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.

Finding common ground for clean water and healthy farms

Bill Dewey new co-chair of our Ag/Water Quality committee 

Livestock producers, crop growers, shellfish farmers, environmental groups and Ecology are sitting at the table – together – finding common ground on protecting clean water and supporting a healthy agricultural industry.


Bill Dewey, committee co-chair, on his clam farm on Samish Bay.

Most recently, the Agriculture and Water Quality Advisory Committee came together on October 3 in Union Gap to discuss a number of statewide and local issues, as well as welcome Bill Dewey of Taylor Shellfish as the new co-chair. Dewey has served on the advisory committee since it began in 2014 and brings more than 35 years of shellfish farming experience.

“I believe the best approach to our complex challenges is to work in partnership,” says Bellon. “I’m grateful that the agricultural community is willing to continue our work together to make meaningful strides toward identifying lasting solutions that keep working lands productive in an environmentally friendly way.”

Ecology Director Maia Bellon first created the advisory committee to improve our working relationships with the agricultural community. The group provides a forum for open dialogue about complex issues that affect the industry and how they intersect with efforts to prevent water pollution.

 “Our state is making huge strides through collaboration, which allows us to reduce conflict and have open dialogue on difficult issues. Bringing people together leads to solutions that stick,” said Dewey at the October meeting. As a shellfish farmer, Dewey brings a unique perspective to the group as part of an industry that is directly affected by pollution flowing downstream but who also understands the daily challenges of farming.

Clam farms need tractors, too.
Dewey's boat, The Clamdango, is used to bring a tractor back to land.

Polluted runoff from our streets, forested lands and farms can carry nutrients, bacteria and other pollution into our lakes, streams and rivers. Preventing this type of pollution is our greatest challenge to restoring the health of Washington’s waters – a public resource.

Bellon relies on the committee to connect with real farmers and ranchers who provide valuable feedback on our work.
Since the group’s inception, they’ve discussed many topics, including:

• Developing voluntary clean water guidance
• Updating and implementing the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation general permit
• How to evaluate risks to water quality on agricultural lands
• An innovative agreement with Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association

The meeting is also an opportunity to talk about priorities for future years and share local success stories. Committee members don’t always agree, yet the group remains committed to exploring innovative ways to ensure clean water for farms, clean water for communities, and a healthy agricultural industry.


Views of another type of Washington farming:
on top of Steptoe Butte looking at farm hills in the Palouse region.

 “One of the most important aspects of this committee is the opportunity for face-to-face interactions. Personally engaging with those directly affected pays tremendous dividends to all of us. I recognize and value that it’s not enough to simply talk about what needs to be done. The how can be just as important. I believe we’ve made real progress,” Bellon said.

For more information on the committee and the meeting schedule visit our Agriculture and Water Quality Advisory Committee webpage.

Colleen Keltz, Communications Manager, Water Quality

Eyes Under Puget Sound: Critter of the Month—Bloodworms

Left: Dany identifies marine critters at the South Sound BioBlitz on August 11, 2018.

Center: Glycera americana, a species found on both the east and west coasts, has finger-like gills that shoot out from behind its feet.

Right: Our 2016–2017 WCC intern, Nicole Marks, holds a Glycera robusta specimen freshly collected from a benthic grab sample.

It’s a Bioblitz!

Recently I had the pleasure of volunteering at the South Sound BioBlitz, a community outreach event hosted by the Pacific Shellfish Institute. Participants spent a rainy Saturday morning working with local scientists conducting beach surveys to find intertidal invertebrates. Most species were catalogued in the field, but some specimens were brought back to the WET Science Center for closer examination. It was a great way for folks of all ages to get up close and personal with Puget Sound’s benthic (sediment-dwelling) invertebrates!

One of the most common finds at our survey location was a small, pink, wiggly worm with a pointy head. I immediately recognized it as a bloodworm because of its paper thin skin that reveals its red body fluid inside.

Bloodworms are a type of polychaete, or marine segmented worm, in the family Glyceridae. The intertidal species are only a couple of centimeters long, but we get a much larger version in our Puget Sound subtidal benthic grabs that can be over a foot long (see video below for one of these big beauties)!

In cold blood

I often get the question, “Do bloodworms bite?” Well, yes and no. The bloodworm is a voracious predator and has a long proboscis, or mouthpart, that can shoot out of its body like something in a horror movie. At the end are four black jaws that are connected to venom glands. Despite their sinister name, bloodworms typically save their venom for the tiny crustaceans they like to eat. They don’t usually harm humans intentionally, but if you did happen to put your finger near the worm’s mouth, you could end up with a minor bee-sting-like bite.

The bloodworm’s black jaws are especially strong because they contain a copper-based mineral that makes them almost as hard as human tooth enamel—an important quality when you are munching on sand grains with your food!

Blood in the water…and in the mud

When you take a bloodworm out of its habitat, it will thrash around like a fish out of water (see video below—watch for the proboscis shooting out). This makes them great for attracting actual fish, which is why fisherman commonly use them as bait. Don’t confuse them with the popular aquarium fish food; those small red freshwater bloodworms are actually midge fly larvae.

In addition to their usefulness to humans, bloodworms provide an important ecological service. They are highly mobile, burrowing into the sand or mud with their pointed snouts. This activity is called bioturbation, or mixing of the sediments, and it allows much needed oxygen and nutrients to penetrate into the deeper layers of sediment. The burrows made by the worms can also provide habitat for smaller critters, helping drive biodiversity. Bloodworms may not be beautiful, but Puget Sound sediments would certainly be a less productive and interesting place without them!  

By: Dany Burgess, Environmental Assessment Program

Our benthic taxonomists, Dany and Angela, are scientists who identify and count the benthic (sediment-dwelling) organisms in our samples as part of our Marine Sediment Monitoring Program. We are tracking the numbers and types of species we see in order to understand the health of Puget Sound and to detect any changes over time.

Dany and Angela share their discoveries by bringing us a Benthic Critter of the Month. These posts will give you a peek into the life of Puget Sound’s least-known inhabitants. We’ll share details on identification, habitat, life history, and the role each critter plays in the sediment community. Can't get enough benthos? See photos from our Eyes Under Puget Sound collection on Flickr.

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

New website makes it easier to find state and federal funding

Now you can find many grants and loans for water and salmon related projects offered by the state and federal government in one place.

The new Fundfinder.wa.gov is a clearing house for water quality and salmon project funding. The Fund Finder website allows people to find grants by project type or who can receive the funding.

Partnership of agencies worked to build Fund Finder

This project came from a Results Washington improvement project workgroup. Ecology co-led the process with the Recreation and Conservation Office. This project brought together several natural resource state and federal agencies to collect all of the different funding information. This effort makes it easier for those seeking grants for water quality or salmon restoration projects – as they don’t have to search several different agencies in order to find out what funding is available.

This website is one of several action items that will help standardize and make funding information across multiple agencies more consistent.

Next steps to expand Fund Finder 

Currently, the Fund Finder focuses on projects in the water, aquatic plant removal, restoring salmon habitat, and floodplain management. In the future, we are hoping to expand the Fund Finder to include all natural resource and some infrastructure grants and loans. We hope to include projects such as protecting safe drinking water and road and bridge construction and maintenance.

Check out the Fund Finder today

You can help us improve this new tool by taking this survey after visiting the page.

By Stacy Galleher, Water Quality Program

McCleary’s first shoreline master plan proposal ready for public input

The first of anything only happens once. So, here’s your chance to get in on the ground floor and comment on the first Shoreline Master Plan proposal for the City of McCleary. Public comments are open now through Sept. 26, 2016. The proposal addresses uses and development on Wildcat Pond and a small segment of the shorelands associated with Mox Chehalis Creek. If approved, the proposal would meet the requirements of the Shoreline Management Act and the Shoreline Master Program Guidelines. 

What’s a Shoreline Master Program?

Shoreline Master Programs are local plans developed by cities and counties to manage shoreline use. These local programs protect natural resources for future generations, provide for public access to public waters and shores and plan for shoreline uses and development.

City of McCleary’s shoreline plan

McCleary’s new shoreline program establishes vegetative buffers to accommodate existing development, reflects the city’s underlying zoning, and references a restoration plan that identifies potential projects for future restoration efforts. To schedule a time to read paper copies of the proposal, contact the City of McCleary or Ecology Regional Planner Kim Van Zwalenburg at the address below.

All comments should be sent to Kim Van Zwalenburg. There are four ways to do it:

By email:             kim.vanzwalenburg@ecy.wa.gov

By mail:                Southwest Regional Office

                              PO Box 47775
                              Olympia, WA 98504-7600

In person:            300 Desmond Drive
                              Lacey, WA 98503

By phone:            360-407-6520

Ecology must receive comments no later than 5 p.m. on Sept. 26, 2016.

Comment summaries and the city’s response will be posted to the City of McCleary Shoreline Master Program page on Ecology’s website.

By: Dave Bennett, Southwest Region communications manager

Proposed amendments of University Place shoreline plan ready for public input

University Place’s proposed update to its Shoreline Master Program is ready for public comment now through Sept. 1, 2016. The proposed amendment provides consistency with the Growth Management Act’s mandate that local governments use the best available science in their critical areas ordinances. This type of amendment is not unusual.

What’s a Shoreline Master Program?

Shoreline Master Programs are local plans developed by cities and counties to manage shoreline use. These local programs protect natural resources for future generations, provide for public access to public waters and shores, and plan for shoreline uses and development.

University Place’s shoreline plan

University Place’s new amendments are related to wetland buffers and mitigation, as well as geological hazardous areas and their associated buffers. 

To schedule a time to read paper copies of the proposal, contact the City of University Place, or contact Ecology Regional Planner Michelle McConnell at the address below.

All comments should be sent to Michelle McConnell. There are four ways to do it:

By email:             michelle.mcconnell@ecy.wa.gov

By mail:               Southwest Regional Office

                             PO Box 47775

                             Olympia, WA 98504-7600

In person:            300 Desmond Drive

                              Lacey, WA 98503

By phone:            360-407-6349

Ecology must receive comments no later than 5 p.m. Sept. 1, 2016.

Comment summaries and the city’s response will be posted to the University Place Shoreline Master Program page on Ecology’s website.

By: Dave Bennett, Southwest Region communications manager

Pollution solution: Keep a clean beach, help keep shellfish harvests open

There’s poop on Washington beaches. Bird poop. Fish poop. Insect poop. Dog poop. Cat poop. And yes, there is people poop, too.

North Beach has suffered several shellfish harvest closures due to dangerously-high levels of fecal bacteria.

Beach poop comes in all shapes and sizes, but the vast majority is invisible. Beach poop can originate from many different sources, both human and animal. But whether it comes from humans, our pets and horses, or wildlife it adds fecal coliform bacteria to our beaches and shellfish beds. This directly affects our ability to harvest and enjoy razor clams.

Beach poop is everyone’s business. 

New beach study pinpoints sources

A new study released by our Environmental Assessment Program identifies levels of contamination and main sources of fecal coliform bacteria pollution along the Pacific coast--from Ocean Shores to the Moclips River--and offers solutions that residents and visitors can use to keep beaches safe from this problem. High levels of fecal coliform bacteria not only impact shellfish beds, but can make people and pets sick from exposure to contaminated water.

The North Beach Bacteria Study is a collaboration between Ecology, Washington Department of Health, the Quinault Indian Nation and local governments. Its aim is to improve downgraded shellfish areas and protect those that currently meet water quality standards.

“Maintaining healthy beaches and shellfish beds is everyone’s business,” says Lydia Wagner, our project coordinator on the study. “Beachgoers must be responsible for their own activities that contribute to bacteria pollution.”

The North Beach area receives tens of thousands of visitors during the summer months and clam digs, which creates an intermittent, heavy-use impact on beaches.

Do your part to keep the beach clean

For beach tourists, the study offers three easy tips they can use to keep Washington beaches clean and limit bacteria problems in shellfish areas:

1. Bag your pet waste and properly dispose of it
2. Pack out your picnic trash
3. Don’t feed wildlife

Learn more tips to be a good beach steward on our website. 

Local residents are also encouraged to maintain their home’s septic system. Regular maintenance supports clean beaches and helps avoid costly repairs later.

Dig deeper into the science

The study is the first step in creating a great resource for those interested in protecting Washington’s coastal beaches. Residents will understand how a damaged septic system can harm the beaches they love. Visitors will understand why packing out the beach poop, whether it’s actual poop or common litter, is important to maintaining the safe and healthy beaches they love to visit. 

There is a simple solution to the problem of common beach pollution: bag it up and pack it out.

By: Dave Bennett, communications manager

Earth Pass It On: What this city girl has learned about keeping the water clean

by Sandy Howard, communications manager, Water Quality Program

I was born in Tacoma, but I grew up in south King County on the rim of the Green River Valley.

Our home’s picture window had a view directly to the west. We could watch the planes landing and taking off from Sea-Tac Airport, day and night.

My family did a lot of car camping and scouting, so I got a lot of exposure to the outdoors. I took for granted the nearby pristine waters of Saltwater State Park, the cold and swift running waters of the Green River at Flaming Geyser Park, the satiny surface of Lake Meridian on opening day of trout season.

I have memories of whirling round and round on the beach with a whip made of sea lettuce. Throwing rocks, and wading into Puget Sound peering into the shallow water to see crabs and tiny fish.

And of my brother throwing my favorite piece of driftwood out the car window – just to spite me! 

Remarkably, and not really intentionally, I wound up with a fascinating career with the Department of Ecology. It’s amazing all of the things I’ve learned since I’ve been here. And it’s stuff I never knew before. 

I'm sitting next to my Dad, my brothers and some of their
friends along Point Defiance a long time ago. 

Almost everything we do on the land has a downstream effect.

For example, I don’t have a lawn or a garden, but I have a giant driveway. And I have a big roof.

I have learned that if I keep them clean, they don’t grow a lot of moss. I don’t need to use a lot of moss killer. When it rains, that’s less moss killer washing downstream and getting into Olympia’s Percival Cove.

I have learned that if I have four quarters, maybe six if I’m feeling rich, I can get my car really clean at the auto mall car wash. That way I don’t make soapy water that goes down the storm drain. Did you know the soapy water acts like a fertilizer?  It contains phosphorous that triggers algae blooms, which are an increasing problem in our lakes, rivers and Puget Sound.

And this next one is kind of a quirky one, but it’s true. 

Did you know that if your community is having a sewer spill – which usually means a sewer line is broken and raw sewage is spilling into the ground or into the water – the best thing you can do is to limit your use of water? Less water going down your drain means less of a spill.

Another one is that I check my car to make sure it’s not leaking oil. I drive a hybrid, but I’m hoping my next car will be an all-electric one. Maybe a Tesla? 

In my long career, I’ve had a chance to help educate people about water quality.

Mom, my brothers and me looking like tourists somewhere 

along Puget Sound back in the day. 

Some of the most gratifying work has been to help educate people about toxic algae blooms. Almost every year, somebody’s dog drinks from a lake that is having a bloom and gets sick or dies. So here’s my advice -- if you see green algae or scum in the water, stay away from it. Keep your pets and children out of it.  

Our lakes, rivers and Puget Sound are special and irreplaceable. It has taken decades for pollution problems to crop up, and it will take decades for us to get them clean again. I thank cities, counties and industries who are doing their part for clean water. You and I can do some things, too. Our small steps together will get us there. 

Me today.

Learn more about what you can do to keep the water clean by visiting Washington Waters – Ours to Protect. 

Earth Day every day

Earth Day is Friday, April 22. (And every day is a good day to inspire better habits for the environment!) Watch for 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.