Thanks to the WSB’er who called Monday afternoon to tip us to reddish-brown discoloration in Fauntleroy Cove alongside the ferry dock. She said the county had been out to make sure there wasn’t a pump problem; we’ve got a message out to them, but more close to home, so to speak, we have checked with Judy Pickens, Fauntleroy watershed steward and expert about all things from the creek to the cove, asking about the possibility it’s an algae bloom (it was also reported via Twitter a few miles south in the Arroyos). She hadn’t received a report yet but checked with Dr. Timothy Nelson in the biology department at Seattle Pacific, who offered:

… it could be that Ulvaria, a usually-subtidal component of green algal blooms had died and was releasing dopamine into the water. It’s very intolerant of drying, so on sunny days with a good low tide you’ll often notice the discoloration as the tide rises.

The dopamine is converted to quinones, which can some discoloration to the water. Depending on how long they’ve been in the water, and how concentrated they are, I’d describe them as pinkish, tawny-orange, or brown. (I’d include reddish-brown in that series as well!)

Take note, this would be separate from the sea-lettuce problem that sometimes manifests in Fauntleroy Cove, with not just a visual but an olfactory impact (this discoloration did NOT come with a smell). In our exchange, Judy wanted to share word of a sea-lettuce-fighting win in the most recent Legislature session:

The governor’s signature … on the state’s biennial budget could have direct implications for Fauntleroy. One of the line items, for $140,000, is for creating a grant program within the State Department of Ecology for research and removal associated with excessive growth of sea lettuce, the algae that blankets Fauntleroy Cove and gives us our summer stench.

The allocation was a fall-back position pushed by Rep. Sharon Nelson from this district and Sen. Tracey Eide from Federal Way after their detailed legislation failed during the waning days of the session. The funding will come from a portion of boat-registration fees already being collected by the state and, until now, reserved for responses to freshwater algae in lakes throughout the state. Because lakes were not fully spending the amount being collected, sharing with saltwater communities should only expand what the fund can accomplish.

We expect the money to be administered by DOE water-quality staff in Olympia, and procedures for exactly who can apply, when, and how will take awhile to be articulated. We do know the money can be used for research as well as emergency response. As we found during the run-up to summer 2008, getting permits for haul-outs of floating seaweed or beach harvesting of decaying seaweed is no easy matter, so having a pot of money is just the first step toward enabling Fauntleroy residents to breathe easier.

Judy says anyone detecting water-quality issues in Fauntleroy Cove — aside from “the stench,” for which she’s on the frontline if and when it occurs – is welcome to contact her. 5:24 PM UPDATE: Martha Tuttle from King County says, “Our operations staff were out there yesterday and determined it wasn’t a sewage spill and it appeared to be an algae bloom as you indicated. No health risk but very ugly for sure.”