A plan to direct treated wastewater from the Big Lake sewer system to Nookachamps Creek has brought some doubting responses from the public and concerns from the state Department of Ecology.

Although proponents say it could potentially benefit salmon, Ecology officials say that not enough is known about the potential impact of the project proposed by Skagit County Sewer District 2.

The sewer district’s upgrades to its plant would add more water to the Nookachamps, which tends to run low in the summer months. The increased flow would benefit spawning salmon and the juveniles preparing to return to the sea, according to the project’s proponents.

The additional water source for the Nookachamps — up to 350,000 gallons per day by 2025, according to project documents — could also relieve the constraints on new development in the basin by adding to the water supply for individual wells.

The number of new wells in the Nookachamps basin is limited by a Department of Ecology rule that establishes just how much water may be drawn by wells in every basin in the Skagit River system.

The survival of the salmon is a priority of the Skagit County government, and its leaders support the project because of the benefits it might provide.

“Why dump (the treated water) in the river ... rather than dumping it in the creek if it’s going to be helpful for the salmon restoration efforts?” County Commissioner Ken Dahlstedt said.

The county secured a $225,000 Ecology grant for the sewer district to study whether increasing the flow of the Nookachamps with treated sewer water will in fact benefit fish.

Ecology has already expressed some concerns about the project. The agency wants assurances that the added water will not worsen the pollution already known to exist in the creek.

The discharge would need to be cool enough to avoid harming the salmon, Ecology said in an April 16 comment letter to the county. As it is, the creek is too warm for salmon to thrive, according to Ecology.

The creek also fails to meet state standards for fecal coliform bacteria and sufficient dissolved oxygen. Ecology’s comment letter said the environmental review undertaken so far doesn’t address any of these pollution problems.

A second environmental review is needed to determine whether releasing the treated effluent in the Nookachamps poses a risk to the environment, the letter said.

“We’re saying there’s not enough information to say yes or no at this stage,” Ecology spokesman Larry Altose said.

For now, the county planning department isn’t requiring a second environmental review. The department is waiting for the sewer district’s responses to the public comments.

The rural advocacy group Friends of Skagit County weighed in, concerned that adding water to the Nookachamps would heighten the flood danger in the winter and damage salmon habitat during the summer by scouring out the creek bottom when flows are low.

Friends of Skagit County and Big Lake farmer Andrea Xaver also raised the issue of pharmaceuticals in the water. Studies have shown that those chemicals alter the behavior and the gender characteristics of fish, Ecology spokeswoman Sandy Howard said.

“This whole issue of pharmaceuticals and personal care products is a big issue nationally if not internationally. We’re studying it,” Howard said.

Studies under way in the Puget Sound region will examine whether the latest treatment systems can remove at least some of the drugs from the treated wastewater, Howard said.

Rodney Langer of Bellevue-based CHS Engineers, the consultant working for the sewer district on the project, acknowledged that pharmaceuticals may need to be considered.

“Presently the state does not have regulations or guidance on this matter,” Langer said in an e-mail. “The enhanced process (in our plan) may provide some reduction, but it is not specifically designed to do so. This issue will be reviewed with the state departments of Health and Ecology in the technical review of the project proposal.”

The project is still in the planning stage. Approvals are still needed for county, state and federal permits.

County Commissioner Dahlstedt said he expects the sewer district and Ecology to work together to come up with a system that suits both.

“We don’t want to do something that’s detrimental (to salmon),” Dahlstedt said. “The goal is to find something that’s a positive impact.”

n Ralph Schwartz can be reached at 360-416-2138 or rschwartz@skagitpublish ing.com.