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Department of Ecology News Release - June 2, 2005
05-129
OLYMPIA - The state Department of Ecology has released the largest assessment ever done of water quality in Washington's lakes and streams.
"This is our broadest look yet at the condition of Washington's waters," said Dave Peeler, manager of Ecology's water quality program. "It will help us figure out which waterways need the most attention as we partner with local communities to address pollution."
The assessment includes the list of known polluted waters in the state, sometimes referred to as the 303(d) list after the section of the federal Clean Water Act in which it appears.
According to the assessment, a total of 874, or 50 percent, of the 1,756 polluted-water listings from the 1998 list have been placed into other categories. Of those moved off the list, about half were removed because they no longer show impairment or persistent pollution, while others were dropped because they are being cleaned up under a federally-approved plan. Still, because more waters are being tested, the overall number of polluted water segments on the list has increased, from 1,756 to 2,478.
Ecology compiles its own water quality data for the assessment and invites other groups to submit data as well. Nearly 40,000 data submissions were analyzed to ensure they were collected using sound scientific methods, compared to fewer than 3,000 in 1998. Each of the submissions were then mapped and catalogued. Two public comment periods took place, and the comments were reviewed and incorporated into the final assessment.
Although the total number of assessed waters has risen dramatically since 1998, it still represents only about 5 percent of the state's streams and 3 percent of lakes and marine waters - meaning that the vast majority of Washington's water bodies have not been tested.
The assessment is used to identify pollution problems and set priorities for improving water quality so the water eventually is safe for swimming, fish habitat and drinking.
The state's list has been formally submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has the authority to approve or disapprove it. A water cleanup plan, also known as a "total maximum daily load" or TMDL, must be developed for all of the waters that are classified as polluted (see Category 5, below).
In 1998, to help resolve a lawsuit between environmentalists and EPA, Ecology entered into an agreement to complete 1,566 water-cleanup plans on approximately 700 water bodies over a 15-year period. Now, six years into that agreement, Ecology and its community partners have completed cleanup plans to address 555 polluted water bodies and are working to finish the rest.
"People are getting involved in understanding and improving water quality in their communities, and it is paying off," said Peeler, citing progress in places such as the Dungeness River, the upper and lower Yakima rivers, the Chehalis and Stillaguamish rivers, Stimpson Timberland streams and Yakima's Granger Drain.
"All of these are a result of cooperative efforts between local communities and Ecology," Peeler said.
Each of the 17,420 water bodies assessed has been placed into one of five categories:
A single lake, river or stream segment may be listed in more than one category. For example, a stream segment may meet tested standards for temperature yet still be polluted by bacteria. In such a case, the stream segment would be listed in Category 1 for temperature and Category 5 for bacteria.
The primary pollutants appearing in Washington waters are fecal coliform, dissolved oxygen, pH, toxics and total phosphorus. The most significant increase was in high temperature listings, which is also considered a pollutant. The rise in temperature listings is primarily due to increased monitoring, likely spurred by increased salmon habitat protection efforts. These five pollutants, including temperature, make up about 80 percent of the polluted-water listings.
More information, including comprehensive listings and an interactive map that shows all waters in the state for which data exist, is available at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/303d/index.html .
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Media contact: Glenn Kuper, public information manager, 360-407-6848
For more information: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/303d/index.html
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
