Wrapping Up in Triangle Cove

Pie, apple cider, and music marked the final public meeting, and celebration, of the Triangle Cove Pollution Identification and Correction (PIC) program. Successes in this watershed since 2013 include:

  • An increase in on-site septic system inspections from 19% to a fantastic 87% (with more likely before year-end)! Some septic system problems were spotted and repaired, helping to keep septic waste out of the waterways.
  • Many more community members are now aware of how water quality issues affect all of us – from potentially affecting our drinking water to restricting shellfish harvesting, paddling, and wading along our beaches. And they know how to keep the waters clean!
  • Grant funding allowed one community member in the Triangle Cove watershed to take on a project to construct manure composting bins and expand a winter paddock for her horses. These practices will not only keep her horses out of the muck this winter and make it easier for her to contain the manure, they reduce the amount of mud and manure that washes into waterways during the rainy season.

Residents attending the Triangle Cove Watershed Celebration and Annual Meeting on October 20, 2015 at the Camano Center were treated to a festive evening with plenty of opportunities to ask questions of Kathleen Parvin, the Triangle Cove PIC Program Coordinator from Island County Public Health. For more information about the project, please read this article by The Herald of Everett, or call Kathryn Wells, Snohomish Conservation District, at 425-377-7024 or Kathleen Parvin, Island County Public Health, at 360-387-3443 ext. 240.

We thank the Camano Center for use of their facilities and the support of their staff; Ford Giesbrecht, 
who provided delightful guitar music for participants to enjoy; and most of all, the residents of Triangle
Cove watershed who take steps every day to protect one of Camano Island’s gems, Triangle Cove.