Around the Sound: DNR, Kitsap clean up toxic creosote

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Toxics Cleanup Program

The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Kitsap County Parks & Recreation are going to work next week to pull creosote-soaked debris from Kitsap beaches.

That includes old pilings treated with toxic creosote (similar to those shown in the photo to the right), as well as in-water structures and marine debris tainted

Fecal Matters: Proposed Beach Monitoring List Availabile for Public Comment

BEACH Program Update

This wonderful weather has us looking forward to beach sampling season!

Water testing at saltwater swimming beaches runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Check out our proposed beach list for water testing during the upcoming 2013 season!
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/eap/beach/beachlist.html

Tell us what you think: send your comments to the Interim Beach Program Manager

Tell us your Earth Day wish, April 22

Ecology's Communication and Education program

We’re trying something new at Ecology on Earth Day and inviting you to be part of it.

From noon to 1 p.m. PST on Monday, April 22, we’re asking you to share your wish for Earth Day during our first Twitter chat. Think of it like a birthday wish you'd make while blowing out candles, only it's for the planet on this 43rd Earth Day.

We’ll kick it off

Fecal Matters: No Contact Advisory Removed for Drayton Harbor in Whatcom County, WA

BEACH Program Update

On April 17, 2013, the Whatcom County Public Health Department removed the no contact advisory issued April 12, 2013 for all of Drayton Harbor near Blaine, WA. Follow-up samples taken near California and Dakota Creeks indicated satisfactory bacteria levels.

Visit the BEACH web site to find the latest results for these and other saltwater beaches:
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/

Tacoma Smelter Plume: Tacoma Public Meeting Recap

By Jill Jacobson, Yard Program Outreach Coordinator, Toxics Cleanup Program

Last Thursday night, we held the last of three public meetings for the Tacoma Smelter Plume Yard Program Design and Implementation Plan in the cafeteria of Woodrow Wilson High School in Tacoma. We had a turnout of 25 people who came out to learn about yard sampling and cleanup in Tacoma neighborhoods.

Most people came

Fecal Matters: No Contact Advisory Issued for Drayton Harbor in Whatcom County, WA

BEACH Program Update

On April 12, 2013, the Whatcom County Public Health Department with Washington State Department of Health issued a no contact advisory for all of Drayton Harbor near Blaine, WA. The closure was issued due to high fecal bacteria in California and Dakota Creeks which empty into the harbor. The public is warned not to harvest shellfish or make contact with the water until

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Understanding and Controlling Sea Lettuce in Dumas Bay

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



Map of Dumas Bay, King County, Washington.


Dumas Bay, near Federal Way in King County, is part of Puget Sound. Three streams drain into the urban 40-acre bay, which is part of the Puyallup-White watershed.

The problem

Residents living along Dumas Bay began to notice excessive amounts of macro algae, better known as sea