Do the Earth a favor – clean up and prevent pollution

By Seth Preston, communications manager, Toxics Cleanup Program

Earth Day is fast approaching, so let’s talk about Washington‘s dirty little secret.

Well, maybe it’s not exactly a “secret.” And it sure isn’t “little.” But chances are most of the state’s residents don’t realize Washington is literally littered with polluted properties.

Specifically, 12,359 toxic sites. And those are just the ones we know about right now. More are reported to us each year, even as others are cleaned up. So far, just over half of them are considered to be “cleaned up.” But there is still a long way to go.

Environment, Economy, Community

The state’s basic stance is “the polluter pays.” But that’s not always possible – the current landowner may not have caused the pollution and doesn’t have the money to pay for cleanup.

The bottom line is that someone has to clean up the pollution. Allowing it to languish poses risks to people who could be exposed to it, impacts the environment and wildlife, and stalls potential redevelopment that could benefit local communities.

This old polluted site in Tacoma ...

Cleanup is all about “environment, economy, community” – cleaning up contamination provides short-term and potential long-term economic benefits while protecting the health of people and the environment. That all adds up to an improved quality of life for communities.

A healthy economy also can contribute to cleanup – developers or local governments see a potential return on a piece of property they own or buy, so cleaning it up pencils out for them in the long run.

... is now home to the famed Museum of Glass.

Cleanup, prevention go hand in hand

But cleanup isn’t cheap, and it doesn’t happen quickly. Cleanup isn’t simply a matter of digging up contaminated dirt on land or dredging contaminated muck out of the water. A lot of engineering, science and legal steps are needed to get to the actual cleanup work, and those steps can take years. Total cleanup costs could add up to tens of millions of dollars for just one site.

Cleanup is worth the investment. But so is prevention – and prevention is generally cheaper and simpler than cleanup.

Prevention means reducing the toxics used in manufacturing, finding safer substitutes for chemicals in products, and stopping toxics before they escape into the environment.

For example, Ecology is working with brake manufacturers to phase out the use of copper in the brake pads used on cars and trucks. Cutting copper won’t affect the brakes’ cost or performance. But it will reduce the amount of copper pollution reaching our rivers, lakes and Puget Sound, where it is toxic to salmon and other species.

Cleanup and prevention go hand in hand – cleanup without prevention means sites will face recontamination issues, and maybe repeated, expensive cleanups. And prevention without cleanup means that decades-old pollution remains in place, threatening the health of Washington’s people and environment.

How you can help

Here are a few ideas for how you can get involved in cleanup and prevention issues:

• Check these helpful tips for limiting toxics in your home.
• Follow these healthy actions to keep your family safe from contaminated soil.
• Sign up for email lists so you can find out about toxic sites in your community.
• Search for contaminated sites in your community.

And watch this blog for news about a new tool that will help you track contaminated sites in your neighborhood.

For more information

Want more details? Check Ecology’s websites for our Toxics Cleanup and Hazardous Waste & Toxics Reduction programs.

Water: Is there enough for people, farms and fish?

By Brook Beeler, communications

Although 70 percent of the planet is water only one percent of that is accessible for drinking. Globally, one in six people don’t have access to clean water sources, according to the United Nations.

In Washington we are fortunate to have access to clean, fresh water. We at the Washington Department of Ecology are responsible for managing a water supply for more than 7 million Washingtonians. To meet all our water needs. That supply comes from precipitation and snowpack, groundwater and more than 70,000 miles of rivers and streams.

We’re committed to meeting the state’s water needs now and ensuring water is available in the future for people, farms and fish. That takes careful, thoughtful management.

Water in Washington belongs to all of us. But that doesn’t mean that just anyone can dig a well or divert water from a stream for use. Water rights or certificates are required for business, industry, farming – even domestic use. They define where, how and how much water may be put to use.

Washington law also requires that Ecology honor those water users who came first, which presents a real challenge when trying to manage water for future growth.

What if all the water is spoken for or claimed?

How do we ensure there is enough available for all needs, including the environment?

We can’t “manufacture” new water. We can only protect what we’ve got, use it more wisely and find ways to share it across the “boundaries” of seemingly competing interests – domestic drinking water, environmental protection and agriculture and industry.

Water management

There are a few tools in the water resource management tool box.

Across the state we are exploring technical solutions for making water available to cities for future growth, seeking new storage, releasing water from dams when fish need it most and enhancing fish passage. In central Washington our Office of Columbia River has even delivered water to farmers in the Odessa where aquifers are declining.

Water banking makes water available for new uses including increasing stream flows to protect habitat and providing water for development. Water rights can be traded between willing buyers and sellers to achieve the goal of moving water to where it’s needed most.

Reclaimed water is an important component of wise water management and part of our strategy to extend our water resources. Reclaiming or recycling water from some other process like wastewater treatment gives water a new life in new uses.

Reclaimed water is typically used for irrigation and other non-drinking water purposes.

You can make a difference too

Individually we can all do our part to help ensure reliable water supplies. Water efficiency is the smart use of water through water-saving technologies and small actions we can take around the house.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, American households waste 1.25 trillion gallons of water each year! Water is wasted through inefficient or leaky fixtures and improper outdoor water use.

It’s easier than you think to be water smart. EPA’s WaterSense program offers tips and tricks and even a labeling program that identifies high-efficiency products or services that help you reduce water use.

It can be as easy as:

• Fixing a leak! Household leaks waste 10,000 gallons each year. That’s like doing 270 extra loads of laundry.
• Showering better. Choose a WaterSense labeled shower head and save an estimated $70 in energy and water costs each year.
• Sprucing up your sprinklers. Timing is everything! Don’t set it and forget it, when watering with an irrigation system you can waste up to 50% more water. Make seasonal adjustments to avoid waste.

Since water belongs to all of us in Washington, it’s up to us. Together we can use water responsibly to help ensure sustainable water supplies now and for future generations.

Earth Day every day

Earth Day is Friday, April 22. (And every day is a good day to inspire better habits for the environment!) In the next two weeks, we’ll have additional blog posts about our work and how you can help protect the earth! 

Find it all on our social media channels by searching #EarthPassItOn.

Ah Spring!

Time to make the most of yard debris and cleanup duties

by Joye Redfield-Wilder, communications manager, central region

What glorious weather we've been having across the state!

It's got me puttering around my yard. Maybe you are busy on your property, as well. I don't know about you, but we've had some yard cleanup to do. A few arborvitae trees were so tall they were toppling over and had to come out.

It sure was handy for my husband and I to work as a team -- he cut them down and trimmed the limbs while I separated the logs from the materials that can be chipped and the rest that goes into the yard waste bin.

We've converted to chipping and composting over the last several years - and it's been rewarding in so many ways. We also have a large red oak tree - and acorns!

What to do with them?

We've found we can chip the smaller limbs and acorns into a nice ground cover that we spread among our garden beds. The evergreen fronds of the arborvitae went into the yard waste pickup bin provided by the city.

Chipping yard debris creates a ground cover

The larger logs will make great campfire wood or go to friends who have certified woodstoves. Now's the time to start drying out wood for those purposes.

These are just some ways to tackle yard debris this spring.

While in some communities outdoor burning of yard debris is still allowed -- it’s a hassle. Fires must be attended, property protected and smoke is a health risk and nuisance to your family and others. So don’t take chances!

Instead, chip twigs and compost leaves into a ground cover or mulch for your garden landscape. It saves money and reduces the threat of escaped fires – a top cause of wildfires, especially in Eastern Washington. And helps to keep the air clean. The exercise is good, too.

For more information, check out these alternatives to burning.

What can you do instead of burning yard waste?

If you live in an urban growth area (check on this link) where burning isn't allowed — or if you choose not to burn for health reasons — there are plenty of other ways to dispose of yard waste, including:

• Chipping
• Composting
• Curbside pickup
• Community-wide or neighborhood cleanup days Taking your yard waste to a landfill (many landfills have reduced or special fees for yard waste)

Earth Day every day

Earth Day is Friday, April 22. (And every day is a good day to inspire better habits for the environment!) In the next two weeks, we’ll have additional blog posts about our work and how you can help protect the earth! Find it all on our social media channels by searching #EarthPassItOn.

 

EARTH DAY CHALLENGE: Do just one thing to reduce your carbon footprint

By Camille St. Onge, Communications

Earth Day is approaching, April 22! Make this year the year you help better the planet by reducing your carbon footprint. 

Tell us what you do

Leave a comment on this blog post and share something you have done, or are going to do, to reduce your carbon footprint.   

Click on our infographic to learn some super easy things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint! 

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Who ya gonna call? 800-OILS-911

By Lisa Isakson, Community Outreach and Environmental Education Specialist

 

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “oil spill”? Do you picture the 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico, with thick brownish-orange mats of goo and oil drenched birds? Or black-coated shorelines with people in white suits picking up tarballs or hosing down the rocks?

While those images are certainly true for large spills, the reality is that an oil spill can be as small as a couple drops of gasoline in water. While Washington state has not experienced a spill as large as the Deepwater Horizon or Exxon Valdez, every day oil is spilled in Washington waters. Spills can happen at fuel docks in marinas, in storm drains along roadways, when boats carrying fuel run aground or sink, while transferring oil from large vessels, or during equipment failures at oil terminals. This chronic discharge of oil impacts Washington’s environment, economies, and public health.

What you can do
First, prevent spills from happening.

• Do not top off your gas tank.
• Fix oil leaks right away.
• Dispose of used oil at your county’s collection center.


Next, report spills when you see them! Call 800-OILS-911 to report sheens or other spills of hazardous materials to water. The sooner someone notifies us of a spill, the quicker Ecology can launch a rapid, aggressive, and well-coordinated cleanup response.

Earth Day every day

Earth Day is Friday, April 22. (And every day is a good day to inspire better habits for the environment!) Leading up to the big day, we’ll have additional blog posts about our work and how you can help protect the earth! Find it all on our social media channels by searching #EarthPassItOn.

Hazardous waste: Out of sight, out of mind?

Ecology hazardous waste inspector challenges all of us to think again 

by Krista Kenner, communications

It’s easy to go about your day and not think about hazardous waste disposal—out of sight, out of mind, right? But it’s important to step back every so often and think about how we as a community, and as individuals, generate and manage our waste.

And more importantly ask, can we do a better job?

Mindy Collins, hazardous waste compliance inspector in Ecology’s Bellingham office, has thought about waste almost every day of her 20-year environmental career, which has largely focused on waste disposal and management.

Collins is part of Ecology’s Hazardous Waste & Toxics Reduction team. Her job is to help businesses figure out how to better manage the waste they generate. (And save money along the way.)

Sometimes that means reducing waste through innovation. Other times that means changing disposal methods. But before she can do any of that, she has to learn about their business, their products and the processes that create waste.

“I feel so lucky,” said Collins. “I get to talk to people about their businesses, and learn about their products. The stories I get to hear about the history of the company, or how they started making a product—it’s just fascinating.”

Different businesses, common concerns

You might be surprised to learn the wide range of businesses and organizations that generate hazardous waste. Big box stores, hospitals, universities, and even art studios, to name a few.

Collins typically visits businesses that generate a significant volume of hazardous waste—220 lbs or more of waste per month—or those that need additional help managing it. In the last year, she visited a boat builder, wood treatment facility, aerospace manufacturer, pharmaceutical manufacturer, a company that makes fishing lures, and a company that makes orthotics for children.

“There’s one commonality in all of these vastly different companies,” Collins said. “Business owners are busy. And let’s face it, environmental regulations can be confusing—especially to someone who doesn’t work with them every day. I really enjoy helping people navigate the process.”

She looks at how wastes are stored, and whether there are any risks to human health or the environment. Are the containers appropriate, and in good condition? Are they labeled correctly? Is there a spill response plan? She also looks at the company’s waste disposal records to see what is going where. Each industry and business has its own set of challenges and complexities, but success stories abound.

Putting business practices to good use

Earth Day is less than two weeks away, making April a great month to look inward and refocus our own daily habits. How can we take a Mindy Collins approach to household waste? What ingredients make up the products we use? How should they be safely disposed? What are we throwing away that could be put to better use?

Most of us lead busy lives and changing habits is difficult—especially when we don’t have an environmental consultant to guide us. So we’ve culled our online resources to help you.

Tools to reduce, manage, and safely dispose of household waste:

1.) Be curious. We have a team of people that test consumer products to ensure that manufacturers are complying with restrictions and reporting requirements. You can read these reports, or search for information on individual products.

2.) Choose safer products. We’ve compiled a list of great resources for shoppers looking for safer, greener products. EPA also has an interactive tool to help find better products for the home, school, office and more.

3.) Think before you buy, or throw away. Adhesives, degreasers, toilet cleaners, batteries, and paint are among the many hazardous wastes that are common in households. Choose alternative products, buy in small quantities, and safely dispose at a hazardous waste collection site.

4.) Recycle fluorescent lights. The LightRecycle Washington program helps Washington residents and businesses recycle fluorescent and mercury-containing lights for free.

5.) Recycle electronics. E-Cycle Washington is a successful program that helps keep old electronics, which may contain toxic materials, out of our landfills. Bring televisions, computers, monitors and tablets and more to an e-Cycle location in your area.

Earth Day every day

Earth Day is Friday, April 22. (And every day is a good day to inspire better habits for the environment!) In the next two weeks, we’ll have additional blog posts about our work and how you can help protect the earth! Find it all on our social media channels by searching #EarthPassItOn.

Air quality and your health

By Camille St. Onge, Communications Manager, Air Quality Program

You’re doing a lot of things to keep your heart healthy. You eat right. You exercise. You don’t smoke. But are you paying attention to the quality of the air you breathe?? If not, today’s the day to start.

Air pollution — especially particle pollution — is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Exposure to fine particles has been linked to heart attacks, strokes, and early death in people with heart disease.

What can you do? Do everything you’re supposed to for good heart health. And pay attention to the Washington Air Quality Advisory (WAQA) — especially if you have heart disease, or if you’re at greater risk of a heart attack (including men over 45 and women over 55).

When the WAQA  reaches Code Orange – the level considered unhealthy for these at-risk groups – you should make some adjustments to your exercise plans.

Walking instead of running, or weeding your garden instead of pushing a mower or hauling

mulch, are just a couple of examples of things you can do to reduce the amount of pollution you breathe as you’re exercising. And always exercise away from busy roads if you can: particle levels generally are higher in those areas.

Don’t wait for symptoms to tell you if particles are affecting you: your first symptom could be a heart attack.

Shoreline recreation opportunities abound in southeast Washington

By Brook Beeler, communications manager, Eastern Region

Despite a population just fewer than 30,000 combined, Asotin, Columbia and Garfield counties have a lot to offer recreationists.

Southeast Washington counties receive more than one million visits each year to public recreation sites for outdoor activities like boating, cycling, hiking and fishing.

The Grande Rhonde River meets the Snake River in Asotin County.

As part of a local shoreline program update, a coalition of local governments has developed a public access plan to connect residents and visitors with southeast Washington’s unique shoreline resource.

The plan outlines existing site locations, amenities and potential improvements as well as possible partnerships and funding sources to make the improvements a reality.

Petroglyphs left by Nez Perce Tribe
indicating their historic use of the area.

You can tell the coalition what you think about plans to maintain and improve existing recreation sites including parking, signage, picnic areas and restrooms.

Comments will be accepted until May 29. You can review 

the plan and submit comments online by visiting www.sewasmpupdates.com.

The coalition includes Asotin, Columbia and Garfield counties along with the town of Starbuck and the city of Clarkston.

More photos of southeast Washington recreation opportunities can be found in an Ecologywa Flickr album.

1-800-RECYCLE answers the big questions

By Andrew Wineke, communications manager, Waste 2 Resources

Where do you go to recycle llama poop?

That was one of the first questions Ecology’s Michelle Payne received when she began staffing the 1-800-RECYCLE hotline back in 1998.

Most of us know where to go to recycle aluminum cans or newspapers, but what about a tanning bed? How about a scuba tank? What about an old set of blueprints?

The 1-800-RECYCLE line (1-800-732-9253) is a free service that helps Washington residents find the appropriate place to recycle just about everything. The hotline’s database includes 1,801 recycling facilities and 116 different types of recyclable materials.

And, yes, that includes llama manure. As it turns out, Payne says, you can take it to a composting facility.

The 1-800-RECYCLE hotline has operated since 1976, and the 1800RECYCLE.wa.gov website came online along with Michelle in 1998. The 1-800-RECYCLE Facebook page started just last year.

Three Ecology staff members answer the hotline from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays – which will expand to 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays beginning May 1. The phone team averages nearly 400 calls a month, while another 6,000 people find answers on the automated website.

The 1-800-RECYCLE team relies on local governments, businesses and the public to learn about new collection sites, or new materials being accepted for recycling. They work hard to keep the database current, checking on every facility via the web or through an email or phone call at least once a year.

If you know of a new facility, or an existing facility accepting new materials, email 1800recycle@ecy.wa.gov.

And if you’ve got some alpaca scat you need to unload, now you know who to call.

Why Washington is a natural stormwater leader

By Sandy Howard, Water Quality Program communications manager

Washington may be famous for its apples, coffee, aerospace, and software, but before any of these came along, we were famous for our rain.

The rain is a good thing, but it’s also a bad thing when it lands on our most-populated areas because it creates polluted stormwater runoff.

It’s a problem local governments are solving under the direction of the state’s municipal stormwater permit program. Our success is building, and it’s making Washington a natural stormwater leader.

Just this month, environmental delegations from Shanghai, China, came to Washington to learn about our stormwater programs. Our Water Quality Program hosted a 12-person delegation from the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau & Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences. They were here to learn about how Washington manages water quality in areas like stormwater and low-impact development.

We’ve come a long way, baby

Industries have dramatically reduced the pollution coming out of their pipes. Point source pollution is no longer our largest source of water pollution.

Now, our biggest challenge is broad-scale, land-based pollution. This is pollution that comes off the land from how we have developed and use the land.

People-caused, polluted stormwater runoff is our top threat to urban waters.

When we covered the land with hardened surfaces like roads, parking lots, sub-divisions and shopping malls, we restricted its ability to soak up the water and naturally filter out pollution. In addition, when we use many modern products, like plastics and paints, we introduce more chemicals to our environment.

Stormwater pollution sources are so widely distributed and so diverse – they are difficult to manage.

Stormwater settling pond - a common sight in Washington.

What’s positive in Washington is our ingenuity and political will to manage and prevent stormwater pollution. 

The economics of stormwater investments

Since 2006, we have provided more than $200 million in grants to local communities to build stormwater facilities and implement municipal stormwater permits.

This support has resulted in hundreds of new stormwater projects across the state.

Our Stormwater Financial Assistance Program, established in 2013, provides grants that help local governments build stormwater facilities and control sources of stormwater pollution. The money is paying for us to reduce stormwater’s impact in our human-built world.

• To install best management practices such as bio-retention areas.
• To build tree filter boxes that collect and clean up the stormwater while watering thirsty trees.
• To install pervious pavement to treat polluted stormwater.
• To control sources of stormwater.

What we’re getting for our investments

When we manage our stormwater, we support our economy. Money and jobs stay in Washington. We estimate that our state adds 11 jobs for every $1 million spent on stormwater infrastructure projects.

When we build new buildings, we are using Low Impact Development (LID) techniques.

Instead of piping stormwater away from a site as fast as we can, low impact development mimics the natural cycle. Sending the water back into the ground to achieves multiple benefits.

We are reducing flows and preventing the runoff.  We are improving urban aesthetics. We are keeping water colder and recharging our drinking water aquifers.

As money allows, we are retrofitting existing development to copy this idea. For example, we're adding engineered rain gardens, known as bioretention, to old parking lots.

We're figuring it out, naturally

Washington has become a natural leader in the management of stormwater, in part, because the problem fell right into our lap.

Mother Nature gave us the rain, so we are – by necessity – figuring it out naturally.

We think our visitors from China verified it.

We asked them why they wanted to meet with us. “We are just building our stormwater program,” one of the Shanghai engineers explained. “So we surveyed the U.S. and found Washington state had one of the best stormwater programs in the country. So we wanted to come here.”

Do your part: Reduce your contribution to air pollution

By Camille St. Onge, Communications Manager, Climate Change and Air Quality Program

Nearly every day, each of us contributes a little to air pollution – but we don't always realize it. Take a few minutes to think about how you contribute to air pollution. Then come up with a plan to make some changes.

Cycle Sunday: Ride your bicycle to places you would normally drive your car. Get some fresh air and save some gas.

Alternative Mode Monday: Utilize alternate modes of transportation. Consider taking the light rail, bus or vanpool.

Ride Together Tuesday: Carpool to as many locations as possible. Riding together decreases the amount of emissions in the air.

Walk Somewhere Wednesday: Walk to nearby locations instead of driving. Increasing the number of steps you take will improve your health.

No Drive-Thru Thursday: Avoid the drive-thru and go inside to order your food, coffee or prescriptions. By doing this you will reduce exhaust emissions.

Fuel After Dark Friday: Hot temperatures and gasoline fumes create ground-level ozone. Reduce the effect and refuel your vehicle at night time.

Sweep It Up Saturday: Sweep your driveway, patio, deck, etc. instead of using a leaf blower. Get some exercise and breathe in fresh air while you burn a few calories. 

Resources:

Rideshare Directory
Bike to Work 

by Column Five Media.

Tacoma Smelter Plume: A big year ahead for Tacoma Smelter Plume sampling and cleanup

By Jill Reitz, Environmental Planner, Toxics Cleanup Program

This year is turning out to be the busiest year yet for Ecology's sampling and cleanup work in the Tacoma Smelter Plume.  The plume is a 1,000-square-mile-area of arsenic and lead contamination from the former Asarco smelter in north Tacoma.  If you live in north Tacoma or on southern Vashon-Maury Island, you can expect to see our field crews in the area throughout the year.  Read below for more information about our plans for 2015...

2015 Residential Yard Cleanups...

Contractor removes soil on a property in Tacoma, 2014.

This summer, we are planning to remove contaminated soil on up to 100 more yards in the Yard Sampling and Cleanup Program.  We expect to start construction in July and continue through November.  Over 80 yards are located in north Tacoma in the EPA Study Area (see map right) and 17 yards are on south Vashon-Maury Island (see map lower right).  We are also busy meeting with the next group of homeowners to start planning for cleanup in 2016.  Never a dull moment!

Sampling of Residential Yards Continues...

Cleanup progress in the EPA Stuy Area in north
Tacoma, as of Feb.1, 2015

Since 2013, Ecology and the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department have sampled over 2,000 yards within the Yard Program service area, working neighborhood by neighborhood. This year, we plan to sample another 750 in Tacoma and up to 150 on Vashon-Maury Island.  To learn more about sampling or to sign up, visit our sampling webpage.

Cleaning up child play areas and parks...

This summer, Ecology's Soil Safety Program will replace contaminated soils in some play areas at Tacoma's Baltimore Park and Optimist Park. Cleanups will begin around July 2015. We will send out more information and hold a neighborhood meeting about the cleanups in early June. If you'd like to be on our email or mail list, please contact Amy Hargrove, Cleanup Manager, at (360) 407-6262 or Amy.Hargrove@ecy.wa.gov.

Cleanup progress on Vashon-Maury Island, as of 
April 15, 2015.

Follow our sampling and cleanup work in 2015...

• Ecology's website: Check out our webpage for updates.
• Sign up for email updates on our listserv.
• Follow our blog!
• Attend one of our neighborhood meetings. Our next meeting is:

May 6, 2015 -- 6:30-8:00 p.m.

McMurray Middle School, 9329 SW Cemetery Road, Vashon, WA.

Questions?

Please call the project line at (360) 407-7688 and press 2 for Tacoma Smelter Plume or email me at Jill.Reitz@ecy.wa.gov.

Stuff & Junk: Message in the Materials 2015

By Joye Redfield-Wilder,
Communications manager, central regional office

Students in the Yakima area explored current environmental issues and the effects of climate change as part of this year’s Message in the Materials art show and educational outreach program hosted by our Central Regional Office in Yakima.

In anticipation of Earth Day (April 22), students created jewelry pieces from recycled materials and created Climate Change Collages from recycled magazines. Their works are on display through May 15 at the Central office, 15 W. Yakima Ave., Suite 200.

Jewelry pieces made with re-purposed materials

The students from Davis and Eisenhower high schools titled their show this year Stuff & Junk (Click on Stuff & Junk album to see close-up photos and descriptions)

That would be “stuff and junk”– like magazines, recycled leather, buttons, old jewelry and beads and other “found” items to create something new, personal and beautiful.

CRO employees gathered up the “resources” for the projects, scouring their old jewelry boxes, magazine racks and calendar piles to supply students with materials for their creations.

Eisenhower student creates pendant from junk drawer crystals and jewelry

Eisenhower students were challenged to create a collage on the issues they were most passionate about as they considered how the Earth’s climate is changing.

They created flat art using magazine photos and other elements, accompanied by artist statements reflecting their thoughts on the subject.

Eisenhower jewelry students combined the old and the new --- like a deconstructed string of pearls attached to a newly created chain mail -- into innovative pieces. They were assigned to create an enamel piece, a resin piece using a recycled pop bottle cap, and pair with junk jewelry – mismatched earrings, studs, beads and baubles, shells – to create a new bracelet, necklace, anklet or earring set.

Davis students rolled paper beads and combined them with puzzle pieces, leather from old coats, hardware, buttons and ribbons - junk drawer finds to create bracelets, necklaces and earrings. 

ADDED BONUS:

On April 17, Yakima Valley students participated in the Skills USA state jewelry competition for high school students. Their challenge was to create a necklace (and maybe matching earrings) using new and recycled materials.

Food and flooding concerns considered in Climate Collage

They had 30 minutes to sketch a design from materials they were given in an envelope and three hours to construct the pieces - using scrap metals, vinyl molding, linoleum, recycled leather and beads. Students from Highland High School joined finalists also from Davis and Eisenhower schools.

WMS outreach too

Ecology staff visited classes relating information on protecting the environment and provided inspiration, and resources (old jewelry, magazines, etc.) for the projects.

Students at Wapato Middle School also had their own show: See the WMS Message in the Materials blog and Flickr album. And last year’s show at Message in the Materials 2014.

Greater risk of wildfires in Washington because of drought and climate change - air quality may suffer

Chiwaukum Creek wildfire, Washington 2014. Washington Department of Natural Resources. 

By Camille St. Onge, communications manager,
Climate Change and Air Quality Program

Warmer and drier summer conditions mean increased wildfire risk is projected for 2015, and climate change modeling indicates these conditions are likely to become the norm in the decades ahead. 

Weather models from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center show another hot and dry summer is forecast for Washington this year. And, climate scientists expect the area burned by fire each year to double in the Northwest by the 2040s. This not only puts Washington’s forestland at risk but air quality as well.   

“While wildfires obviously pose an immediate threat to human life, homes, property and forestland, they also cause less visible damage through air pollution,” said Stu Clark, air quality program manager for the Washington Department of Ecology. “Smoke from wildfires can cause respiratory problems across a much wider area than the fire itself affects.”

Less snowpack sets up wildfire conditions

The average snowpack measured on April 1 in the Cascade Mountains has decreased by about 20 percent since 1950. Climate models show declines in snowpack are projected to continue because rising temperatures will cause winter precipitation to fall as rain instead of snow. 

Already in 2015, low snowpack has reduced moisture in forestlands. Just last week Gov. Jay Inslee expanded the number of watersheds under the state’s drought declaration to 24, covering nearly half the state.

“The dry conditions are of concern throughout Eastern Washington,” said Clint Bowman, an atmospheric scientist with Ecology. “Summer thunderstorms will bring the threat of lightning-caused wildfires.” 

The Washington Department of Natural Resources has already reported 60 wildfires in 2015. That’s more than three times the average number of wildfires for this time of year. 

Air quality affected by wildfire smoke

Air pollution (PM2.5) levels recorded by Ecology.

In 2012, smoke pollution in towns and cities near wildfires, such as Ellensburg, reached hazardous levels, causing respiratory problems for many people in the community. Emergency room visits doubled and 3,400 school absences caused by health issues tied to the fires were reported in Chelan, Douglas, Kittitas and Okanogan counties.   

In 2014, the Carlton Complex Fire, Washington’s largest wildfire on record, swept through Eastern Washington. More than 425,000 acres of land burned, 320 homes were destroyed and smoke pollution reached unhealthy levels in many communities. Air monitors recorded spikes in air pollution over several weeks. In total, there were 88 days with unhealthy air quality levels during the 2014 wildfire season. That is more than three times greater than a typical year like 2011, during which 23 unhealthy air quality days were recorded.

Resources

Ecology has a statewide network of air monitors that operate year round measuring air pollution and often times more are deployed during wildfires. Visit Ecology’s air monitoring web page to see air quality levels in your community.    

The Department of Natural Resources is offering a series of wildfire preparedness meetings. These sessions will help property owners learn how to combat potential damage to land and homes from wildfires.

Other resources:

  

Washington multi-agency smoke information website

WAsmoke.blogspot.com

Washington Department of Ecology

Air monitor network

Washington Department of Natural Resources

Wildfire home-protection classes and grant information

Washington Department of Health

Wildfire health effect information

Around the Sound: Another Anacortes site cleaned up

By Seth Preston, communications manager, Toxics Cleanup Program

Our Puget Sound Initiative work in the Anacortes area has drawn a lot of attention from community members and local media.

Those projects generally involve large, complex, high-profile sites like the former Scott Paper mill site and the old Custom Plywood site.

Wyman's Marina structures before removal.

But through our work with the Port of Anacortes and other site owners, we're also helping to address issues at smaller contaminated properties.

Take, for example, the old Wyman's Marina and Wholesale Supply site. We're taking comments until May 19 on our proposal to declare the site to be cleaned up.

From taking care of boats ...

Prior to the late 1940s, the site and surrounding area were used for lumber milling and shipbuilding operations. The property was sold and was used for an 80-berth marina with fueling, dry dock, and maintenance and storage facilities. The marina provided boat maintenance and engineer repair services. 

In 1965, the port bought the property, then leased it to new operators who continued boat repair and fueling services.

The marina operated until 1998, when boat maintenance operations and all underground storage tanks associated with marine fueling were decommissioned and removed.

The past operations contaminated the site with petroleum-related substances, metals and pesticides.

... to helping salmon

The port has removed all structures in water and on land, plus more than 400 tons of contaminated soil.

Now the site has been converted into habitat for juvenile salmon. Nearly 18,000 square feet of intertidal habitat and 8,500 square feet of riparian/salt marsh habitat were created.

It's not as big as those old mill sites, but it's yet another step toward improving and preserving our environment ... and our Earth.