Grass clippings in the harbor? Really, people?
It felt like hitting a softened piece of driftwood. My curiosity turned to disgust as I realized my paddle had connected with a fully intact, deceased, floating dogfish in Gig Harbor Bay.
My paddle continues through patches of floating debris as I make my way to the Gig Harbor lighthouse: a paper mask, a curious harbor seal and her pup, a yogurt container and bottle caps, a deep red Lion’s Mane jellyfish, and grass clippings. So many grass clippings.
I’ve written about the health of Gig Harbor Bay before — it’s a constant question we receive at Harbor WildWatch, local environmental education nonprofit. However, as summer heats up and we enjoy our outdoor spaces, our footprint seems to become more visible.
Unintentional trash in the harbor is common. One strong breeze can send all matters of lightweight garbage flying. Our harbor has human-powered watercraft on it year-round, myself and my stand-up paddle board included. When paddling, I try to do my best to scoop up any garbage that I see floating; .It’s an imperfect solution to a bigger, wide-scale problem, but an imperfect solution is certainly better than none.
Clippings are harmful
Grass clippings, however, are more complicated. While clippings can accidentally find their way into waterways and stormwater drains, deliberately putting grass clippings in any lake, stream, wetland, or bay is illegal.
Grass clippings in waterways is covered under the 90.48 Revised Code of Washington regarding water pollution control. According to the Department of Ecology, if the clippings are not within the high tide line, it is considered illegal dumping under Solid Waste laws and local dumping ordinances.
Not only are clippings and yard waste illegal to dump, they also significantly harm water quality.
The practice can cause a litany of issues, from adding excessive nutrients (think nitrogen and phosphorus) to the water and causing harmful algae blooms, to smothering spawning beds of fish. If the lawn has been treated with fertilizers or pesticides, clippings could incidentally leech these into the water. All of this affects wildlife — and everyone who enjoys recreating in the Puget Sound.
Rather than dumping grass clippings or yard waste, creative lawn maintenance could include composting. This method builds healthy soil for plants while saving landfill space. Not able to compost? Leaves, grass, and other yard waste can put in a curbside yard waste bin or dropped off at a yard debris collection site (check out the transfer stations in Purdy or Key Center).
Another option is utilizing the “grass cycling” setting on newer lawn mowers (using the method of mulch mowing), or simply mowing grass without a lawnmower bag and leaving the clippings to naturally decompose. The WSU Master Gardeners recommend keeping the mower blade sharp, mowing when the grass is dry, and carefully mowing over any clumps to scatter them. (doing so will not produce thatch).
Everyone has a role in keeping Gig Harbor bay clean for the wildlife that inhabit it, ourselves, and future generations. A little bit of conscientiousness and creative solutions could go a long way!
This story was originally published August 5, 2020 at 12:00 AM.