Gross out: Potty bombs on the rise

Dustin Terpening, communication manager, Bellingham Field Office



Two thumbs down for nasty potty bombs and their stench.

I have to admit that on the rare occasion while driving I have seriously considered relieving myself in a plastic bottle. Like when I’ve been stuck in traffic or on a long road trip and a restroom just wasn’t readily available.



Yet, I’ve never been able to bring myself

Tacoma Smelter Plume: Public Meeting on Vashon-Maury Island this Thursday!

Adrianna Jarosz, Geosyntec, mapping and dividing a property into sampling units.



Sampling probe used to collect six inch sample.

By Jill Jacobson, Outreach Coordinator, Toxics Cleanup Program


This Thursday, we are holding an open house on the Residential Yard Sampling and Cleanup Program on Vashon-Maury Island.


The purpose of the open house is to provide an update on the program,

Fecal Matters: Update on Sewage Spill near Les Davis Pier on Ruston Way, Tacoma, WA

BEACH Program Update








During the week of October 7, 2013, the City of
Tacoma and the BNSF Railroad Company cleaned the sewage spill causing high
bacteria in the water near the Les Davis Pier/Waterfront Dock Park on Ruston
Way in Tacoma. Water quality monitoring will continue until bacteria levels
decrease to background levels. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department still
recommend

Clean water on agricultural lands: The facts about Ecology’s watershed evaluation program

By Brook Beeler, Eastern Regional Office



Cattle are excluded from streams and provided off-stream water. The grass filter strip and large woody vegetation prevent pollutants
such as nutrients and fecal coliform bacteria from reaching the stream. The trees and shrubs also maintain cool water temperatures needed by fish.



Examples of site conditions pictured here known to contribute to

Fecal Matters: Closure Removed for Drayton Harbor near Blaine, WA.

BEACH Program Update

On October 25, 2013, the Whatcom County Health Department removed the closure for Drayton Harbor at California Creek after follow-up sampling was completed. The closure was issued October 18, 2013 due to a manure spill that discharged to the creek.

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

New tools for monitoring health of life at the bottom of Puget Sound

By Maggie Dutch, Senior Benthic Ecologist, Washington Department of Ecology




Up close and personal view of brittlestars taken by Maggie Dutch of Ecology's marine sediment monitoring program.

The sand and mud at the bottom of Puget Sound is home to a wide variety of microscopic
invertebrates that scientists refer to as the “benthos.”



Microscopic creatures support the food chain
These

Air Time: Tis the Season – for hazy skies, wood smoke, burn bans, tips on burning clean

By Joye Redfield-Wilder, communication manager, Central Regional Office

Tis the Season — the season for SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) or just as easily “SAQD (Seasonal Air Quality Disorder).” When temperatures drop, smoke will increase in many Washington communities as we begin nesting and fire up wood-burning devices to heat our homes.

When smoke combines with diesel emissions and other