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