Around the Sound: Port Angeles Harbor open house recap

By Hannah Aoyagi, Public Involvement Coordinator, Toxics Cleanup Programgraphic by Hannah AoyagiLast week, Ecology’s Port Angeles cleanup team held an open house to share the results of a major study of contamination in Port Angeles Harbor. Project manager Connie Groven presented the main findings of the study, condensing over 1,000 pages of reports into one slide show (available in PDF or

Eyes Over Puget Sound for March 19, 2012

By Sandy Howard, communication manager, Environmental Assessment ProgramWe’ve just posted our aerial photos from our March 19 Puget Sound flight (pdf).Do you recognize this photo? (It’s Capitol Lake in Olympia.)Eyes Over Puget Sound” combines high-resolution photo observations with satellite images, en route ferry data between Seattle and Victoria BC, and measurements from our moored

Let’s Talk Science! Gravity, the moon, and all this talk of King Tides

By Brook Beeler, Environmental Educator, Office of Communication and EducationHere at Ecology we are dedicated to understanding the effects of climate change in Washington. One of the ways to visualize what sea level rise could look like is to document high tides. Spring tides occur naturally when the sun and the moon align, causing an increased gravitational pull on the Earth’s oceans. Note that

Washington sets model for prioritizing toxic chemicals

By Joshua Grice, Reducing Toxic Threats Section, Waste 2 Resources




Photo by Myra Klarman
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently finalized its plan to identify priority chemicals under the federal Toxic Substance Control Act for further study. EPA drafted this plan in 2011 and gathered stakeholder input. Ecology is proud to be a trail blazer in prioritizing chemicals

Fecal Matters: Dakwas Park Beach is Open

BEACH Program Update

Neah Bay - Dakwas Park Beach in Clallam County is open for water recreation. Additional samples collected show bacteria concentrations have dropped to background levels. The Makah Tribe BEACH Program removed the swimming advisory signs March 14, previously posted on March 6, 2012.

Additional information about the Makah BEACH Program: http://www.makah.com/

Fecal Matters: Swimming Advisory Issued at Dakwas Park Beach in Neah Bay

BEACH Program Update

On March 6, 2012, the Makah Tribe BEACH Program in Clallam County issued a swimming advisory at Dakwas Park Beach in Neah Bay. The advisory was issued due to elevated bacteria results in water samples collected at the beach.

Contact with fecal contaminated waters can result in gastroenteritis, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections and other illnesses. Children and the

Around the Sound: March 13 Open House on Port Angeles Harbor Study

By Hannah Aoyagi, Public Involvement Coordinator, Toxics Cleanup ProgramTomorrow night, Ecology is hosting a public open house in Port Angeles. The purpose of the event is to share the results of the Port Angeles Harbor Sediments Investigation. The two draft reports from this study are available for public comment until May 22.Tuesday, March 13, 20126:30 - 8:30 p.m., presentation at 7:00

Around the Sound: Rayonier Mill cleanup schedule update

By Rebecca Lawson, regional Toxics Cleanup Program managerA year after our last update, we are releasing a new estimated cleanup timeline. We now believe it will take until December of 2014 to finish the last task in Rayonier’s current cleanup agreement, instead of the end of 2013.The Port Angeles Harbor Sediments Investigation has shifted the timeline.Our study of Port Angeles Harbor sediments

Let's Talk Science! A new column focused on science at Ecology

By Brook Beeler, Environmental Educator, Office of Communication and EducationScience is cool! We think it’s important to have an understanding of the big concepts in life, Earth, and physical science. It’s important not only because our work is based on these concepts, but also because our environment’s behavior is based on basic scientific principles.It’s not just our scientists who need a good

Air Time: New video focuses on harmful fine particles

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Air Quality ProgramTake a look at our new video on how toxic fine particles — from smoke, diesel fuel exhaust and other sources — in the air that you breathe can seriously damage your health. (Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9A71m7-ReQ)Also, you can find links to more information on fine particles and their sources by going to Ecology’s homepage and

Cleaning Up: How you can track contaminated sites

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Toxics Cleanup ProgramEcology’s Toxics Cleanup Program offers two regular online products that can provide handy information on contaminated sites throughout the state.Twice a year, we update the state’s Hazardous Sites List, which provides a county-by-county list of cleanup sites.The most recent update is now online. You can find it and past versions of

Now showing: Eyes Over Puget Sound photos from Feb. 27, 2012

By Sandy Howard, communication manager, Environmental Assessment ProgramCheck it out!We have just posted our aerial photos from our Feb. 27 Puget Sound flight (pdf).Lots of very current images here, and something new — we are testing some air quality monitoring equipment this time.“Eyes Over Puget Sound” combines high-resolution photo observations with satellite images, en route ferry data