BEACH DRIVE STENCH: Not us, says King County Wastewater Treatment Division

(Right-center, Doug Marsano from KC Wastewater Treatment District, talking with residents)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Beautiful view.

Ugly smell.

The latter is what some Beach Drive-area residents say they’re still dealing with, and some find it difficult to believe it’s just rotting sea lettuce. So they’ve been talking to the King County Wastewater Treatment Division, which sent reps out Wednesday afternoon to talk with neighbors.

KCWTD took the complaints seriously enough to run tests in its system, looking for a telltale gas that would be present if something was getting out of the system and into the air. They didn’t find it, they told the neighbors:

The tests were conducted by King County odor investigators using gauges installed inside four manholes near your homes that detect the presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas. H2S gas smells like rotten eggs and is usually what causes people to notice odors coming from the sewer. If the sewer system was creating odors, the gauges would detect extended periods of time when heavy concentrations of H2S were present in the manhole that could escape to the environment.

Testing began on Thursday, September 24 and continued through Sunday, September 27. County odor investigators reviewed data from the gauges Monday, September 28. There are no indications that increased levels of H2S gas were present at any of the four manholes during the four-day testing period.

That wasn’t much consolation – some say the stink is worse than anything they’ve experienced in years, even decades along/near the shore. “It was unbearable this morning,” said one neighbor.

Joining KCWTD community liaison Doug Marsano for the gathering along the sidewalk across from Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook, in the late afternoon sunshine, was marine biologist Kim Stark, who works on water-quality issues with the county Department of Natural Resources.

She said this area’s not alone in the smelly siege – areas north of Elliott Bay have been dealing with it too, including Carkeek.

While skeptical neighbors wondered how it could continue through high tides and low, stormy weather and sunshine, Stark explained that the water is warmer this year, and that’s fueled the sea lettuce’s growth.

It’s not just pieces of sea lettuce on the shore, she added – mats of decaying sea lettuce, kelp, and other marine matter have been floating offshore, creating literal hotbeds of odor generation.

So what can we do about it? one neighbor asked.

Right now, the county reps said, not much. State permits would be needed to remove what’s rotting. And those would take a while. They mentioned the community of Dumas Bay in South King County, where the city of Federal Way got involved. And, as Beach Drive Blog (whose owners were also at the meeting) reminded readers, Fauntleroy Cove dealt with this for years, too, though we haven’t heard much lately.

In the WSB archives, we found a 2008 mention of a company that was expecting to remove sea lettuce in Fauntleroy and Dumas, to turn into biofuels.

sealettuce603.jpg

(Published on WSB, September 2008: State Ecology Department photo of test sea-lettuce removal in Dumas Bay)
Our further research revealed that the company, Blue Marble, has long since changed its focus and moved to Montana, so it’s not an option now.

The neighbors vowed to organize and see what they can do about ensuring removal is an option next year – researching and applying for permits, for starters. In the short run, cooler weather – and most importantly, cooler water – seems to be their main hope of relief from the nose-wrinkling nuisance, but that might take another month.

20 Replies to "BEACH DRIVE STENCH: Not us, says King County Wastewater Treatment Division"

  • Lisa October 1, 2015 (9:45 am)

    I live in Arbor Heights and I haven’t been down to walk at Emma Schmitz Viewpoint for a while because of the awful smell. I’ve even driven on California instead of Beach Drive to get to Alki because it’s been so bad. I don’t know how the residents there can deal! Is this possibly related to our extra hot droughty summer?

  • marty October 1, 2015 (9:52 am)

    This isn’t anything new, it was the same when I lived there in the 90’s. It did tend to be worse when the summers were warmer than usual. The rains will come soon and the problem will go away.

    • WSB October 1, 2015 (10:04 am)

      Marty – Those who gathered included longtime residents, up to 45 years, who say it’s never been anywhere near this horrible. Even the county reps acknowledged it – they aren’t denying the smell, just saying it’s not emanating from anything they operate in the area. – TR

  • dsa October 1, 2015 (10:22 am)

    Isn’t this a record warm (and long) summer? I’m sure growth times and water temps are the factors causing this.

  • Julie A. October 1, 2015 (11:09 am)

    I live on Beach Drive on the beach side, and it’s pretty miserable. I light a lot candles. Sometimes I have to just leave and get away it’s so bad.

  • forgotmyname October 1, 2015 (12:05 pm)

    @WSB – I gotta say I sincerely doubt anyone can truly say “it’s never smelled this bad in XX years”. Objectively comparing today’s aromas based to memories? C’mon. Because someone *thinks* it was worse doesn’t make it so – at least enough so to correct Marty. Just like everyone *thinks* crime is getting worse when statistics show exactly the opposite, the smell is worse than usual this year and it’s coloring folks memories to where it’s now a hyperbolic “WORST EVER!!!”

    • WSB October 1, 2015 (12:27 pm)

      Melissa – yes, true, it is, and that came up as well, “the blob” among other things.
      .
      FMN – If somebody wants to belittle people’s concerns (not just on this topic), this isn’t the place to do it, and that’s why I’m trying to explain to people who insist they must be exaggerating: If you actually talk to or otherwise hear from some of the affected residents, they are talking, bad enough they don’t want to be in their homes, type of stench. Not just “oh, it’s fragrant at low tide.” Look somebody in the eye and tell them they must be exaggerating, don’t just toss it out without having talked to them. I personally can’t speak to it because my olfactory abilities suddenly dropped dramatically in the late ’90s and have never come back – which has its benefits as well as drawbacks – so I am unable to personally describe the smell itself, just what’s being said about it (we’ve had reports from people uphill too, and these are individual reports, not even people who were involved in the gathering yesterday). Even the county reps acknowledge it; they are not denying the stench, just saying they tested their systems and it’s not them. Anyway, if you’ve been here more than a few times, you know that we look into the small stuff (the hum, the stink, etc.) as well as the big stuff (transportation, education, development, politics, etc.) and many things inbetween; it would be helpful for folks to at least respect neighbors who are directly involved in situations, rather than offering only skepticism if not outright ridicule.

      Judy – thank you.
      .
      – TR

  • Judy October 1, 2015 (12:09 pm)

    The stench of hydrogen sulfide was an annual summer event around Fauntleroy Cove between 1980 and about three years ago. We learned a lot about what encourages the algae growth, one of which is water depth; the more shallow the water, the warmer it gets in summer and the more algae grows. We’ve not had the stench in recently years, my guess being that the lay of cove sand has changed such that the water is deeper. If Beach Drive residents want to delve into my thick stench file, I welcome contact.

  • Melissa October 1, 2015 (12:12 pm)

    The water in large portions of Puget Sound is hypoxic. Animals, fish, and plants are dying and the air stinks while they decompose. It’s global climate change, folks. Your discomfort is pretty trivial beside that of the people who are dying from flooding and storms. Which is not to say that it’s trivial in an absolute sense. It sucks. But it’s a symptom of a much larger suck.

    http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/eap/Nitrogen/PugetSoundHypoxiaMap.html

  • Community Member October 1, 2015 (2:41 pm)

    Sensors inside the manholes didn’t measure anything, but what if it is sewage from a broken pipe? Rotting in the fill behind a bulkhead, or behind the wall at Emma Schmitz?
    .
    I live on Beach Drive a mile south of Me Kwa Mooks. I have the same water, same beach slope, etc. There has been NO foul odor at my house this summer and fall. NONE, zilch, zero.

  • herongrrrl October 1, 2015 (3:39 pm)

    The biologist present yesterday mentioned the particular type of seaweed that is the worst offender likes fresh water, so it makes sense that the places where there are freshwater seeps/outfalls would have more issue than places that don’t. (The beach at Emma Schmitz Viewpoint, for example, has a lot of freshwater seeps that are visible at lower tides.) Community Member, I am curious about whether or not you notice fresh water seeps or runoff on your beach?

    As it happens, today I’m not noticing it near Me Kwa Mooks but it is powerful up near LaRustica…that can’t be good for business when folks would like to sit outside on a sunny evening!

    My concern is that there isn’t really a good solution. If we’re trending toward a warmer climate with warmer water, it doesn’t sound like there’s much that can be done to prevent the seaweed growth. As Melissa says above, this is part of a much larger problem.

    Judy, I would in fact like to delve into your stench file! Please email me: herongrrrl at gmail dot com. Thank you!

  • Scupper October 1, 2015 (6:31 pm)

    I was present at the meeting as well. The resident that commented it was the worse stench in 45 years was rebutted by her husband that showed up later. He felt it didn’t compare to outbreaks prior to year 2000. To each their own.
    Dumas Bay in Federal Way was mentioned as another area battling the stench (study from the dept of ecology 3/2010 https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/documents/1210011.pdf ).
    Fresh water does sound like a common denominator to the cause. The hill behind Emma Schmitz Park isn’t named Spring Hill for nothing!
    As far as how shallow the bay is in the affected area, that can’t be changed due to the hard clay/peat composite that makes up the sea-bed (no sand). As matter of fact, I’ve read that the area out in front of Emma Schmitz is actually rising due to the Seattle Fault that runs east/west to Bainbridge Is. Van’s full of UW geography students come out to visit the site every year.
    I’m afraid we’re totally at the mercy of Mother Nature and will have to work with the state to haul the lettuce out to deeper water or have our kids sell it at corner stands as designer fertilizer.

  • J October 1, 2015 (9:34 pm)

    We live halfway up the hill and when we first smelled it, we called the gas company to check for a leak. No leak. Silly, but safe.

  • Gretchen October 1, 2015 (11:07 pm)

    I am a former phycologist-algae scientist-specializing in seaweeds. I studied the stench problem for the former Puget Sound Actiom Team some years ago and yes, I would say that King County is correct. The stench is coming from rotting seaweed and there are many places in Puget Sound that have the same problem. Fresh water may not be a factor unless there is a significant nutrient load in the fresh water, such as fertilizer runoff. This stuff grows just as well in salt water. As water and air temps warm, The problem will get worse. Seaweed makes excellent compost-harvest the stuff and make your plants happy!

  • anonyme October 2, 2015 (7:47 am)

    Thanks, Melissa, for pointing out the elephant in the room. This is “the stench” of our planet dying. Not only are humans to blame – they are next.

  • herongrrrl October 2, 2015 (10:52 am)

    It was pointed out that harvesting the seaweed without a permit is illegal…but with the proper permits in place, composting sounds like a great solution.

  • DrDave October 2, 2015 (4:22 pm)

    I worked with Judy in removing seaweed from Fauntleroy Cove for many years. One summer we ‘Moved’ about 90 tons of seaweed from Fauntleroy Cove. The next year we ‘Moved’ about 60 tons. There were no odor complaints for several years after that.

    We identified many factors that influence whether there will be odors in Fauntleroy Cove and on other beaches. Essentially it is water circulation, temperature and nutrients – inflow, cycling or recycling. For some reason, odor complaints where highest with a ‘warm’ May. I didn’t have comparable seawater temperatures for the same time period.

    As a test, I tried composting a garbage can of wet seaweed – rinsed with freshwater before composting in my garden. I had neighbors complaining from blocks away! It stinks just as bad composting on land as it does on the beach!

  • Scupper October 2, 2015 (7:36 pm)

    Maybe we feed the world… According to Pacific Feast, ulva sea lettuce is high in both protein and carbohydrates, fiber, and nutrients. It’s also high in vitamins A, B-3, and magnesium. According to Livestrong, a 3.5 oz serving of ulva algae contains 41.7g of carbohydrates, 22.1g of protein, 29.1g of fiber, but only 0.6g of fat. It’s very low in fat, and may decrease cholesterol, though that remains to be proven.

  • Zanda October 2, 2015 (8:18 pm)

    I fear that a year of working in a print shop destroyed my sense of smell. I walk along Beach Drive all the time and although I noticed the rotten egg smell the first weekend it was reported, my nose has already tuned it out.

  • Jim P. October 3, 2015 (3:30 pm)

    “State permits would be needed to remove what’s rotting”

    Do you ever wonder just what side our beloved government is on?

    Or is there a Department of Rotting Sea Garbage for real?

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