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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 2, 1997
97-186
CONTACT: Iloba Odum, Vancouver field office director, 360-690-7171
OLYMPIA, WA - Rapid population growth and a desire to improve service in Clark and Skamania counties has prompted the state Department of Ecology to open an office in Vancouver. The agency will share space with the Department of Fish & Wildlife, which is consolidating smaller offices from around the Vancouver area.
The new joint office is located at 2108 Grand Blvd., Vancouver, 98661-4622. Ecology's phone number is 360-690-7171. Fish & Wildlife's phone number is 360-696-6211. Office hours are Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Ecology will provide an array of services in Vancouver, including automobile-emission checks, hazardous-waste inspections, water-rights investigations, and inspections and cleanups of underground storage tanks. Residents also may receive technical assistance on water-quality issues, including polluted runoff and other sources of pollution.
Iloba Odum, director of Ecology's new field office, said the department has spent about two years scoping out the possibility of a Vancouver office, deciding what services are most needed, and finding funding. The effort was boosted by Fish & Wildlife's decision to consolidate its Clark County operations, making it possible for the two departments to share office space.
"With the Clark County area growing so rapidly, it is important that we have a larger presence here and be better prepared to address the increasing environmental challenges," Odum said. "By co-locating with Fish & Wildlife, we can rent office space less expensively and do a better job of coordinating our efforts -- which is good for the public and good for the environment."
The office initially will be staffed with 10 Ecology personnel, eventually increasing to 15 people. All of the staff volunteered to be transferred from elsewhere in the Department of Ecology. Fish & Wildlife has 65 people in its Vancouver office.
"I am pleased by both the efficiency and customer-service aspects of this move," said Fish & Wildlife Director Bern Shanks. "It's a good way for us to do business."
The Vancouver field office opened for service to the public on Nov. 24. The agencies will co-host an open house in February 1998 after the holiday season (date to be announced later).
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
