Around the Sound: Ecology reviewing a draft report on the Rayonier Mill upland

By Marian Abbett, Site Manager, Toxics Cleanup Program

On November 15th, on schedule, I received Rayonier’s draft Upland Data Summary Report. This report pulls together all the contamination data we have for contamination on the Rayonier Mill property.


Why is this report important?
We call this report “Volume One” for short. It is the first of four volumes that will make up the cleanup plan

Tacoma Smelter Plume: Eating from your garden

By Hannah Aoyagi, Public Involvement Coordinator, Toxics Cleanup Program

Growing your own fruits and veggies can be rewarding and healthy...even if you may have arsenic and lead in your soil. Many gardeners in the Tacoma Smelter Plume have asked us whether they can still eat from their gardens.

The answer is yes, but you should still take precautions.


Most plants don't take up arsenic and

Multiple agencies respond to gasoline spill in Bellevue

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 2:30 a.m., November 28, 2011BELLEVUE – The state Departments of Ecology and Transportation, Washington State Patrol, Bellevue Fire Department, a private cleanup contractor and other teams are responding to a gasoline spill after a tanker overturned on Interstate 405 on Sunday evening in Bellevue.Up to 3,400 gallons of gasoline is believed to have spilled to the roadway,

Ecology, SPU and Coast Guard responding to gasoline release at south end of Lake Union

UPDATE: Nov. 24, 2011 (11 a.m.)On Wednesday evening (Nov. 23, 2011), Ecology and Seattle Public Utilities worked closely with the owner of the property with the old gasoline storage tank. The property owner quickly hired a private cleanup contract to secure the site to keep any more gasoline-contaminated surface water runoff from further reaching the city's storm drain system — including stacking

Ecology Volunteers Harvest for Families in Need

By Johanna Ofner, Carbon Smart Initiative, Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) internOn a recent cloudy Saturday, 35 volunteers – Ecology employees, St. Martin’s University students, Evergreen State College students, Kiwanis Club members, and Washington Conservation Corps members – came together to harvest potatoes and winter squash from the food bank garden located on the grounds of Ecology’s

Tacoma Smelter Plume: Questions about arsenic and lead in soil

By Amy Hargrove, Soil Safety Program Coordinator, Toxics Cleanup ProgramAt all three of our recent public meetings — Tacoma, Vashon Island, and University Place — we heard similar questions about arsenic and lead in soil. This blog goes through a little of the science of the Tacoma Smelter Plume...Will the arsenic and lead in soil leach out or decrease over time?In general, no. Arsenic and lead

Our Changing Climate: More floods, drought on the way?

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Air Quality ProgramThe U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has released a new report that concludes climate change will cause more flooding and drought conditions.This Washington Post story notes:“The report — the culmination of a two-year process involving 100 scientists and policy experts — suggests that researchers are far more confident