Wednesday, 31 October 2012

Fecal Matters: Beach Closure at Richey Viewpoint Beach, West Seattle

BEACH Program Update

Today, October 31, 2012, Seattle-King County Public Health closed the beach at Richey Viewpoint in West Seattle because of a sewage overflow at a nearby wastewater treatment plant pump station. The County is actively testing the water quality in this area.

Contact with fecal contaminated waters can result in gastroenteritis, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections and

Seattle Times: Yakima Basin Plan “is a refreshing counterpoint to frustrations with gridlock elsewhere in politics.”

by Tim Hill, Office of Columbia River

Lance Dickie writes in The Seattle Times:


A long, frustrating campaign season and years of legislative paralysis in Congress fuel a need for optimism about a fresh start in politics.

I believe I have found it, and it is here at home in this Washington. The name does not roll off the tongue, but it illustrates how things can change for the better:

The

Thursday, 25 October 2012

“Ecology for Scientists" website serves niche audience

By Sandy Howard, communication manager, Environmental Assessment Program

We’ve got a new online presence that shows off Ecology’s most current environmental studies and reports, as well as new, related information.

We call it Ecology for Scientists.

We hope this web resource helps scientists tap into our state’s growing body of environmental knowledge.

Visit Ecology for Scientists to find

Wednesday, 24 October 2012

Leaking Hanford tank complicates cleanup plans

By Dieter Bohrmann, communications manager, Nuclear Waste Program

On October 22, the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE) announced that video inspections confirmed a leak from the inner shell of a double-shell tank at Hanford. This was the first confirmed leak from one of Hanford’s 28 double-shell tanks, and the discovery threatens to further complicate plans for treating 56 million gallons of

Let’s Talk Science! Technology behind monitoring fine particle pollution

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

Why do we monitor air quality in Washington state? Why, it’s a little thing called the Clean Air Act. We have an extensive network of monitors across the state to help us keep tabs on the seven air pollutants outlined by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. These standards for carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide

Friday, 19 October 2012

Air Time: The World of Wood Burning

by Air Quality Program, wood stove coordinator


People use fire as part of nearly every culture. Burning wood to cook food is still vital for much of the world’s population today. Unfortunately, bringing some ancient but unaltered practices into the modern, and often urban, world may not be safe or wise.


The issues related to residential wood burning are as complex as our modern world. In my

Thursday, 18 October 2012

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