donated the salmon fry to help the community effort to bolster salmon populations in local creeks that flow directly to Puget Sound.

This item is available in full to Beacon subscribers.

**Sandra Centala helps carry aerated buckets loaded with chum salmon fry donated by Suquamish Tribe for release in Shell Creek. (Photo courtesy Edmonds Stream Team)**

Examiner to decide route of Perrinville Creek

by Eliza Aronson
Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Closing arguments were submitted last week in a hearing that could determine if the creek will be passable for salmon in the next three years.

Press release: Bolstering Shell Creek’s Salmon Population

By Joe Scordino, Project Leader
Edmonds Stream Team
March 12, 2025

Photos by Clint Wright, Joe Scordino, and John Brock

Reported in My Edmonds News

Sandra Centala helping carry aerated buckets loaded with Chum salmon fry donated by Suquamish Tribe for release in Shell creek

The Edmonds Stream Team released 5,000 “baby” chum salmon into lower Shell Creek on Monday. These chum salmon “fry” were donated by the Suquamish Tribe to help the community effort to bolster salmon populations in local creeks that flow directly to Puget Sound.

The truth about American drinking water: Report shows widespread presence of hazardous chemicals

February 25, 2025
Beth Greenfield

Link to full Fortune article:
https://fortune.com/well/2025/02/26/drinking-water-hazardous-chemicals

Your tap water might not be safe to drink, according to new data. – Getty Images

Between the ongoing controversy around fluoridated water and the recent discovery of a chemical in our water systems that may or may not be toxic, the safety of American drinking water is murky, to say the least.

Washington Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Ask DC For Marine Mammal Act Modifications

By Andy Walgamott
Northwest Sportsman
February 4, 2025

A bipartisan group of Washington legislators has filed a bill in Olympia asking Congress and the Trump Administration to modify the Marine Mammal Protection Act to allow lethal removals of sea lions and harbor seals and other actions in more of the state to save ESA-listed Chinook and other salmon populations.

A HARBOR SEAL SWIMS IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER. (ODFW)

Edmonds Environmental Council, city reach agreement on appeal of critical aquifer regulations

Posted: February 1, 2025
My Edmonds News

Under the settlement agreement, the City of Edmonds has agreed to study stormwater infiltration and the possible risks of forever chemicals and other toxins polluting the drinking water aquifer. My Edmonds News file photo

Updated Feb. 3 with a comment from the City of Edmonds

The Edmonds Environmental Council (EEC) said Friday night that is has reached an agreement with the City of Edmonds to suspend the EEC’s appeal of city regulations related to the city’s critical aquifer recharge area (CARA) regulation approved by the Edmonds City Council in May.

The State of Edmonds Waters: Part 2 — Edmonds streams

Posted: February 2, 2025
By Bill Derry

Edmonds resident Bill Derry is the president of the Pilchuck Audubon Society and a member of the Edmonds Marsh Estuary Advocates. He previously served six years on the board of directors for People for Puget Sound.

Part 2 of a 5-part series. You can read part 1 here.

In the first article on Edmonds’ waters, I discussed what happens when old growth forests are replaced by development and rain becomes contaminated stormwater runoff. This article looks specifically at Edmonds’ streams and how our choices are changing them.

Edmonds has four streams that could support salmon, in addition to several smaller streams (see map below). The four salmon streams are Willow, Shellabarger, Shell and Perrinville Creeks, all of which drain toward Puget Sound.

Settlement reached on appeal of Deer Creek regulations

Posted Friday, January 31, 2025
By Beacon Staff

The Edmonds Environmental Council (EEC) reports it has reached an agreement with the City of Edmonds on suspending the EEC’s appeal of City regulations pending results of a scientific study on stormwater infiltration and its risks of PFAS and other toxins polluting the drinking water aquifer.

According to the settlement agreement, the City will use the study results to make recommendations to the Edmonds City Council on the Deer Creek Aquifer Critical Area Regulations.

The full text of the settlement agreement is available on the EEC website.

Stream Team report: Record number of salmon in Shell Creek

Posted Sunday, January 12, 2025 6:12 pm

By Joe Scordino
Edmonds Stream Team

Maija Jinneman observing a female chum salmon protecting her eggs laid in the gravel. (Photo courtesy Joe Scordino)
Meadowdale High students – Maija Jinneman, Aspen Spivey, Maya LaBelle, Emma Roberts. (Photo courtesy Joe Scordino)
Meadowdale Beach Park visitors responded to this sign with photos and videos. (Photo courtesy Joe Scordino)
Edge of this bridge was modified to provide a salmon passage channel after the underside of the bridge was blocked by sediment, (Photo courtesy Joe Scordino)
Avery Bergan helps salmon passage in her backyard by clearing debris that washed into creek during rainstorm. (Photo courtesy Joe Scordino)
High scchool students collecting data on stream conditions and salmon .occurrence. (Photo courtesy Joe Scordino)
Maya LaBelle examining a chum salmon that died before it could lay its eggs in the creek. This “pre-spawn mortality’ may have been caused by toxic tire dust (6PPDq) that enters the creek through storm drains on roads.

There’s good news coming from the Edmonds Stream Team after completion of its annual adult salmon surveys last month in Edmonds’ Shell Creek and Lund’s Gulch Creek in Meadowdale Beach Park.

2024 surveys show record number of salmon in Shell Creek

— Story and photos by Joe Scordino
Project leader, Edmonds Stream Team
January 1, 2025

High school students collecting data on stream conditions and salmon occurrence.

The Edmonds Stream Team completed its annual adult salmon surveys in Edmonds’ Shell Creek and Lunds Gulch Creek (located in Meadowdale Beach Park) in December. The Stream Team documented the highest number of chum salmon spawners in November 2024 since surveys began in Shell Creek in 2017.

The E.P.A. Promotes Toxic Fertilizer. 3M Told It of Risks Years Ago.

The agency obtained research from 3M in 2003 revealing that sewage sludge, the raw material for the fertilizer, carried toxic “forever chemicals.”

The author reviewed thousands of pages of decades-old documents to report this article.

By Hiroko Tabuchi
Dec. 27, 2024

David Lewis, a former E.P.A. microbiologist, issued early warnings.Credit...Will Crooks for The New York Times — David Lewis, a former E.P.A. microbiologist, issued early warnings.Credit…Will Crooks for The New York Times

In early 2000, scientists at 3M, the chemicals giant, made a startling discovery: High levels of PFAS, the virtually indestructible “forever chemicals” used in nonstick pans, stain-resistant carpets and many other products were turning up in the nation’s sewage.

Comments from a packed council chambers set tone for Tuesday meeting

By Teresa Wippel, My Edmonds News
November 11, 2024

Business owner Erika Barnett urges the council to ensure Edmonds’ Comprehensive Plan protects the character of the city’s downtown.

Passionate comments about city planning, providing police and fire services, and protecting the character of downtown Edmonds dominated public testimony at Tuesday night’s Edmonds City Council meeting, as advocates for a range of viewpoints packed the council chambers to have their say.

Reader View: The myth of affordable housing

By Joan Bloom
Posted: December 8, 2024

When Edmonds councilmembers claim their draft Comp Plan, soon to be approved, includes “affordable housing,” are they lying or just ignorant?

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