Ecology seeks comments on draft general permit for industrial stormwater

Attend one of the six workshops around the state

When rain or snow melt run off surfaces such as rooftops, paved streets, highways, and parking lots, we call it stormwater. Stormwater can pick up pollutants that contaminate local water bodies and potentially harm fish and other aquatic life. We use stormwater permits to protect the water quality of Washington’s lakes, rivers, and marine waters.



An example of one of the 1,200 industrial sites in Washington
that fall under the general permit.

Stormwater can also pick up pollutants from factories and businesses. The Industrial Stormwater General Permit helps ensure industrial facilities meet federal and state regulations to protect Washington’s water quality. Industrial facilities that are similar in their processes and types of stormwater runoff fall under this general permit. We require many types of industrial sites in Washington to monitor, measure, and reduce stormwater pollution leaving their facilities.

We update the Industrial Stormwater General Permit every five years. As part of this process, we invite the public to give feedback on the proposed draft permit from May 1 until June 29, 2019.

What are the proposed changes?

We are proposing to add two new business sectors, based on public input during the last permit update and our experience with facilities in these categories. Businesses in these new sectors would need to apply for coverage under the industrial permit. We expect this will add about 50 new permitees.

• Heavy machinery rental yards that handle large earthmoving equipment, heavy trucks, log loaders, etc. This excludes businesses that provide equipment rental for home use. This category is of concern as it involves machinery stored and repaired outside and has the potential to cause oil, metals, and other pollution from the equipment and maintenance activities to go into the stormwater system. 
• Marine Construction storage facilities where construction materials and machinery are stored and maintained. This would not cover construction that occurs in marine waters, but does cover land-based storage yards. Pollutants of concern are metals, oil, solids, and other pollutants based on location and type of construction.

Other permit changes include:

An example of a clean log yard using good bark management.

• Changing the timing of First Fall Storm Event sampling– this is the first precipitation event leading to discharge of stormwater after the dry season. Pollutants generally accumulate over the dry season and are washed out during the first fall storms, making it important data to catch. Based on climate data for the state, we propose to move the timing of when to begin monitoring for the First Fall Storm Event from October 1, to September 1.
• Revising requirements for Consistent Attainment – If businesses consistently meet their benchmarks over two years, they may be able to reduce monitoring to once a year for three years. We are proposing to require one fourth quarter sample to verify that permittees are still meeting the requirements for reduced monitoring.

A full list of changes between the last permit and the new draft permit can be found in the permit factsheet.

Listening to stakeholders throughout the process

We received feedback from many stakeholders during early engagement on this update process. From June to November 2018, we held several listening sessions in eastern and western Washington and gathered email and online comments with specific input. We considered these comments as we developed the draft permit.

How to comment

An example of a clean site using source control over equipment.
See the overhang on the building on the right that prevents stormwater
contact with outdoor equipment

We have now opened our formal comment period, and we invite comments on the draft documents from May 1 through June 29, 2019. You can find the draft permit and supporting documents, as well as other information on our webpage. You can submit comments using our online comment system.

We will also hold a series of workshops and public hearings, during which you can learn about the proposed changes to the permit and provide formal comment. Information on workshops and public hearings can be found on our public events page.

Once we close the comment period, we will review and respond to comments. Our response to comments will be included in the final permit documents. We intend to make a final decision on updating the permit in Fall 2019.

Preventing runoff pollution

When we cover the land with hardened surfaces like roads, parking lots, sub-divisions and shopping malls, we restrict its ability to soak up water and naturally filter out pollution. To allow for businesses to grow we provide tools to help people, businesses, and local governments manage their runoff pollution.  Learn more about stormwater runoff and what you can do about it.

Ecology seeks comments on draft permits for municipal stormwater

Stormwater runoff is a leading pollution threat to lakes, rivers, streams and marine water bodies in urban areas of Washington State. As rain and snowmelt runs off rooftops, paved streets, highways, and parking lots, it increases in speed and volume, and can pick up pollution such as oil, fertilizers, pesticides, soil, trash, and animal manure. These pollutants are carried into local bodies of water, where they can impact water quality and habitat.

Under federal and state laws, the Department of Ecology issues permits to control harmful runoff pollution that can affect rivers, lakes, and groundwater across the state. The most-populated cities and counties have stormwater permits aimed at reducing stormwater pollution at its source, treating it, and controlling volume and flow, so cleaner water goes into our creeks, lakes, groundwater and Puget Sound.

You can submit comments on the draft permits from Aug. 15 through Nov. 14, 2018. Find all draft permits, supporting documents, and information on how to submit comments on our reissuance webpage.

Three stormwater permits

Municipal stormwater permits are divided into three categories: Phase I, Western Washington Phase II, and Eastern Washington Phase II. Permits are divided based on population and by geography. We separate the Phase II permits into east and west because differences in climate and how the land absorbs water require different stormwater management measures. We review and update these permits every five years to add new science and clarify requirements.

What’s changing from the last versions?

Differences from the current permits include adding requirements for comprehensive stormwater planning and controlling sources of stormwater from existing businesses. We also refined language throughout to clarify: operations and maintenance, public education, controlling runoff for new and redevelopment, structural stormwater controls, and improving annual reporting. We also revised and added any new applicable Total Maximum Daily Load requirements.

Listening to stakeholders throughout the process 

We’ve gotten feedback from many stakeholders throughout this update process. In 2016, permittees, non-governmental organizations, and other interested parties organized a series of committee meetings to develop recommendations for permit revisions prior to starting the writing process.

From February to April 2017, we hosted listening sessions in both western and eastern Washington, and we gathered email and online comments with more specific input. We considered these comments as we developed the permit revisions.

In western Washington, we also provided an additional public review opportunity in the fall of 2017 with an informal public comment session on preliminary draft permit language for specific topics. This extra step in the public process provided valuable input from a wide range of interested parties. We considered those comments as we developed these draft permits.

How to comment

Now we’ve begun our formal comment period, and we invite comments on the formal draft documents from Aug. 15 through Nov. 14, 2018. You can find all three draft permits and supporting documents, as well as information on how to submit comments, on our reissuance webpage.

We will also be holding a series of workshops and public hearings. Information on workshops and public hearings can be found on our public events page.

Once we end the comment period, we will review and respond to comments. Our response to comments will be included in the final permit documents. We intend to reissue the final permits July 1, 2019.

2019 funding awarded to support clean water in Washington’s communities

Drainfields sometimes need to be replaced
 to help prevent pollution from reaching the water.

Ecology is offering more than $155 million in financial assistance for 69 high-priority clean water projects across Washington state. Our funding supports local communities by helping them upgrade sewage treatment systems, manage polluted stormwater runoff, and complete a variety of projects to prevent pollution.

We received a few comments during our draft funding list comment period and have now finalized the list of recipients.

View our interactive map of funded projects.

See the full offer list online.

The funding is binned into three major categories:

• Funding to reduce nonpoint pollution that comes from widespread, hard-to-trace activities. 
• Wastewater treatment projects such as upgrading sewer collection systems. 
• Projects that reduce stormwater pollution that ultimately help us reduce the pollution that runs into our rivers and streams.    

Chehalis Public Works manhole liner replacement helps reduce stormwater in the sewer. 

See our previous blog about the draft list to learn about a few of the project highlights.

Find out more information about water quality grants and loans.

By Stacy Galleher, Water Quality Program

Recently passed capital budget unlocks 2018 funds to support clean water

Ecology is offering nearly $220 million in financial assistance for 163 high-priority clean water projects across Washington state. This funding, for the last fiscal year 2018 (July 2017 through June 2018), was held up when the capital budget was not passed during the previous legislative session. Now, these projects can move forward to support jobs and water quality projects in local communities.

Our funding supports local communities by helping them upgrade sewage treatment systems, manage polluted stormwater runoff, and complete a variety of projects to prevent pollution.

We also recently ended a public comment period for this fiscal year’s (2019) funding.

Water quality grants help communities in need of funding protect Washington's waters.

Here are a few project highlights

Nonpoint pollution projects

Thirty-five projects are receiving $16 million in grants and loans to address nonpoint pollution that comes from widespread, hard-to-trace activities. Two projects will also receive $9 million to repair or replace on-site sewage systems.

Examples of these projects include:

• Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, Pierce County
  We have offered Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department in association with the nonprofit lender, Craft3, and 15 other counties a $1.5 million grant, a $1.5 million forgivable loan (funding that does not need to be paid back), and a $5 million low-interest-rate loan to expand the Regional Septic Program. The program provides affordable loans to homeowners and small businesses to repair failing onsite septic systems.

• Spokane Conservation District, Spokane County
  Spokane Conservation District will receive a $500,000 grant and a $3.3 million loan to reduce soil erosion through direct-seeding, creating riparian buffers, and implementing the Farmed Smart Sustainable Agriculture certification. Spokane Conservation District will partner with Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association and Palouse Rock Lake Conservation District for this project.

Wastewater projects 

Thirty wastewater treatment projects are receiving $110 million in funding. Thirteen of the projects qualify for special hardship financial assistance due to their potential impact on residential sewer bills.

High-priority wastewater hardship projects include:

• Warden, Grant County
  City of Warden will receive a $500,000 grant and a $1 million loan to extend its sewer system to include homes who currently discharge waste to an unlined lagoon. The project will decommission the lagoon which will help protect the city’s drinking water from contamination. 

• Carbonado, Pierce County
  Town of Carbonado will receive a $4.7 million grant and a $3 million loan to replace its old, failing sewer system that was installed in the early 1900s. This failing system is a threat to public health and the environment. If the system fails, it would risk raw sewage entering the environment and coming into contact with the public. Also, replacing this system will improve the water quality in the upper Carbon River.

Stormwater projects

Ninety-six communities across the state are receiving a total of $45 million in grants and loans to implement projects that focus on reducing stormwater pollution. In addition, 67 stormwater projects from fiscal year 2016 and fiscal year 2017 that were in “delayed” status are offered about $39 million in grants.

The highest-priority stormwater projects include:

• Tacoma, Pierce County
  City of Tacoma will receive a $5 million grant and a $3.2 million loan to improve water quality in the Flett Creek Watershed. The project will improve water quality by installing permeable pavement, providing basic treatment, and reducing stormwater flows from 17 blocks in the Tacoma Mall Neighborhood

• Spokane Valley, Spokane County
  City of Spokane Valley will receive a $654,732 grant for a low-impact development project. The project will design and install bio-infiltration swales to treat stormwater runoff along a major street and eliminate three acres of street runoff.

More information

Find out more about clean water financial assistance on our website. See the full funding offer list.

Find projects in your area using our interactive map online.

By Daniel Thompson and Stacy Galleher, Water Quality Program

Funding supports jobs and clean water in Washington's communities

This year, Ecology is proposing to award nearly $154 million in financial assistance for 69 high-priority clean-water projects across the state. Our funding supports local communities by helping them upgrade sewage treatment systems, manage polluted stormwater runoff, and complete a variety of projects to prevent pollution.

Nearly 70% of the funding we manage goes to local communities for environmental projects. Our clean water funding comes from a mix of state and federal funds dedicated for water quality improvements and protection. State financial managers calculate that 11 direct and indirect jobs are created in Washington for every $1 million spent on building clean water infrastructure. Using this calculation, the funding will support almost 1,700 jobs, with one-third of them as construction jobs.

The proposed funding is contingent on the Washington state capital budget and federal budgets. Projects on the list can begin as soon as July 1, if we have secured the funding.

Give input on the proposed funding list

We invite comments on our draft list of projects until Feb. 19, 2018. Send comments to Daniel Thompson at daniel.thompson@ecy.wa.gov. Also, see below for more information on our public meeting.

Here are a few highlights

Twenty projects are slated to receive about $21 million in grants and loans to address nonpoint pollution that comes from widespread, hard-to-trace activities.

Examples of these projects include:

Beaver Dam Analogues placed in a stream to slow down
and clean water which also creates better habitat. 

• Myers Creek, Cheesaw, Okanogan CountyThe nonprofit, Okanogan Highlands Alliance, is proposed to receive nearly $175,000 for the second phase of a project to re-establish the floodplain in Myers Creek, near Chesaw. The project includes the construction and enhancement of Beaver Dam Analogues (see picture), the planting of native plants, and to raise awareness about this critical habitat.
• Nisqually Watershed, Pierce County
  The Nisqually Indian Tribe would receive more than $14 million in a low interest rate loan to help buy and protect 5,221 acres of forest with 42 miles of shoreline in the Mashel River sub-basin and 2,560 acres of forest with 26 miles of shoreline in the watershed’s Ohop Creek sub-basin.

Twenty-six wastewater treatment projects are proposed to receive approximately $99 million. Seven of the projects qualify for hardship financial assistance due to their potential impact on residential sewer bills. These hardship projects may receive a combination of grants, forgivable loans (loans that do not need to be paid back), and low interest rate loans.

High priority wastewater hardship projects include:

• Pine Creek, Rosalia, Whitman County
  The Town of Rosalia is proposed to receive nearly $7 million in grant and loans to improve water quality in Pine Creek and reduce impacts on public health by fixing its failing sewer collection system.

• Long Beach, Pacific County
  The City of Long Beach may receive $7 million in grants and loans to design and build a Regional Biosolids Treatment Facility. The facility will compost biosolids from several locations and turn it into highly-treated compost. Residents, businesses, and the city could use this compost for landscaping projects.

Twenty-one communities across the state are proposed to split about $27 million in grants to implement projects that focus on reducing stormwater pollution. The highest-priority stormwater projects include:

A completed stormwater pollution reduction
project, a planted swale.

• Johns Creek, Renton, King County
  The City of Renton could receive more than $1.5 million for a project to improve water quality in Johns Creek (a tributary to Lake Washington). They propose to design and construct new bio-retention facilities and permeable sidewalks. The project will reduce toxic pollutants in stormwater runoff.
• Ellensburg, Kittitas County
  The City of Ellensburg is proposed to receive about $2.7 million to treat stormwater runoff from a busy street before discharging into Mercer, Whiskey, and Wilson Creeks. Treatment will include Low Impact Development (LID) practices like building rock-lined swales and permeable sidewalks.

Unfortunately, due to insufficient funds there are 41 projects eligible for more than $17.5 million in Centennial Clean Water Program grant and 20 projects eligible for $225 million in Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan that may not receive full funding.

Example of a wetland habitat education project. 

Let us know what you think

We invite comments on this draft proposal list.

Submit comments by Feb. 19 at 5:00 p.m. Email Daniel Thompson at daniel.thompson@ecy.wa.gov.

Public meeting
Join us for a meeting to discuss the proposed funding list.

Feb. 1, Thursday at 1:00 p.m.
Pierce County Library
Processing and Administrative Center
3005 112th Street E
Tacoma, WA, 98446

After Feb. 19 we will respond to any comments received in the Final List document. We expect to publish the Final List by June 29, 2018, after the passage of the state 2017-19 Biennial Capital Budget.

More information

Find out more about clean water financial assistance on our website.

By Stacy Galleher, Water Quality Program

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.”

5 tips for homeowners to prevent stormwater pollution

by Krista Kenner, communications manager, Bellingham Field Office 

Washington is a great place to live, and people are catching on. Last year, almost 50,000 people moved to our state. More people generally translates into more development. In fact, to meet the growing demand, 31,000 housing units were built in Washington state last year.

More housing means more impenetrable surfaces such as roads, roofs, parking lots, and sidewalks—all of which contributes to stormwater.

Water moving through our neighborhoods too quickly is bad for the environment. Instead of slowly seeping into the ground like it would in a forest, water flows over roofs, pavement and other surfaces right into the ditches and creeks that feed our lakes and oceans. The fast flow can cause erosion and excess sediment, nutrients and pollution to enter our waterways.

Here in the Puget Sound, we are exceptionally sensitive to stormwater pollution. Washington has nearly 74,000 miles of rivers and streams, more than 4,000 lakes, and roughly 3,000 square miles of marine estuaries—and many of them are polluted.

But before we get overwhelmed, let’s focus on what we can do. We can’t underestimate the impact that we can collectively have as homeowners. To celebrate Earth month, we compiled our top five homeowner “can-do’s” to reduce stormwater pollution.

Photo courtesy of City of Bellingham

1. Collect and harvest rainwater

A rain barrel is a system that collects and stores rainwater from your roof that would otherwise run off your property into storm drains and streams.

Lawn and garden watering make up nearly 40 percent of total household water use during the summer. A rain barrel will save most homeowners about 1,300 gallons of water during the peak summer months, while at the same time, decreasing the impact of runoff to streams.

Rain barrels are relatively simple and inexpensive to construct and can sit conveniently under any residential gutter down spout.

2. Install a rain garden 

Photo courtesy of RE Sources

In a natural forest, stormwater slowly infiltrates into the soil. There, it is naturally filtered and cleansed of some pollutants, is used by plants, and replenishes the water table. We can create a version of this process in our own yards!

A rain garden is a landscaped area specifically designed to receive stormwater to be slowly absorbed into the soil (infiltration). Rain gardens can be designed with a variety of plants to fit your aesthetic preferences. They can enhance the landscaping and appearance of homes and yards while filtering pollutants, reducing flooding and runoff, recharging groundwater, and providing habitat for insects and birds.

We have tips on how to design and build a rain garden in Western Washington.

3. Amend hard soils

Hard, packed soil can act like pavement, sending a quick water flow off of your property and right down to the streams and storm drains. Amend your soil to make it nutrient rich and permeable to stormwater. Mix existing soil with organic material such as compost, sphagnum moss (peat moss), leaves, sand, and top soil or soil mix.

4. Make sure hardscaping is permeable 

If you’re considering a new patio or other hardscaping, choose permeable pavers, which allow the movement of stormwater through the surface. Permeable paving surfaces can capture heavy metals that fall on them, and can keep pollutants in place in the soil. They also allow water seepage to replenish the groundwater.

5. Remove part or all of your lawn

Lawns have shallow roots and offer limited erosion control. During periods of heavy rain, lawns often become saturated with surface water, which begins to pool and runoff. Lawns also require a lot of watering and mowing. Replacing lawn with native, drought-resistant plants (which have longer roots to pull water down from the surface) will reduce stormwater runoff.

Take a look at other homeowner improvement projects to prevent stormwater pollution, and get inspired. Slow it down, spread it out, soak it in!

Let’s Talk Science! Bugs and baby fish help scientists pinpoint stream pollution

By Jessica Payne, Environmental Assessment Program communications manager

Ecology scientists place trout eggs in Indian Creek
to test stream health. Photo by: Ecology

Here at Ecology, our scientists study the environment in a number of ways. Sometimes we're looking large scale and trying to investigate the big issues that might harm humans, animals or the environment. Other times, we're knee-deep in your own backyard stream trying to track down sources of pollution.

Scientists from our Environmental Assessment Program recently worked on a project just like that. They wanted to find out where pollution might be entering Indian Creek in Olympia. To answer this question, they focused on the stream's ability to support baby fish and the food they need to survive and grow. They tested for toxins in the stream water with baby trout.

For the study, they placed trout eggs into the creek at different test sites and waited to see how they did in the water. If the water is healthy, the fish should thrive. If it’s polluted with toxins, the fish will be affected.

Bugs and baby fish

A standard way of testing water quality is by running a chemical analysis through an instrument at a laboratory. However, many toxins can’t be detected by chemical analysis. We don’t have the ability
to test for everything that’s out there, and even for those that we can, there’s limited information available to tell us how those chemicals will affect aquatic life. What’s more, chemicals can have a very different effect on wildlife when they’re combined than when they stand alone.

“Sometimes, biology is the best way to test the waters.” said Brandee Era-Miller, our scientist running samples on the creek. “Why? Animals will respond to any toxin or combination of toxins. We don’t always have to know what’s in the water to see that it’s not good for fish.”

Aside from fish, our scientists also tested soils, aquatic stream bugs, periphyton (the green slime on rocks), and groundwater that was entering the stream.

Where, what and how did we test?

We first monitored the stream in 2010. From that study, we knew there was a stormwater pipe carrying runoff from nearby parking lots that may be adding pollutants to the stream. We tested both upstream and downstream from that suspected source to verify if it was indeed a source of toxins.

We looked to see if the fish could thrive in the stream. This means more than just surviving; we also checked to see if they failed to hatch from their eggs, if they had birth defects or stunted growth.

Fish are sensitive to different pollutants in each early stage of their life.

Those life stages include:

• Eggs
• Alevin stage - when they look like a fish but the egg is still attached
• Fry - fully formed, but tiny, baby fish

Our results

What did we find out from this research? Two main things. First, we learned that the test itself was successful; that trout early lifestage testing can be done in streams to directly assess environmental conditions.

Second, results from the tests showed that the creek was a healthy habitat for fish at the upper site, but impaired at the lower one. What does this mean? Baby fish were more likely to survive and grow into healthy fry at the site upstream from the stormwater pipe than the one downstream.

Why this research matters

Not only did we use this method of research to identify sources of pollution for Indian Creek, we also tested a system that is accessible and affordable for all communities. This biological test is an easy and fairly affordable method that local cities, counties and even volunteers could use to test the health of their streams.

Running chemical analysis for every known toxicant in the stream is very expensive; this gives communities a way to find out how healthy their streams are without that cost.

Want read details of the study? 

You can find them on our Environmental Assessment Program report summary webpage.

You can also read a detailed review in the city of Olympia’s STREAM TEAM spring newsletter.

How you can protect your streams

It’s important for people to know the health of the streams in their neighborhood. It’s even more important for them to know how to protect those streams from toxic chemicals and contaminated stormwater runoff.

You can start by learning what stormwater is online and taking our stormwater quiz.

Every small action makes a difference. Learn what you can do to protect your water on our Washington Waters webpages and at Puget Sound Starts Here.

More about the Environmental Assessment Program

Ecology houses a department of scientists that work to measure and assess environmental conditions in Washington. We work hard to understand the state's land, air and water to keep everyone healthier. To learn more about us and the type of research we do, please visit the Environmental Assessment Program webpage.

Getting to clean water: Working together to improve water quality in Clarks Creek

By Sandy Howard, Water Quality Program communications manager

Urban-area Clarks Creek is a tributary of the Puyallup River.

If five species of salmon could put their fins together and clap, they’d be giving a big round of applause for some plans underway for Clarks Creek in the Puyallup River watershed.

The Department of Ecology and local partners have finalized a plan to improve the health of the creek, and a lot of folks will soon be working together to make it happen.

This four-mile spring-fed tributary of the Puyallup River is an important area for salmon. Five salmon species migrate, spawn, and rear in the area.

The health symptoms

A water quality cleanup plan was developed for Clarks Creek because it suffers from low levels of dissolved oxygen and excess sediment. Salmon and aquatic life need oxygen to “breathe.” Sediment clogs gills and smothers fish egg nests.

The root cause of most of the problems is polluted stormwater runoff.

And from bad to worse, the current water conditions foster the overgrowth of the nuisance weed elodea, which creates conditions that harm fish and their supporting habitat.

The creek and its tributaries run through the city of Puyallup and unincorporated Pierce County. People live on the creek and depend on it for fishing, swimming, boating, farming, and its natural beauty. If the conditions in Clarks Creek are ignored, these uses will be lost and fish habitat will slowly disappear.

Cleanup required by law

Federal and state law require the Ecology to develop a plan that will protect the creek, improve its current condition, and get it back to meeting state water quality standards.

The water quality improvement report was developed with help from a group consisting of Pierce County, the city of Puyallup, Puyallup Tribe, WSU Puyallup, local citizens, the state Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Ecology. The group originally formed in May 2009.

The report is now online, and the next step is for EPA to approve the Clarks Creek dissolved Oxygen and Sediment Total Maximum Daily Load report. We have also posted technical documents.

We appreciate all the support this group has provided during the development of the report.

Returning Clarks Creek to healthy conditions that support salmon will require new efforts from all the partners.

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Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Poulsbo Cleans up a Lot on Liberty Bay

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Poulsbo Cleans up a Lot on Liberty Bay

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

Parking lot at Anderson Parkway near Liberty Bay after improvements.

Liberty Bay is an important waterway that supports commercial and recreational shellfish harvesting. For the city of Poulsbo, which sits at the top of Liberty Bay, it’s no wonder the people put the Anderson Parkway parking lot right next to the bay so folks can drive right up.

The Problem

The 2.1 acre Anderson Parkway is the single largest hard, non-porous surface in downtown Poulsbo. Rainwater lands on the Parkway, picks up pollution, and discharges untreated stormwater directly to Liberty Bay. The runoff from cars results in relatively high amounts of toxic contaminant loading to Liberty Bay.

Large portions of Poulsbo were developed over 100 years ago and have no stormwater treatment facilities. The city recognized that significant improvements could be achieved by retrofitting these developed areas, especially large paved areas near the water.

To find out how the city of Poulsbo dealt with the stormwater discharging into Liberty Bay, read this full story online, which was written by written by Joan Nolan, Ecology Northwest Regional Office.

Telling our success stories

Water quality success stories provide a wealth of information associated with novel project designs, funding ideas, and useful resource suggestions. Some are clear successes; others supply valuable lessons to help us grow in our understanding of water quality protection and restoration. Stories illustrate successes gained from cooperation among Washington’s citizens and organizations.

Read all of our Ecology's water quality success stories, and check out our complete catalog of stories.

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Kittitas County Fairgrounds – Pollution Abated

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

The “before” photo: manure-laden wash-water draining into Wilson Creek. Photo credit: Terry Wittmeier

Introduction

Have you ever seen the cute 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) kids at the annual county fair,proudly showing off their well-groomed livestock? Ever wonder what they do to keep their animals so clean while at the fair? Unfortunately, at the Kittitas County Fairgrounds animal wash stations were draining directly into nearby Wilson Creek. But thanks to good work by staff from the city of Ellensburg’s stormwater utility and the Kittitas County Fairgrounds, the problem has been solved.

Problem

For many decades, storm drains have collected runoff water from the fairgrounds and discharged the untreated water to Wilson Creek. During the annual county fair and other livestock-related events, the livestock wash stations at the fairgrounds also discharged to these drains, causing stream pollution.This conflicts with the Wilson Creek Sub-basin Bacteria Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), the city’s Eastern Washington Phase II municipal stormwater permit, and its municipal stormwater permit. Adding to the challenge was the fact that Kittitas County owns and manages these fairgrounds, even though the fairgrounds are within Ellensburg’s city limits and discharge to the city’s municipal stormwater system.

To find out how Kittitas County and the city of Ellensberg resolved this dilemma,read the full story online.

Story written by Elaine Snouwaert Ecology Eastern Regional Office

Telling our success stories

Water quality success stories provide a wealth of information associated with novel project designs, funding ideas, and useful resource suggestions. Some are clear successes; others supply valuable lessons to help us grow in our understanding of water quality protection and restoration. Stories illustrate successes gained from cooperation among Washington’s citizens and organizations.

Read all of our Ecology's water quality success stories, and check out our complete catalog of stories.

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Stories about Getting to Clean Water: A Pullman Partnership: Not Wishy-Washy about Preventing Stormwater Pollution

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

Soapy water flowing into a catch basin where the pump transfers it to the sanitary sewer. Photo credit: Pullman Stormwater Services.

Introduction

Each summer, charity car washes pop up at various locations around the cities and towns we live in. These car washes are set up with the best of intentions to raise money for many worthy causes. But what happens to all that grime and sudsy water flowing across the parking lot? If that dirty, sudsy water flows into a storm drain, there is a good chance it flows directly into a nearby stream. All the oils, fluids, and dirt on the cars can end up degrading the stream’s water quality, harming the fish and insects living there.

The situation

Under the Eastern Washington Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit, the city is required to eliminate illicit discharges to its stormwater system to ensure only rain goes down the drain. That sudsy carwash water running into a catch basin is an illicit discharge. But no city wants to shut down a charity carwash, so Pullman sought a solution that would allow the car washes to continue without dirty water entering nearby streams.

To find out how Pullman resolved this dilemma, read the full story online.

Story written by Elaine Snouwaert Ecology Eastern Regional Office.

Telling our success stories

Water quality success stories provide a wealth of information associated with novel project designs, funding ideas, and useful resource suggestions. Some are clear successes; others supply valuable lessons to help us grow in our understanding of water quality protection and restoration. Stories illustrate successes gained from cooperation among Washington’s citizens and organizations.

Read all of our Ecology's water quality success stories, and check out our complete catalog of stories.

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Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Shoreline’s Aurora Corridor Improvement

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

A raingarden swale along Shoreline’s Aurora Avenue improvement area.

Introduction

A three-mile stretch of Aurora Avenue (Highway 99) between North 145th Street and North 205th Street in Shoreline, Washington, had problems. Before the city began making improvements here much of the area lacked sidewalks, and the wide roadway transitioned directly into parking for businesses along both sides of the street. The Washington State Department of Transportation said this corridor was one of the most dangerous stretches of road in the state.

Problem

Prior to the improvement project buildings, roadways, and parking lots covered approximately 97 percent of the area in hardened surfaces. During storms or heavy rain events, stormwater runoff from these surfaces flowed directly into nearby waters with little to no water quality treatment.

Milestones and outcomes

The city installed a series of low impact development (LID) structures that will help reduce stormwater volume, reduce pollutants from discharging into nearby waters; save money; improve community aesthetics; and improve air quality while reducing the heat island effect.

Read this full story onlinefor more information.

Story written by Melisa Snoeberger, Ecology Northwest Regional Office.

Telling our success stories

Water quality success stories provide a wealth of information associated with novel project designs, funding ideas, and useful resource suggestions. Some are clear successes; others supply valuable lessons to help us grow in our understanding of water quality protection and restoration. Stories illustrate successes gained from cooperation among Washington’s citizens and organizations.

Read all of our Ecology's water quality success stories, and check out our complete catalog of stories.

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Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Stormwater Sleuths Solve the Mystery of the Putrid Pipe - Pullman’s hunt for the elusive, illicit discharge

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

Dye testing to determine illicit connection of a sanitary sewer to a stormwater outfall.
Photo credit: Pullman Stormwater Services

The illicit stormwater discharge often lurks out of sight under a city’s buildings and streets. The challenge for cities, regulated under the state’s Municipal Stormwater Permit, is to locate and eliminate this pollution source.

Problem

In every city across the nation, mistakes happen during construction. After all, when you are connecting pipes underground they all pretty much look the same. But it is important to make sure the drains from sinks and toilets lead to the sanitary sewer and not the stormwater sewer. A misconnection could mean raw sewage going directly to a stream without treatment. An illicit discharge is any discharge to a stormwater system that is not composed entirely of stormwater.

City crews working on an infrastructure replacement project in Pullman’s downtown business district noticed “suspicious material”. The obviously illicit connection was traced back to a historic office building. A true team effort of private contractors and public staff was required to fully unravel the mystery.

• To learn more about this illicit discharge, read this full story online
• Story written by Elaine Snouwaert, Ecology Eastern Regional Office

Telling our success stories

Water quality success stories provide a wealth of information associated with novel project designs, funding ideas, and useful resource suggestions. Some are clear successes; others supply valuable lessons to help us grow in our understanding of water quality protection and restoration. Stories illustrate successes gained from cooperation among Washington’s citizens and organizations.

Read all of our Ecology's water quality success stories, and check out our complete catalog of stories.

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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 series of reports called, “Clean Water: The Next Act.” Ecology staff worked with the reporters as they’ve profiled the monumental challenges of urban runoff to Puget Sound and the plight of the small communities, whose wastewater facilities are in decline and need of upgrades since being constructed some 30 years ago. You can follow EarthFix reports.

State agency formed to protect Washington's environment

In the late 1960s, the state of Washington already had several separate commissions looking at the burgeoning concerns associated with the environment and natural resources. They were the fisheries and parks departments, and the Water Pollution Control Commission and the Department of Water Resources that would become part of the Department of Ecology.

The Department of Ecology and the state’s environmental laws grew out of the foresight of Gov. Dan Evans, who in early 1970 called a special session of the Legislature to concentrate on environmental protection. Also key to the movement was the League of Women Voters and its president Joan Thomas, who in 1967 helped form the Washington Environmental Council, as told in Ecology’s oral history. In the late ’60s, she worked to help bring the then Democratic Senate into support for the Republican governor’s proposed environmental legislation, particularly the pieces that formed the Department of Ecology. Together these forces laid the foundation for Ecology and our work today.

State and federal laws guide our work

The federal Clean Water Act and state statutes have been a foundation for our work and there’s been much progress since the 1970s. This milestone reinforces our need to keep vigilant as we move into the Act’s fifth decade.

Today, we can pause and acknowledge strides we’ve made in curbing industrial sources of pollution, but we also look head-on at a big, current challenge to the health of our state’s waters – polluted runoff from the land.

The EarthFix reporters took a long look at stormwater in their Oct. 17 story, “How We Got Into Such A Mess With Stormwater.” The underwater time lapse video of the storm drain at end of this piece is worth watching.

Read more about the Clean Water Act anniversary on EPA’s website.

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Good Yard Care Practices Help Protect Washington Waters

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

Mulch or compost clippings and prevent them from
entering our waters causing pollution

Gardening season has kicked into high gear in Washington and with all that lawn care comes oodles and oodles of grass clippings and other garden debris. For many, managing all those clippings can be overwhelming. There are a few great ways to dispose of clippings and a few not so great ways. Proper disposal is important for protecting our water.

Disposing of grass clippings the wrong way can add up to big pollution problems. Really! Also, placing yard waste near storm drains or directly into local lakes, streams, wetlands, and bays is illegal. This practice can:

• Block storm drains and cause flooding.
• Lead to harmful algae blooms from excessive growth of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus.
• Smother spawning beds of fish and destroy habitat for other aquatic life.
• Suppress native aquatic plants that support a healthy ecosystem.
• Cause depletion of oxygen and provide an opportunity for non-native plants to grow in their place such as Eurasion Watermilfoil and Brazilian Elodea.
• Lead to sickness in animals and humans if the clippings or yard waste is treated with fertilizers or pesticides.

Believe it or not we get several complaints each year of folks dumping their grass clippings and other yard waste directly into our lakes, rivers, and Puget Sound. You can report these activities or other environmental problems at our reporting portal.

Rather than dumping grass clippings there are many benefits of turning them into compost, which reduces waste. It also:

• Builds healthy soil for plants and gardens.
• Saves time and money by reducing the need for water, fertilizer and pesticides.
• Builds rich soil that absorbs run-off and breaks down urban pollutants such as oil, grease, metals, fertilizers and pesticides that harm fish in urban streams or Puget Sound.
• Improves landscape appearance.

If composting isn’t something you have the time or space to do, here are a few other options for disposing yard waste properly:

• Place in curbside yard waste container provided by your waste hauler.
• Drop off at a yard debris collection site. Contact your local public works or solid waste department for details.
• Mow grass without a lawnmower bag and leave clippings to naturally decompose. Doing so will not produce thatch.

You can learn more about natural yard care and other ways to protect our waters on our Washington Waters website.

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Let’s Talk Science: Breaking down decomposers

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

Nitrogen and phosphorus are essential building blocks for living organisms. These elements and others, like carbon, allow organisms to create cells, tissue, and provide energy to complete their life processes. Nitrogen and phosphorus, also known as “nutrients”, are an integral part of living organisms. These nutrients continue to be important to the ecosystem even after the organisms die. If it weren’t for an essential part of the food web known as decomposers these nutrients would forever be trapped in dead plants (like lawn clippings and dead leaves) and animals.


Decomposers, like the ones pictured in this simplified aquatic version, are an important part of the food web. They break down dead organisms and release nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus for other organisms to use.

Decomposers, such as fungi, bacteria, and invertebrates like earthworms and insects, work to break down the cells and other structures that made up any living organism. Watch this short video that shows how decomposers are nature’s “trash collectors”. In the process of breaking down dead plants and animals, decomposers do two important things:

1) They use oxygen to gain energy and drive their own life processes.
2) They release nutrients back into the environment for other organisms to use.

Understanding these two functions of the decomposer might just help with the bigger picture. Because when you insert human behaviors into the system we can have a big impact on the outcome.

Nutrient pollution

Nutrient pollution is a well documented problem in our waters in the US. You can learn more about it from this short EPA video. Nutrients can directly make their way to waters in a variety of ways including stormwater runoff. When these nutrients hit a lake or river, they act as a fertilizer, accelerating plant and algae growth. It is when the plants and algae die that decomposers step in to do their job.

So as decomposers kick their cycle into high gear, remember they are 1) using oxygen and 2) releasing more nutrients back into the environment. As they consume the oxygen in water there is less available for fish and other aquatic life. Low oxygen also means that some bodies of water may not meet Washington’s water quality standards.

Yard waste can create pollution

Remember the example of grass clippings and dead leaves? These happen to be great food for decomposers. As they break down dead plant tissue, they are freeing nutrients, which in turn make great food for your yard and garden. However, often times this yard waste is improperly disposed. Dumping grass clippings near storm drains, into ditches, and even directly into water can add up to a big nutrient pollution problem. You can learn more about proper disposal of grass clippings from our Focus on Clean and Healthy Waters.

One person’s yard waste may not make a big difference, but when many people do it, the decomposing yard waste can be very harmful to water and fish. So keep yard waste away from streams and lakes. Here are a few other ways that you can prevent nutrient pollution in your local lake, river, and Puget Sound.

• Have an on-site septic system? Check it, fix it, maintain it.
  
• Do you love your pets? Scoop the poop. Bag it. Trash it.
  
• Have a small farm? Manage manure. Collect, cover, compost.

You can learn about these and many other ways to protect our water at our Washington Waters website.

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Pacific Steel and Recycling takes the downside out of recycling - sometimes a visit is all it takes

By Elaine Snouwaert and Jani Gilbert, Water Quality Program, Eastern Regional Office

Pacific Steel and Recycling, with Washington Department of Ecology’s help, has recently undergone some big changes in Spokane so their recycling operation is part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

Surface water, like lakes, rivers and streams, is especially vulnerable to pollution in urban areas because it is next to human activities. Industries, businesses, and residential areas all are sources of pollutants that can run off to stormwater systems. These stormwater systems then transport the pollutants to streams or groundwater.

Radiators had leaked and storage bins had no lids. Problem solved!

In August 2010, staff from the Department of Ecology’s Urban Waters Program conducted an inspection at Pacific Steel and Recycling on North Ralph Street, which revealed problems that could result in heavy rain and snow carrying pollutants into the Spokane River and the aquifer below. Within two months, the recycling company had hired an environmental firm and an engineering firm to develop plans and designs to address the problems.

The problem

Recycling bins and dumpsters did not have lids, so when it rained, stormwater mixed with the materials and carried pollutants to the nearby stormwater system. The inspectors also noted there were no catch basins upstream of several drywells. Without catch basins, recycling process waste could reach the drywells, which hold the water until it percolates to the aquifer. In addition, inspectors found automobile fluid collection areas and several pieces of machinery that were leaking fluids.

“Obviously recycling is a good thing, but it can be messy and it can actually be a source of pollution.” said Urban Waters inspector Ted Hamlin.

Hamlin explains that recycling facilities, like Pacific Steel, collect and process many different materials from many places, which can result in a lot of different pollutants all at a concentrated site. The recycling process may produce pollutants, or the recyclable material may have a polluting residue in or on it. Without methods of containing and disposing of these materials, a rain event could result in a toxic stew of pollutants running off the site and into natural water sources.

Pacific Steel installed a brand new grassy swale to filter pollutants.

The solution

Pacific Steel and Recycling hired Schwyn Environmental Services, LLC (Schwyn) to develop a plan, and Schwyn submitted it to Ecology in October 2010. Several of the recommendations from the inspection had already been put in place. Schwyn and Pacific Steel began training staff in how to contain pollutants and how to keep house to prevent contaminants from leaving the site.

In November 2011, Ted Hamlin made a follow-up visit to Pacific Steel and Recycling and found that all the needed changes had been made. New roof gutter systems were channeling roof runoff away from processing areas to new drywells; a new grassy swale was scheduled for construction; catch basins were in place to intercept debris; and no fluid leaks were evident on site.

“Sometimes a visit to the site is all that is needed to launch actions that will protect water quality,” Hamlin said.

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