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1992). The effect on surface water is expected to increase in areas like the 

 Black River which has seen a rapid increase in rural residences (Blocher 

 1991). 



Industrial Chemical Storage and Disposal 



Waste chemicals are nonpoint sources when they enter the stream either because 

 of poor storage or when they are dumped by hand. One example is of the 

 American Crossarm Company near Chehalis, where old leaking electrical 

 condensers were stored. Floodwaters rose, destroyed the berm around the site, 

 and carried off unknown amounts of PCB-laden oil (Craig Harper, CRC, pers. 

 comrr.. ) . Several possibilities of improper industrial waste disposal were also 

 proposed during the Black River fish kill investigation and, although none was 

 verified, it was clear that, where river conditions were already marginal, a 

 seemingly small event could trigger a fish kill (Van Dyk 1989). 



Log Storage Runoff 



Large stacks of logs are stored in Centralia, Montesano, Aberdeen, Cosmopolis, 

 and Hoquiam before shipment to mills. In storage, logs are sometimes treated 

 with preservatives, which can wash into surrounding waters unless adequate 

 settling basins are used. Schroder and Fresh (1992), in their analysis of 

 contamination of Grays Harbor receiving waters and suspended solids, 

 identified several compounds typical of wood storage potentially toxic at 

 higher concentrations. A wood waste landfill on Dillenbaugh Creek has been 

 suspected of leaching toxic materials into the creek (Pickett 1992). 



Land Application of Food Processing Waste 



National Frozen Foods holds a Washington State Discharge Permit to apply food 

 processing waste to land near Salzer Creek. In the summer of 1979, the 

 failure of a wastewater pipe caused a spill directly into the creek, resulting 

 in very low DO levels at Centralia (Pickett 1992) and killing a number of 

 spring Chinook salmon (Jim Fraser, WDF, pers. coram. | . An alarm system to show 

 loss of pressure now ensures prompt action to minimize spills. 



GRAVEL MINING 



Chehalis Basin gravel mining near Rochester and Elma from the 1940s to the 

 early 1980e probably damaged shad and sturgeon (John Wolfe, FWS, pers. comra. ) . 

 Gravel operations consisted of pits in the active channel. Wolfe hypothesizes 

 that, since shad eggs drift with currents before settling, they may settle in 

 silt holes and suffocate. Entrapment in mined pits also probably occurred. 



Collins and Dunne (1986, quoted in Mark et &1. 1986) listed the possible 

 negative fishery effects of gravel mining as elimination of fish habitat such 

 as pools, side channels, and eddies; lowered water table and consequent damage 

 to riparian vegetation; and increased bank erosion. Collins and Dunne (1988) 

 cited evidence that gravel was being removed faster than the natural rate of 



