If you see a problem on Lake Sammamish

CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

Reduce pollutants caused by your household

LAKESIDE LANDSCAPING:  
                      bUFFERS AND RAIN GARDENS

What can we do about MILFOIL?

volunteering

Contribute to sls

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If you see a problem on Lake Sammamish

First, if the situation involves apparent illegal activity, such as dumping into the lake or you feel it involves imminent danger to people, call 911 to report it.

If someone is operating a watercraft in an inconsiderate manner, call the King County Marine Patrol at 206.296.7558.

STATE LEVEL

State Department of Ecology (DOE) - NW Region - 425.649.7000

COUNTY LEVEL

CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

It is tempting to think that a message from one person - you - can not make a difference in the vote cast by an elected official. It takes a little time and effort to do so, and people will make the contact only if they are serious about the issue. But that is exactly the reason it pays off! Politicians know if they receive a few inputs, they represent many, many more people with that opinion who did not take the time to contact them. Below is info on how to make a contact at all levels of our government.

Time saving tips:

• When you want to send the same message to multiple people, draft it in a word-processing file and save it so you can copy and paste it into multiple messages. Include the subject and your address in the file, too.
• The sites provided below are official government sites to the best of our knowledge. In the process of collecting the info below, a Google site called congress.org was found that makes E-mailing multiple elected officials much easier. However, there is advertising to put up with and other aspects that may offend people. Use at your own risk.
• Note if you allow "cookies" to be placed on your computer, some sites will remember your zip code, and, therefore, who your representatives are.

WHITE HOUSE
For phone numbers and street address go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ E-mail addresses are:

• President comments@whitehouse.gov
• Vice-president vice_president@whitehouse.gov

FEDERAL and STATE HOUSE and SENATE REPRESENTATIVES
Go to the district finder page of the State of Washington web site at http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx Enter your address and click on "Find Your District." The page that results provides both your State and Federal congressional district numbers and house and senate representatives. Click on the name of the person you want to contact and follow links to a phone number, street address or E-mail address.

STATE GOVERNOR GREGOIRE
Go to http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/default.asp

COUNTY
Contact info for King County Council members is at http://www.kingcounty.gov/council/Councilmembers.aspx Your council district number is on your voters registration card. You can also find it by following the instructions at the bottom of the page.

CITIES

Bellevue
The E-mail for the City Council is council@bellevuewa.gov and for the City Manager is ssarkozy@bellevuewa.gov
Phone and address are at http://www.ci.bellevue.wa.us/

Issaquah
The E-mail for the City Council is citycouncil@ci.issaquah.wa.us To send an E-mail to the mayor, Ava Frisinger, fill out the form at http://www.ci.issaquah.wa.us/formpage.asp?formid=6 A list of the other Council members, The city's address, and links to their details are at http://www.ci.issaquah.wa.us/SectionIndex.asp?SectionID=22

Redmond
The E-mails for the Mayor, City Council, Mayor & City Council and the individual Council members are at: http://www.ci.redmond.wa.us/insidecityhall/citycouncil/contactus.asp The mailing address and fax number are at the bottom of this page.

Sammamish
The E-mail for the City Council is citycouncil@ci.sammamish.wa.us and for the City Manager is byazici@ci.sammamish.wa.us The City's address and phone numbers are at http://www.ci.sammamish.wa.us/ContactUs.aspx

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Reduce pollutants caused by your household

Algae is the biggest problem in Lake Sammamish, and the primary factor causing this critical problem is runoff of nutrients into the lake, particularly phosphorus.  We all contribute to the problem so we all must work to prevent our lake from becoming unswimmable.  Here are some ideas.

·         LAWN AND GARDEN - Excess nutrients/fertilizer cause algae growth.

·         Use fertilizer sparingly - 3 times/year maximum.

·         To minimize runoff of chemicals, use an organic fertilizer such as All Natural Lawn Restore or Whitney Farms Natural & Organic Lawn Food.  These cost more than chemical-based fertilizers, but our lawns are not huge and the few dollars extra are well worth it.

·         Use herbicides on a spot basis only as required.

·         If you use a professional garden service, pick one that is environment-friendly.

·         Keep a “chemical free” zone of vegetation by the water’s edge.

·         Don’t burn leaves or grass clippings near the lake.

·         AUTO

·         Preferably wash cars at commercial locations where wastewater is treated, reused, or routed to the sanitary sewer (rather than the storm sewer which drains into the lake).

·         If washed at home, use phosphate-free soap sparingly and wash on grass.

·         Recycle used motor oil and antifreeze at an approved facility.  Schucks takes motor oil and hazardous waste facilities take antifreeze (now there is a permanent one at the Eastgate transfer station).

·         SOIL EROSION

·         Our soil contains phosphorus so don’t allow runoff into the lake.  Sweep up dirt rather than washing it off of sidewalks and patios.

·         Maintain an area of vegetation between exposed soil or lawn and the water’s edge to trap runoff.

·         ANIMALS

·         Scoop and flush, or put in garbage pet droppings to prevent adding nutrients to the lake.

·         Similarly dispose of duck and goose droppings from docks, patios and floats rather than sweeping or washing into the lake.

·         Don’t feed the geese.

lAKESIDE LANDSCAPING: bUFFERS AND RAIN GARDENS

Those of us lucky enough to live beside or near Lake Sammamish know that we have a special responsibility to be good stewards of the lake and its inhabitants.  We share our outdoor home with hundreds of species of aquatic creatures, birds, mammals, and helpful insects. 

Having a beautiful lakeside lawn isn’t enough, however; for if we improperly tend it, we can harm lake water quality and habitats.  Lakeside dwellers can protect our Lake Sammamish by carefully planning and maintaining their yards and gardens.

The information in this article is taken from material provided by the King County Water and Land Resources division.  They have an extremely helpful, easy to maneuver website at:  http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/ We suggest taking a look if you would like more details.

	Consider a buffer of native plants ... Sediment carried by rain water runoff can inflict great harm on a lake's biological productivity.  Suspended in water, sediment can disturb the delicate balance of the lake’s ecosystem by, among other things, damaging fish gills and cutting off sunlight that nourishes aquatic plants and animals.  Pollutants can also adhere to sediment particles, bringing with them their own set of problems.  In recent years, Lake Sammamish has experienced an upsurge of excess sediment in its waters.  Where does this excess sediment come from?  In undisturbed areas, rainfall is naturally absorbed by the earth or filtered by vegetation before it can slowly enter a lake. But as people move in, they build roofs, driveways, and other hard or impervious surfaces that prevent rain from soaking in.  The water can no longer be absorbed, but flows faster, directly into the lake carrying sediment and pollutants with it.

One way that we can help control this runoff water with its load of sediment and other pollutants is by maintaining a buffer of native plants around the shoreline of the lake.  Preserving a natural buffer of native plants is one of the best ways to protect the lake.  Shoreline plants filter sediment and chemicals from runoff, provide food and shelter for fish and wildlife, and can slow or prevent shoreline erosion.  Shade from overhanging shrubs and trees also can keep waters cool and oxygen-rich while limiting the growth of unwanted aquatic plants, such as milfoil and water lilies.

Established lake buffers are best left undisturbed.  Even where the lake's natural plant cover has been removed or damaged, a buffer can usually be restored.  An ideal buffer should be at least 20 feet wide, planted with an assortment of native trees, shrubs, and groundcovers.  Low-cost native plants can be obtained from several local suppliers. King County offers on its website for downloading, an award-winning brochure, titled “Going Native.”  This brochure provides marvelous information for planning and planting a native garden, including lists of native plants, sample garden designs, and tips for maintenance.  Go to: ftp://dnr.metrokc.gov/dnr/library/2003/gonative.pdf

... or a Rain Garden

Another type of “buffer” to consider is a “rain garden.”  These are small vegetated depressions that promote infiltration of stormwater runoff from roofs, driveways, and lawns.  Some are even designed to capture runoff from the street. 

By capturing runoff in shallow depressions and letting it to soak into the ground, rain gardens filter out sediment and other pollutants like oil, grease, heavy metals, fertilizer, and even grass clippings by catching about the first inch of runoff, which contains the highest concentration of pollutants.

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What can we do about MILFOIL?  

What’s so bad about Eurasian Milfoil?

Eurasian Water Milfoil likes to live in lakes, ponds, shallow water reservoirs, and slow moving rivers and streams.  It reproduces very fast and in many different ways.  If a stem breaks off, it can start a new plant.

It also produces flowers and seeds that appear above the water, while the rest of the plant is under water, and it spreads by roots or runners (stolons) in the ground.

Eurasian Water Milfoil grows and spreads very fast.  So fast, that it can choke out native plants and reduce the amount of light that reaches into the lake.  This aggressive growth kills off other native aquatic plants.  And when the native plants can't grow, other aquatic species that rely on the native plants for food and shelter have trouble surviving.  Eurasian Water Milfoil's dense growth makes it difficult for invertebrates and other organisms that fish eat to survive.  So, with less to eat and less open water, fish populations also decrease.

Milfoil Can Kill

For example, in a recent incident near Royal City, WA, a man was attempting to rescue his son who had fallen into a lake.  The man was ensnared in milfoil and struggled to stay afloat.  A Royal City policeman responded and tried to rescue the man, but nearly became entrapped himself in the milfoil bed and returned to shore.  Another recent drowning occurred when a man from Beverly, WA, was attempting to rescue a 10-year-old boy who fell into the water.  The man was pulled under after being entangled in milfoil; the boy was able to swim out on his own.  Officers were initially unable to locate the victim, but divers from Search and Rescue found the man’s body in 6 feet of water.  Five divers were needed to retrieve the victim's body from the milfoil.  The lake had been the scene of a prior accident where 2 children became entangled in milfoil and drowned in 1999.

These are only a few examples of recent accidents where milfoil has played a part in the death of individuals in the state of Washington. Similar deaths have been recorded across the U.S., as the table below shows.

The purpose of this article is not to frighten you -- just to warn you that there are more good reasons to eliminate milfoil from Lake Sammamish.

How to we get rid of it?
The right way to get rid of milfoil is to remove it rather than spraying herbicides into the water to kill it.  The best way to control the plant is to pull it by hand.  This is not only a delicate task, it is also time-consuming.  Divers must remove the plants by their roots, and take care not to break off any fragments that could float around and take root elsewhere.

Please do it right

Remember, spraying chemicals in the water to kill milfoil has the following undesirable effects:

u  Adds toxic chemicals to Lake Sammamish waters.  
Please think about swimmers – children, dogs, and fish!

u  Kills all vegetation, including plants needed by fish for survival. 
Aquatic herbicides approved for use by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) include some that will kill all vegetation where sprayed.  Regardless of how carefully applied, aquatic herbicides will drift to other areas of the lake.

u  Increases algae growth by adding nutrients from the dying milfoil. 
The process of decomposition of plants adds nutrients (fertilizer) to the water.  This, in turn, stimulates the growth of algae.  Decomposition also decreases dissolved oxygen in the water, sometimes killing fish.  The algae now prevalent in Lake Sammamish, cyano-bacteria mycrocystis, causes frequent blooms, some of which have been toxic.  For info on a toxic algae bloom in Lake Sammamish in the fall of 1997, link to:

dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/waterres/lakes/bloom.htm

Our Lake is most vulnerable to algal blooms in the summer time, when it is sunny, and the water is warm and full of nutrients.  Please help keep Lake Sammamish a healthy, safe, and enjoyable resource for all.  Instead of spraying poison, please rake or hand-pull milfoil out by the roots.  Dispose of these materials away from the lake, by composting, applying directly to flower beds or placing into yard waste.

SLS recommends you remove milfoil by hand methods.  For more on manual methods of removing milfoil, please go to the Washington State Department of Ecology web site at: www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/plants/management/index.html

For information the King County Noxious Weed Control Program , go to:
http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/lands/weeds/

For information on related topics, go to Washington State Aquatic Plant Monitoring at: www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/eap/lakes/aquaticplants/

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volunteering

Would you like to volunteer to help save Lake Sammamish?
There is much to do.  See the Latest SLS News section of this web site for upcoming events.

For on-going activities, see below.   Send an E-mail to info@savelakesamm.org for more information and to sign up for SLS E-mails announcing future events.

For volunteer opportunities sponsored by various organizations, go to the links listed below:

King County Department of Natural Resources - The Dirt

Mountains to Sound Greenway - http://www.mtsgreenway.org/

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contribute to sls
Your financial support  is a validation of the hard work and dedication of our volunteers. SLS is an all-volunteer organization formed in 1989 to protect the water quality and environmental values of Lake Sammamish and its watershed through education and advocacy. Your support publishes and distributes the SLS Newsletter, purchases materials for educational displays and office supplies, pays the telephone bill and hires experts, when the need arises. Without your generosity, we couldn’t continue to operate!  Send checks to:
      Save Lake Sammamish
      PMB 2565
      1420 N.W. Gilman Blvd. Ste. 2
      Issaquah, Washington 98027
SLS has 501(c)3 status, and so your donation qualifies as a charitable contribution for tax purposes, and is fully tax-deductible.  
 
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