OLYMPIA — The state Marine Debris Task Force has reminded beach-goers to phone 855-922-6278 to report potentially dangerous or tsunami-related marine debris on shorelines.
The toll-free hotline can be used to report oil and hazardous items to the National Response Center and state Department of Ecology, large floating debris items that might pose a boating or navigation hazard or to get instructions for reporting debris that is not large or hazardous.
The task force marine debris website at http://marinedebris.wa.gov contains information about:
■ How to report nonhazardous marine debris.
■ Identifying and reporting potentially hazardous debris items.
■ Tips on keeping our beaches clean and healthy.
■ Where to get more information about debris modeling and monitoring efforts — including debris likely resulting from the March 11, 2011, tsunami that devastated Japan.
■ Updates on efforts by the state’s Marine Debris Task Force.
Gov. Chris Gregoire established the task force — consisting of the state Military Department’s Emergency Management Division and several other state agencies — to coordinate state, federal and local activities to monitor and respond to marine debris found on the coast.
Spike in June
Washington state had a spike in the amount of marine debris found on beaches in June, Ecology said in a statement.
Most items are small, such as plastic bottles and floats, Styrofoam, pieces of lumber and crates.
Since July, the amount washing ashore has decreased, partly due to seasonal weather patterns, it said, adding that more is expected later this fall and winter when weather patterns shift.
Items from many parts of the Pacific Rim, including buoys and consumer plastics, regularly wash up on Washington beaches, and it is difficult to tell the origin of the debris without identifying information.
But if an item appears to have sentimental value to those who owned it, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — or NOAA — asks that it be moved to a safe place and a photograph and note about the location be emailed to DisasterDebris@noaa.gov.
Marine debris that appears to be oiled or contain hazardous materials should be reported to 855-922-6278.
If something looks suspicious, don’t touch it, Ecology warned, mentioning in particular the 10-inch aluminum insecticide canisters that are often found in high tide zones along the coast.
Such canisters can contain small amounts of toxic phosphine gas.
Washington’s 375 miles of coastal beaches are owned and managed by eight different landowners: the Hoh tribe, the Makah Nation, the Quileute tribe, the Quinault Indian Nation, the Shoalwater Bay tribe, Olympic National Park, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.
A NOAA website — www.marinedebris.noaa.gov/tsunamidebris — remains the best source for information about Japan tsunami marine debris, including modeling, protocols to follow for handling marine debris and frequently asked questions.