This week, we launched a completely redesigned and streamlined blog — ecology.wa.gov/blog. As the state’s environmental protection agency, we're recognized for our work to protect and restore Washington’s environment. Over the past 10 years, our blog has become a well-known source of environmental stories that are engaging, educational, and enlightening. “The new format really showcases powerful visuals that engage visitors,” said our Web Manager Jonathan Szczur. “It’s a compelling way to help Washingtonians learn about the issues affecting the environment today.” Whether you’re a l ..read more

BEACH program update Kitsap Public Health District issued a no-contact health advisory for Port Washington Narrows and Sinclair Inlet in effect through January 29th. This is due to an approximately 82,400 gallon sewage spill from Bremerton Public Works. Signs have been posted at public access points and the public is advised to avoid contact with the water in those areas. Contact with fecal contaminated waters can result in gastroenteritis, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections, and other illnesses. Children and the elderly may be more vulnerable to waterborne illnesses. Stay upda ..read more

How do you build light rail and widen a freeway along the edge of a well-managed former municipal waste landfill? Very carefully!  And, with plenty of cooperation among public agencies. We’re working to do exactly that with Sound Transit, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). A grassy meadow covers the Midway Landfill, next to the I-5 freeway southbound lanes between Seattle and Tacoma. White pipes behind the fence are part of the system to collect landfill gas, given off by decomposing municipal solid waste below. The ..read more

Every year, our Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) members join AmeriCorps programs across the country to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a “day on” rather than a “day off.” On MLK Day of Service, members transform Dr. King's life and teachings into community service that empowers individuals and helps solve social problems. Let's take a look at some projects our members arranged this year! Left to right: Members Raechal Burke, Jordan Billheimer, Presley Barbo, Emma Mobley, and Allie Trister spent MLK Day serving the non-profit organization Homeless Backpacks, in Lacey, packing ba ..read more

BEACH program update Seattle and King County Public Health have lifted the no-contact advisory to water contact at Saltwater State Park and Washington State Parks have re-opened the park to the public. Last month, heavy rains caused a sewage spill at the Midway Sewer District that discharged near the park. Recent water quality samples taken show that bacteria levels have dropped to safe levels. Contact with fecal contaminated waters can result in gastroenteritis, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections, and other illnesses. Children and the elderly may be more vulnerable to waterborne ill ..read more

Ecology is proposing to award $215 million in grants and loans for 89 high-priority clean water projects across the state. Our Water Quality Combined Funding Program supports local communities by helping them upgrade wastewater treatment systems and sewer systems, manage polluted stormwater, and complete a variety of other projects to prevent and cleanup more diffuse sources of pollution also known as nonpoint pollution. More than $172 million of the funding is for projects that will help support Puget Sound recovery by improving water quality and creating a healthier habitat for the endangere ..read more

Many of the products we use on a daily basis contain toxic chemicals that escape into our homes and the environment when we use and dispose of them. Even small amounts of chemical releases are steady, and when combined, they make up one of the biggest sources of toxics entering Washington’s environment. New lawIn spring 2019, the Washington Legislature passed a law that creates a new way to keep toxic chemicals out of consumer products. Ecology named the law’s implementation program Safer Products for Washington. It directs us to work with Department of Health to: ·    &n ..read more

The Department of Ecology’s public processes can be wide reaching, often impacting many communities or sometimes just a few people. From permitting a long-time industrial facility to measuring the environmental impacts of a project proposal, Ecology acts throughout Washington on behalf of residents to protect and enhance this remarkable state where the environment and economy go hand-in-hand. Most of Washington's biosolids are created at wastewater treatment plants like this one in Wenatchee.  One of the processes we undertake every five years is the redevelopment of a statewide ..read more

Groundwater monitoring in the Lower Yakima Valley to reduce risksAmong our top priorities in Governor Jay Inslee’s 2020 supplemental budget is a request for $378,000 to expand monitoring for nitrates in Lower Yakima Valley private drinking water wells relied upon by as many as 56,000 residents there. Over the years, we have lent support to provide research, data, and technical expertise to the community-based Lower Yakima Valley Groundwater Management Area (GWMA) committee's work to tackle and reduce sources of nitrates in drinking water. Ecology staff participated with the local ..read more

In Washington, waters belong to the public and can't be owned. Instead someone may be granted a right to use a volume of water, for a defined purpose, in a specific place. With the start of the new year, the Water Resources Program released updates to our water right application forms. The forms hadn’t been revised in a number of years, and were due for some changes. What's different?We do not require any information on the new application forms that was not already required to process an application. One difference is the timing of when we need that information. The old application ..read more