Hood Canal has been in the headlines recently for extraordinarily low levels of dissolved oxygen and recent shellfish harvest closures.  The Skokomish River contributes over 40 percent of the freshwater that enters Hood Canal.  This particular valley also happens to be home to a large portion of the county’s agricultural activity.  Agriculture (along with malfunctioning septic systems, tribal fishery carcass disposal, and stormwater runoff) has been identified as a possible cause for these low dissolved oxygen levels. 

Richard Geiger, District Engineer and Shannon Kirby, Environmental Specialist for Mason Conservation District have been working with farmers in the Skokomish Watershed for almost a decade trying to solve water quality issues in this flood-prone valley. They received a grant from the Puget Sound Action Team to implement a feasibility study in early 2005 to determine if an anaerobic digester could help solve some of those issues.  As a result, Governor Gregoire introduced, and the legislature approved, a line item in the 2005-2007 state budget for the construction of an anaerobic digester in the Skokomish Watershed.

Mr. Geiger and Ms. Kirby are hoping to adapt the current technology to fit the needs of Skokomish Valley farmers and improve water quality in the Hood Canal.  In addition to livestock waste, the digester will utilize fish carcasses from the local tribal fishery, food waste from the nearby Washington Correctional Facility, and possibly residential yard waste.

This project differs from most in that the main focus is removing nitrogen and pathogens from the watershed to keep them from ever entering Hood Canal and contributing to low dissolved oxygen levels.  As a result, the main focus for outputs is not the power the digester will generate, rather the other byproducts. This includes a liquid fertilizer free of pathogens that can be spread on crops throughout the watershed, instead of concentrated only on pastures.  This fertilizer is also more readily absorbed by plants and thus less likely to enter the storm water as excess nutrients.  The digester will also produce a solid, peat-moss like material that is suitable for animal bedding and soil amendment.  If all goes as planned, the digester will be able to remove excess nutrients from the watershed while keeping most of the byproducts within the watershed.

Currently, the project is still in the design phase.  There have been several meetings to assess feasibility and community support, and so far everyone is very excited to see this technology be put to use in the Skokomish Watershed.  An agricultural landowner has already agreed to house the digester on his property and operate it in cooperation with other landowners in the watershed.  Plans are for construction to be complete by October 2006.