PORT LUDLOW — Tom McCay is surprised by what he sees in the drainage pond below his house in the South Bay Community.
Among the grass along the shore is a lone duck, cautiously looking at the water.
“He won’t be here for long,” McCay said.
“The water is too polluted for him to get in there.”
The water in the pond, which serves as the stormwater runoff for the residents of the South Bay Community, has been untested since a local resident who tended to the pond’s health died last year.
“It used to be pretty nice down here,” McCay said.
“You could take a walk and see blue herons, frogs and all kinds of birds down here.
“But just not anymore — it’s getting too bad.”
McCay said that it’s the community’s responsibility to maintain the water quality and the upkeep of the banks of the pond, so the location doesn’t become a cesspool in the near future.
But what was once a miniature habitat for local wildlife is quickly becoming a burden because, according to McCay, no one knows how to properly maintain the location.
To solve the problems, the South Bay Community Association formed a drainage committee, which McCay represents.
Its answer is for the southern residents of Port Ludlow to consider annexation into the Port Ludlow Drainage District.
“People seem to be interested in it,” McCay said.
“But we haven’t heard back from enough of them yet.”
To remedy the problem of community involvement, the association is holding a public forum from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday at the Bay Club, 120 Spinnaker Place.
The association is asking all landowners to attend.
At the meeting will be Port Ludlow Drainage District commissioners, members of Jefferson County Public Works Department and members of the South Bay Community Association.
The drainage district in North Bay currently manages the maintenance and monitoring of stormwater runoff in the area.
Southern half
The district could expand to cover the southern half of Port Ludlow as well, if citizens are willing to pay into the district.
McCay said he hopes people will show up and listen to the proposal.
“It could really help us out down here,” he said.
“It’s a problem now but as we see more and more people moving into the area, this location is going to get worse and we could lose control of it.”
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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com
