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Department of Ecology News Release - October 16, 2006
06-206
SPOKANE - Washington residents are invited between Oct. 23 and Nov. 24 to comment on a draft plan to reduce the amount of fecal coliform bacteria in major rivers and creeks in the Walla Walla watershed.
The rivers and their tributaries were placed on Washington state's list of polluted waters because they don't meet water quality standards for bacteria. The standards are designed to protect people who use the rivers for swimming and other recreation.
In 2002, the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) began studying the Walla Walla and Touchet rivers, and Mill, Yellowhawk, Russell, Garrison, Dry and Mud creeks on the Washington side of the basin.
From that information, the department joined with local citizens in a multi-year effort to create a water-quality improvement plan, sometimes called a total maximum daily load (TMDL).
One step in creating the report is to outline the steps to take to accomplish water quality goals, which is included in the document to be reviewed by the public over the next month.
"A lot of people in the Walla Walla vicinity have worked hard to shape this plan," said Karin Baldwin of Ecology's water-quality program. "We worked with the community to identify ways we can reverse this trend and bring the river back to health."
Some of the activities identified include educating residents about the causes and remedies of the problem, maintaining septic tanks, creating protective buffers along rivers and creeks, and properly managing livestock and manure.
Scientific analysis indicated that most fecal coliform detected was from warm-blooded animal sources, such as farm and domestic animals, wildlife, and treated human waste from wastewater treatment plants and on-site septic systems.
Studies indicated that the discharge from wastewater treatment plants was being treated adequately.
After the review period, the water quality improvement report will be forwarded to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for approval.
People interested in reading the report on-line will be able to access it at this Web site: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/tmdl/wallawalla/index.html
Comments should be postmarked by Nov. 24 and sent to Karin Baldwin, Dept. of Ecology, 4601 N. Monroe St., Spokane, WA 99205. Baldwin can be reached at (509) 329-3472 or by e-mail at kbal461@ecy.wa.gov for questions.
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Contact: Jani Gilbert, public information manager, 509-329-3495; cell, 509-990-9177
For more information:
Walla Walla TMDL Web site: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/tmdl/wallawalla/index.html
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
