Citizens take back Tri-City hills from illegal dumpers – earn environmental praise

By Joye Redfield-Wilder


Part of Jim Coleman’s job at the Benton-Franklin Health
District is to respond to solid waste complaints such as illegal dumping. When
he was asked to look into complaints of garbage accumulating in the Zintel
Canyon area of State Route 397 near Kennewick, Wash., he found it wouldn’t be a
routine investigation.


“I was amazed at the grassroots efforts already underway.

Fecal Matters: Cummings Park and Les Davis Pier on Ruston Way Reopened in Tacoma, WA

BEACH Program Update

Tacoma, WA - Cummings Park and Les Davis Pier in Tacoma are open for water recreation. Beach closure signs were previously posted on May 24, 2013 due to high fecal bacteria in the water.

The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department removed the closure signs May 30, 2013, after follow-up sampling indicated low bacteria levels. There is no longer a
public health concern, but 

UPDATE: Power-outage will affect Ecology online applications (May 31 - June 2)

Ecology Notification

Maintenance work is planned for the Ecology building in Lacey, beginning Friday, May 31st at 7:00 PM through Sunday, June 2nd. During this time, the power will be turned off to our data center, temporarily shutting down many of Ecology's online applications.

Applications that will not be available include:
Areawide Remediation Environmental Information System (AREIS)

Around the Sound: Comments sought on Anacortes site

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Toxics Cleanup Program


We’re asking the public to comment on the final round of cleanup work planned at the Cap Sante Marine site on the Anacortes waterfront.

The Port of Anacortes owns the site on Fidalgo Bay. The port did some substantial
cleanup work in 2007 – the photo at right captures some of that effort.

This last round will focus on two small

Around the Sound: A Sound check on salmon, seal health

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Toxics Cleanup Program

Two
newspapers offer their looks at Puget Sound’s health as measured through
different creatures that live in the Sound’s waters.

Chris Dunagan of the Kitsap Sun has published his latest take the Sound’s health. This one focuses on salmon and other fish in the Sound’s waters.

Dunagan
delves into “vital signs” collected by the

Ecology's Dam Safety Office Gets High Marks

But report says state’s aging dams need continual attention and funding

by Lynne D. Geller, Water Resources Communication & Education

When was the last time the importance of well-maintained dams came up in dinner conversation? For most of us, maybe never! Like so much of our state’s infrastructure, the safety of our state’s dams is taken for granted — unless one fails.


So it’s good to

Sharing the magic of green chemistry with high school teachers

By Saskia van Bergen, green chemistry scientist, Hazardous
Waste Toxic Reduction Program


When I was a student in a lab, I knew very little of the
chemical and safety hazards of the experiments we did. From my perspective, the materials magically
appeared and disappeared. I didn’t know
what went on behind the scenes. I thought very little about the health risks of
chemicals we used. This

Fecal Matters: No Contact Advisory for Cummings Park and Les Davis Pier on Ruston Way, Tacoma, WA

BEACH Program Update

On May 24, 2013, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department issued a no contact advisory for Cummings Park and Les Davis Pier on Ruston Way in Tacoma, WA. The closure was issued due to high fecal bacteria counts in the water. The public is warned not to make contact with the water until further notice. The Health Department will continue to collect water samples weekly and

Power-outage will affect Ecology online applications (May 31 - June 2)

Ecology Notification

Maintenance work is planned for the Ecology building in Lacey, beginning Friday, May 31st at 5:00 PM through Sunday, June 2nd. During this time, the power will be turned off to our data center, temporarily shutting down many of Ecology's online applications.

Applications that will not be available include:
Areawide Remediation Environmental Information System (AREIS)

Around the Sound: Work underway at the K Ply cleanup site

By Connie Groven, Site Manager, Toxics Cleanup Program


Here the K Ply smokestack is being covered so that asbestos can be scraped from the surfaces the port could reach. January 29, 3013

The past few weeks have seen a lot of activity at the K Ply cleanup site (also known as PenPly or Peninsula Plywood). You can see pictures of the April 9 smokestack demolition here and the whole demolition

See "Eyes Over Puget Sound" for May 20

By Sandy Howard, communications manager, Environmental Assessment Program




It’s just a click away — Eyes Over Puget Sound for May 20.

Phytoplankton blooms are notable, with extensive harmless, red-orange Noctiluca blooms showing up early following a period of high freshwater inputs and milder weather conditions.

As you can see in our cover photo,
the Fraser River sediment influence is

Voices For The Yakima Basin: "The Future We Want"

By Tim Hill, Office of Columbia River

We asked Michael Garrity of American Rivers and Trout Unlimited's Lisa Pelly to share their thoughts about the Yakima Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan (YBIP). Here's what they had to say:

The Yakima Basin Integrated Plan is a big deal. For farmers and river flows, certainly, ensuring water reliability as the climate warms and snowpack

Around the Sound: Fresh start for 'Puget Sound Starts Here'

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Toxics Cleanup Program

The “Puget Sound Starts Here” education campaign has a fresh look.

“Puget Sound Starts Here” is an effort by a partnership of cities, counties, state and federal agencies, nonprofit groups, and local organizations that focuses on improving waters and aquatic habitat in the Puget Sound region.

The Puget Sound Partnership has

Air Time: Wildfires heat up, bring toxic smoke

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Toxics Cleanup Program



Wildfires are burning already in several locations in Washington, just months after the nation watched as fires consumed vast tracts of central and eastern Washington, overwhelming local communities with hazardous, choking smoke.It was a stark, brutal lesson about the destructive power of wildfires. The air quality in some

Fecal Matters: No Contact Advisory for Irondale Beach, Jefferson County, WA

BEACH Program Update

On May 1, 2013, Jefferson County Public Health issued a no contact advisory for Irondale Beach near Port Hadlock, WA. The advisory was issued due to high E. coli bacteria counts in a creek which empties onto the beach.
Contact with fecal contaminated waters can result in gastroenteritis, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections and other illnesses. Children and the elderly

Boots on the Ground: Puget SoundCorps to remove creosote at Kitsap beaches

By Stephanie Jackson, WCC Project Coordinator, and Jasmine Davis, WCC Outreach Assistant, Ecology Washington Conservation Corps




Member Alex Stowe stages creosote debris for airlift, 2011



Member Shawn Montgomery removes marine



Puget SoundCorps crew clearing a derelict dock at Maury Island, 2012

Through a partnership between the Washington departments of Natural Resources (DNR) and