Air Time: Focus is on healthy air

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Air Quality Program


This is national Air Quality Awareness Week (April 30-May 6, 2012), which highlights efforts to improve and protect the air we all breathe.

Air quality affects our health, as well as the health of our families and neighbors. It also impacts the health of the environment and the overall quality of life in our communities.

This

Around the Sound: Water permit public meeting in Port Angeles April 30th

By Hannah Aoyagi, Public Involvement Coordinator, Toxics Cleanup Program


We are going to be in Port Angeles Monday to talk about a draft water quality permit for the City of Port Angeles combined sewer overflow (CSO) project.  Join us...


Monday, April 30th
6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Commissioners’ Boardroom
Clallam County Courthouse

223 East 4th Street, Port Angeles


Permit Comment Period April 16 -

Eyes Over Puget Sound - Aerial photos from April 23, 2012

By Sandy Howard, communication manager, Environmental Assessment Program



Algae blooms and impressive surface accumulations are showing up now in Puget Sound.

See them for yourself in the latest installment of the Department of Ecology’s “Eyes Over Puget Sound.” Surface conditions from April 23, 2012, are now available online at: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/eap/mar_wat/eops/

The pdf

We're Looking for a Few (well, actually, a whole "lotta") Good Photos

by Tim Hill, Office of the Columbia River



Do you have photos depicting Eastern Washington water use at home, at work, on the farm, or at your favorite fishing spot? Please consider submitting them to Ecology's new Flickr photo pool, "Water for People, Food, and Fish."

Good examples might include a person using water around the house; xeriscaping; efficient irrigation of crops, and photos of

Conversations about Washington's future — helping Washington respond to the growing threat of ocean acidification

By Ted Sturdevant, Ecology Director In the past several years, Washington's shellfish producers have seen significant increases in oyster larvae deaths. Some species aren't able to build their shells. Others species survive long enough to form shells, but they never reach market size.What is going on?A mounting body of evidence suggests that the ocean's chemistry is changing, due to increased

Ecology Ponders Hanford Tank Farm Closure

By Jeff Lyon, Nuclear Waste Program
I have some questions as Ecology’s Tank Systems, Operations, and Closure Project Manager:

How long should we wait to close the 149 single-shell tanks (SSTs) at Hanford?
What are the risks to humans and the environment if we wait?
If we wait for more money or better cleanup technologies (we may never get either), what should we do about the current soil

Washington, Oregon hook up on Hanford presentations at Oregon State

By Dieter Bohrmann, Communications Consultant, Nuclear Waste Program John Price and I ventured down to Oregon State University (OSU) on February 23 to talk about Hanford with students and faculty, as well as other Corvallis residents. We were joined on the visit by Ken Niles from the Oregon Department of Energy, and Max Power, chair of the Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board. Our first presentation was

Fecal Matters: Blakely Harbor Park Beach on Bainbridge Island is Closed

BEACH Program Update

Yesterday, Kitsap County Public Health closed the beach at Blakely Harbor Park on Bainbridge Island. The closure is due to a nearby sewage spill.

Contact with fecal contaminated waters can result in gastroenteritis, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections and other illnesses. Children and the elderly may be more vulnerable to waterborne illnesses.

Stay updated about

Spill Log: Weekend spills prompt Olympic Pipe Line to shut down fuel line

By Curt Hart, Communications Manager, Spills ProgramThe Olympic Pipe Line Co shut down its 400-mile interstate liquid fuel pipeline system twice this past weekend after two separate fuel spills occurred at the company’s Mount Vernon control station.As we watch the oil industry change the way and type of oil that’s being moved around the nation – a good example is the proposed Keystone XL pipeline

E-Cycle Washington – the free, convenient and responsible way to e-cycle

by Miles Kuntz, E-Cycle Washington, Ecology Waste 2 Resources ProgramE-Cycle Washington may sound like a program for bike riders, but it’s not. In fact, it’s for everyone. E-Cycle Washington is a free electronics recycling program overseen by the Department of Ecology. Electronics manufacturers fund the program; no state tax dollars are used. Ecology oversees E-Cycle Washington to ensure that