Drayton Harbor’s 2016 reopening of 810 acres of commercial, tribal, and recreational shellfish harvesting area marked a significant achievement in the efforts to improve water quality and allow year-round harvest of the productive shellfish growing area. Public outreach over the past 20 years played a critical role in engaging the local community and encouraging on-the-ground actions to reduce pollution throughout the watershed. Bacteria pollution is a complex issue requiring diverse solutions; no single fix exists. In the Drayton Harbor watershed, a variety of organizations, agencies, and community members participated in developing and carrying out a robust and diverse outreach strategy that was adapted over time. We will review the history of these key outreach players and their roles in Drayton Harbor water quality improvements. Successful outreach efforts from Whatcom County’s Pollution Identification and Correction (PIC) Program included the development of online water quality summaries, online interactive results map, community events, video shorts, and the septic system maintenance rebate program. Future outreach goals include the use of social marketing to normalize pollution prevention actions such as routine septic system maintenance. Ultimately, sustaining good water quality and safe, year-round shellfish harvest requires ongoing community engagement
