Tacoma Smelter Plume: Public meeting November 2 in Tacoma

By Hannah Aoyagi, Public Involvement Coordinator, Toxics Cleanup ProgramWe're holding a public comment period October 20 - December 20, 2011. Join us to learn more about our cleanup plan for the Tacoma Smelter Plume!Wednesday, November 2ndPoint Defiance Elementary School cafeteria4330 N. Visscher St., Tacoma(253) 571-69006:30 – 7:00 p.m. Open house session7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Presentation, question

Quincy Basin water rights bring tangible changes to area

by Jani Gilbert, communications manager, Eastern Regional OfficeEcology is working to make water available in the Quincy Basin Groundwater Management Subarea. This means growth in the tourism industry so people have new vacation options; farmers who were for years staring blankly at dry, unproductive land are now looking out at fresh, new crops; and entrepreneurs with dreams of new industry are

Cleaning Up: New chapter for Buena as old building falls

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Toxics Cleanup Program BEFORE:AFTER:Razing Roby'sCleanup work in the Central Washington town of Buena got off to a fast — and noticeable — start last week.Last week, Yakima County used money provided by Ecology to hire workers to tear down the old Roby’s Service Station in Buena, a small community in Yakima County. The abandoned husk sat on property

Air Time: Efforts focus on reducing air emissions

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Air Quality ProgramEcology is asking for comments about a revised proposal for reducing nitrogen oxide emissions from TransAlta’s coal-fired power plant near Centralia in Lewis County.The TransAlta plant is the state’s largest stationary source of nitrogen oxide emissions. Nitrogen oxide is a visibility-reducing pollutant, which contributes to regional

Tacoma Smelter Plume: Cleanup plan out for public comment

By Hannah Aoyagi, Public Involvement Coordinator, Toxics Cleanup ProgramEcology is holding a comment period October 20 – December 20 on a cleanup plan for the Tacoma Smelter Plume. This plan includes soil cleanup for the most contaminated areas of the plume and for play areas. It also manages risk by educating people about how to protect themselves.Why it mattersOver 1,000 square miles of King,

Washington and Ecology at center of push for national chemical policy reform

By Ken Zarker, Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction ProgramChemicals regulations are changing across the United States, as well as globally. The federal chemical policy – the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) — is intended to keep the public safe from toxic chemicals. This law was passed more than 35 years ago and has never been updated. It needs an overhaul.The past few months have been an

Spill Log: Puget Sound spills cap off busy week, Partnership sounds alarm

By Curt Hart, Communications Manager, Spills ProgramOn Thursday October 13, I wrote a blog about the oil spill affecting New Zealand and how two recent incidents involving commercial vessels in Washington’s waters highlighted similar spill risks here.Oil spill in West SeattleAnyone who turned on their TV, radio, surfed the web, or read a newspaper last Friday October 14 probably heard about the

Why the state’s municipal stormwater permits matter

By Sandy Howard, communication manager, Water Quality Program

Most people get this idea: What we do on the land causes pollution problems in our lakes, rivers and Puget Sound.


Polluted runoff
Runoff from surfaces in populated areas picks up chemicals and bacteria and carries it downstream into our waters. Right now, polluted runoff is the biggest threat to urban-area lakes, rivers and Puget

Air Time: Events focus on Pierce County air quality

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Air Quality ProgramIn the next week, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency will host two events to talk about air quality problems in Pierce County and possible solutions.A portion of Pierce County covering a large part of Tacoma and neighboring cities is designated as a “nonattainment area.” That means the air quality within the area failed to meet federal

Ecology, Gig Harbor fire and police departments responding to oil spill in Gig Harbor

By Curt Hart, Communications Manager, Spills ProgramEcology and Gig Harbor fire and police departments are responding to an oil spill in Gig Harbor in Pierce County. A barge owned by Marine Floats with a 5-ton deck crane sank in the harbor. The sunken barge has leaked an unknown amount of fuel, causing an oil sheen on the water. The fuel has been removed from the barge crane. The barge owner has

Ecology, Coast Guard and others responding to diesel spill from fishing support vessel at Tacoma's Hylebos Waterway

By Kathy Davis, Communications Manager, Hazardous Waste ProgramEcology, U.S. Coast Guard, Tacoma Fire Department and Washington State Maritime Cooperative (WSMC) are responding to a diesel spill at the mouth of the Hylebos Waterway in Tacoma.The 195-foot fishing tender, “Eastern Wind” spilled an unknown amount of diesel while transferring fuel within the vessel – from one tank to another. The

Cleaning Up: Camp Bonneville cleanup moving ahead

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Toxics Cleanup ProgramWe started seeking comments today (Friday, Oct. 14) for a proposed change in how cleanup work will move ahead at the sprawling Camp Bonneville site in Clark County.Ecology is overseeing the cleanup of the former military reservation, which the U.S. Army used for firing range practice and training from 1910 to 1995.In March 2006,

Spill Log: NZ oil spill and incidents at home

By Curt Hart, Communications Manager, Spills ProgramA dry-cargo barge, St. Elias, aground five miles southwest of Anacortes, Wash., in Rosario Strait, Oct. 10, 2011. Local communities along New Zealand’s North Island are bracing today for the potential impacts of a 450,000 gallon oil spill along that nation’s North Island.The spill started October 5 after the Rena, a 775-foot Liberian-flagged

Cleaning Up: Ecology asks for public's help in protecting human health

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Toxics Cleanup ProgramEcology is starting a public dialogue on how we can update environmental standards to be more protective of people who eat fish and shellfish from the state’s waters.You can find out more information on this issue, and how you can participate in Ecology’s process, on this web portal and in this news release.This effort follows

Around the Sound: Landmark deal for Dabob Bay

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Toxics Cleanup ProgramThe U.S. Navy and The Nature Conservancy announced a landmark deal last week to protect Dabob Bay in Jefferson County.Dabob Bay is one of the most pristine, least developed and ecologically important estuaries in Hood Canal and Puget Sound. The Dabob Bay range is also the Navy’s premier location in the United States for research,

Our Changing Climate: Melting ice means more Arctic ship traffic?

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Air Quality ProgramThe Seattle Times has this interesting story about how less ice in the Arctic is expected to mean more ship traffic in the region.Melting, thinning ice would open up more navigable waters for increased shipping of goods, more scientific exploration and more tourism activity.The catch is the United States is in danger of lagging behind in

Cleaning Up: Lower Duwamish work forges ahead

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Toxics Cleanup Program Combined efforts to clean up the Lower Duwamish Waterway in south Seattle took a major step forward this week.Work is under way on cleaning up the site known as Slip 4, one of the major pollution “hot spots” in the Lower Duwamish, which is a federal Superfund site.“The cleanup of Slip 4, about three miles upstream from Harbor Island,

New Tool Helps Ecology Help Fish

By Tim Hill, Office of Columbia River

Ecology’s Office of Columbia River (OCR) has a new tool to help us find the streamflow improvement projects that provide the most benefits to fish. Created with the help of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the “Columbia River Instream Atlas ” identifies where fish may be struggling and why and where we might have the most success with our

Good News for the Environment

By Barb MacGregor, Web Communications ManagerBefore I worked at Ecology, I thought of the agency as a bunch of people who make and enforce regulations. True, the regulations help protect the environment and enforcers make sure the rules are followed. But I just never imagined it was the kind of place where my background in environmental education and stewardship would fit.Well, I’ve been here

Our Changing Climate: Walking our talk (part 2)

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Air Quality ProgramI’ve written previously about Ecology’s Carbon Smart initiative. The effort aims to reduce our own climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions and also help other state agencies, businesses and individuals.Here are two more ways that we are working to “walk the talk”:See this recent blog post on electric vehicle charging stations now in

Air Time: Fight urge to burn falling leaves

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Air Quality ProgramAutumn sends some people searching for their rakes, so they can gather falling leaves and other yard waste into a pile for burning.But don’t strike that match just yet.Lighting up the leaves is illegal in most Washington cities and all urban growth areas because such burning produces smoke that can harm your health when you breathe it.