By Hayden Yu Andersen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Last weekend, we reported on the annual Longfellow Creek cleanup event, hosted by Puget Soundkeeper Alliance and Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association. Each year, teams gather to clean up the park and chat with Puget Soundkeeper’s salmon-survey team.

In the wake of the event, Puget Soundkeeper shared their mid-survey data with us. Of note is the fact that this is their first year performing necropsies on both female and male salmon. So far this year, the team has counted 402 live salmon and 125 dead salmon in Longfellow Creek, for a total recorded population of 529. See the data for this year and last year here.

For the past several years, in addition to tracking the coho population, they’ve been monitoring for Urban Runoff Mortality Syndrome (URMS), a condition caused primarily by chemical runoff from car tires. So far this season, the team has recorded 13 live coho with URMS.

When it works its way into a coho population, URMS can be devastating to population numbers. A key element of Puget Soundkeeper’s work has been both tracking and combating the use of 6PPD-Q, the chemical responsible for URMS.

“Unfortunately, the chemical 6PPD-Q has been standard in tire construction for years and is an essential safety mechanism,” said Ewan Henderson, a Clean Water Program Specialist with Puget Soundkeeper. “This means it’s in every tire on the road and can’t really be banned until a viable alternative is on the market.”

But, according to Henderson, last week saw a significant reason for hope. In the past seven days, Wales-based company Perpetuus Advanced Materials and Ohio-based company Flexsys have both announced alternatives to 6PPD-Q, both of which may lead to a reduced environmental impact. However, Henderson pointed out, there are still no policy changes stemming from these developments.

For now, Henderson says the “main focus is on filtering polluted storm water before entering streams,” including using green infrastructure, which has proved effective at reducing the levels of 6PPD-Q in waterways. Here’s a video Henderson recommended from King County Natural Resources and Parks, which explains how green infrastructure works.

In the meantime, if you’re interested in volunteering or donating, or learning more about Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, you can go here.