Rob Zisette, a senior environmental engineer with Herrera, said the data analysis hasn't been completed. So far, nothing jumps out at him. We're a little concerned the natural variability far exceeds what we can account for due to waves only. He said one problem with the data is that the reference site doesn't have the same type of habitat as all of the other sites. The barnacle results could be especially interesting, Zisette said.
Barnacles hatch in the spring.
If the Chinook's wake had any effect on the 1999 crop, that should show up. The results will be compared to others taken during a 1990 study of the same sites. A report will be drafted, reviewed and published. If the tests are inconclusive, the biologists will recommend what further study, if any, needs to be conducted to evaluate whether the Chinook impacts the biology, Zisette said. There's no defined next step at this state.