Sewage spill in Dyes Inlet sends rowing club scrambling for cleaner waters
When a no-contact advisory was issued for Dyes Inlet and the Port Washington Narrows last week, Clam Island Rowing had a problem on its hands.
In an alert on Friday, the Kitsap Public Health District reported that the city of Bremerton had notified the district of a sewage spill of about 1,500 gallons. A no-contact advisory would be in effect throughout the waters of Dyes Inlet through Thursday, and the health district recommended against recreation in or any direct skin contact with the water in the area.
The club's rowing season runs from March through the end of October, and Ellen Strong, a coach with the club, estimated that sewage spills and no-contact advisories that interrupt rowing activities happen at least once a year. The club puts its rowing shells in the water on the Silverdale waterfront and without the luxury of launching off a dock, there’s no way for rowers to avoid contacting the water.
Typically a spill would mean that rowing would be canceled for a few days. This time, though, the spill came with especially unfortunate timing for the club.
The city reported to the Kitsap Sun that a mechanical failure at a pump station near Lions Park was to blame for the discharge. While the outflow was relatively minor, the issue meant a sizeable headache for the rowing club. The 2022 USRowing Northwest Youth Championships are scheduled for this weekend, and the club couldn’t afford to have athletes off the water with the clock counting down toward the event. Racing on Vancouver Lake is set to begin Friday morning.
“When you get down to the last week before a race,” Strong said, “every practice counts, every practice matters.”
So the club set to getting the word out, hoping to find a location beyond Dyes Inlet where they could launch and row. The club found what Strong labeled “Camp Keyport,” a temporary northern outpost for rowers to use for a few days ahead of the competition. Rowers were given access to a private beach whose owners gave permission for the club to launch and retrieve racing shells there. The owners also offered up their slip at the Keyport Marina as a space to dock the club's safety boat.
Clam Island Rowing lost adult learn-to-row sessions over the weekend and had to give up youth practice time on Saturday shifting equipment to Keyport. But with competition looming, rowers have been able to continue honing their skills on the water.
“It’s not the first time we’ve had sewage spills in Dyes Inlet,” Strong said. “Every time that we have one, it has a really significant impact on Clam Island Rowing.”
Nathan Pilling is a reporter covering Bainbridge Island, North Kitsap and Washington State Ferries for the Kitsap Sun. He can be reached at 360-792-5242, nathan.pilling@kitsapsun.com or on Twitter at @KSNatePilling. Reporter Josh Farley contributed to this story.
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This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Sewage spill in Dyes Inlet sends rowing club scrambling to new waters
