Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Kittitas County Fairgrounds – Pollution Abated

By Diane Dent, Water Quality Stories Lead, Water Quality Program




The “before” photo: manure-laden wash-water draining into Wilson Creek. Photo credit: Terry Wittmeier


Introduction
Have you ever seen the cute 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) kids at the annual county fair,proudly showing off their well-groomed livestock? Ever wonder what they do to keep their animals so clean while at

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: A Pullman Partnership: Not Wishy-Washy about Preventing Stormwater Pollution

By Diane Dent, Water Quality Stories Lead, Water Quality Program



Soapy water flowing into a catch basin where the pump transfers
it to the sanitary sewer. Photo credit: Pullman Stormwater Services.


Introduction
Each summer, charity car washes pop up at various locations around the cities and towns we live in. These car washes are set up with the best of intentions to raise money for many

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Shoreline’s Aurora Corridor Improvement

By Diane Dent, Water Quality Stories Lead, Water Quality Program



A raingarden swale along Shoreline’s Aurora Avenue improvement area.


Introduction
A three-mile stretch of Aurora Avenue (Highway 99) between North 145th Street and North 205th Street in
Shoreline, Washington, had problems. Before the city began making improvements here much of the area lacked sidewalks, and the wide roadway

Happy 40th Anniversary Clean Water Act

By Joye Redfield-Wilder and Sandy Howard

Forty years ago, on Oct. 18, 1972, the U.S. Congress enacted the Clean Water Act designed to end pollution to the nation’s rivers, lakes and bays.

For the past several months, Northwest Public Radio’s EarthFix — a public media project with many regional public broadcasting partners — has been reporting on different aspects of the Act’s influences for

Good Yard Care Practices Help Protect Washington Waters

By Brook Beeler, environmental educator, Office of Communication and Education


Mulch or compost clippings and prevent them from
entering our waters causing pollution
Gardening season has kicked into high gear in Washington and with all that lawn care comes oodles and oodles of grass clippings and other garden debris. For many, managing all those clippings can be overwhelming. There are a few

Let’s Talk Science: Breaking down decomposers

By Brook Beeler, environmental educator, Office of Communication and Education

Nitrogen and phosphorus are essential building blocks for living organisms. These elements and others, like carbon, allow organisms to create cells, tissue, and provide energy to complete their life processes. Nitrogen and phosphorus, also known as “nutrients”, are an integral part of living organisms. These nutrients

When carpet cleaning, where should the wash water go?

By Brook Beeler, watershed education coordinator, Eastern Regional OfficeKnow how to dump smartMy mother-in-law pulled up to our house recently with my daughter, a huge pan of barbecued ribs, and a problem. Luckily the problem was not related to my six-year-old. It had to do with that delicious pan of ribs steeped in rich barbecue sauce and the carpet in her truck. It spilled and she was left

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

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Turbid runoff and the railroad — Cooperative solutions

By Ted Hamlin, Ecology Spokane Regional Office

This dirt road was sending muddy runoff into the Spokane River.Finding and fixing direct discharges of stormwater into the Spokane River are constant and perplexing problems. There are dirt streets, alleys, parking lots, and access roads around the cities of Spokane and the Spokane Valley that contribute muddy water during each rain event or snow

Combined Sewer Overflow Programs: Protecting our waters from stormwater, raw sewage and industrial pollution

By Kelly Susewind, Manager, Department of Ecology Water Quality Program



Projects to control combined sewer overflows provide an important solution to raw sewage discharges and stormwater treatment in the 11 Washington cities that have combined sewer and stormwater systems. Without controls over combined sewer overflows, heavy rains and snowmelt can cause large quantities of raw sewage from