Overview
The Washington Department of Ecology is working in
collaboration with the Puget Sound Partnership and other state
and federal agencies to deliver three phases of scientific data
about toxic chemicals in Puget Sound. The goal of the science is
to inform decisions about actions to restore Puget Sound.
Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Puget Sound toxic loading studies
have informed
policy options for the state’s Action Agenda to reduce and
control releases of toxic chemicals.
Phase 3 will support
implementation of the actions that the Puget Sound Partnership
identifies in the Action Agenda, such as improved wastewater
permitting.
The Puget Sound toxic loading studies will help guide
decisions about how to most effectively direct resources to
resolve toxic contamination issues in Puget Sound. For example,
the studies will help identify which sources or pathways of
toxic chemicals should receive priority attention and which
areas of contamination should be cleaned up first. The nine main
pathways to Puget Sound targeted by these studies are:
- Surface runoff
- Atmospheric deposition
- Wastewater discharges
- Combined sewer overflows
- Spills directly to surface water
- Groundwater discharge
- Exchange with the ocean
- Contaminated marine sediments
- Migration of contaminated biota
Surface Runoff Study A new study designed to determine relative chemical contributions from different land-cover types and refine chemical load estimates. (May 2011)
Focus on Toxics in Surface Runoff to Puget Sound (May 2011)
