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Department of Ecology News Release - January 16, 2007
07-011
OLYMPIA - The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) is enlisting additional help from more cities and counties in Western Washington to tackle the state's largest source of urban water pollution - stormwater runoff.
Polluted stormwater from runoff is a major threat to Puget Sound and to the state's urban waters. It carries a toxic stew of pollution downstream into the state's lakes, rivers and marine waters. Uncontrolled stormwater can carry muddy water downstream that can suffocate salmon and salmon egg nests. It can also cause flooding and slope failures that threaten people's homes and the environment.
Starting tomorrow, the state will begin regulating stormwater in 81 cities and five counties in Western Washington where stormwater has not been previously regulated.
The jurisdictions fall under the state's new "Phase II" municipal stormwater permit that Ecology will issue tomorrow.
"This permit alone will not fix the pollution problems from urban runoff, but it represents a significant advance in water quality protection for Washington," said Jay Manning, director of the Department of Ecology. "Urban stormwater runoff is a challenge that state and local government must solve together to protect our waters so they remain fishable, swimmable and diggable."
Billy Frank Jr., chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission said, "The state's new stormwater regulations are important to protect Puget Sound, and are long overdue. Polluted runoff is a big problem, and in fact, the permit requirements should be even stronger. We need more monitoring to know what's in the stormwater, where it's coming from, and how it's affecting Puget Sound. All new development in the region should be required to use the best stormwater management practices available. As we seek to balance growth in region, while also trying to clean up Puget Sound, this is a good step in the right direction."
Burien Mayor Joan McGilton, a member of the Puget Sound Partnership, said, "Cities alone cannot meet the new stormwater regulations. They will need a strong alliance with the state, to include training and funding, to get us there."
Municipal stormwater permits are required by the federal Clean Water Act and are delegated to states to administer. In December 1999, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the Phase II municipal stormwater regulations. Ecology is only now issuing the permits after years of work with groups and jurisdictions the regulations will affect. The federal regulations went into effect in March 2003.
Stormwater is a problem because it carries oil, fertilizers, pesticides, pet waste, trash and mud into downstream waters. It can contain bacteria, viruses and chemicals that can get into the food chain. Polluted stormwater can close beaches for swimming and clam digging and can trigger toxic algae blooms. Paved surfaces in cities intensify stormwater's pollution effect because surfaces do not allow water to penetrate into the ground.
Manning said Gov. Gregoire's proposed budget seeks funding for cities and counties to that will help them begin implementing stormwater permit requirements. The Governor's budget includes more than $26 million for stormwater, of which $9 million is earmarked specifically to help local governments comply with the new Phase II stormwater requirements.
In addition, Ecology is holding informational workshops across the state in March to help city and county officials begin learning about the permit requirements. Information about the workshops can be found online at: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/stormwater/municipal/index.html. This Web site will contain the permits on Jan. 17.
Manning said, "I am confident that these permits will result in the kind of real environmental progress that can best be implemented by the local governments."
Under the Phase II permits, the state will require cities and counties to develop and use a stormwater management program to control stormwater discharges into their storm sewer systems. The stormwater management program is a plan to reduce the discharge of pollution, reduce harm to receiving waters, and eliminate illegal non-stormwater discharges. The program also includes controls on new development and re-development to ensure stormwater runoff is properly managed to prevent pollution.
The municipal stormwater permits generally cover cities and counties. However other public entities are also subject to these permits. These other entities could include ports, prison complexes, parks and recreation districts, public universities, or diking and drainage districts that own or operate a stormwater sewer system located in city or county under the permit.
Along with the Western Washington stormwater permit, Ecology tomorrow will also issue a Phase II municipal stormwater permit tailored to unique geographic and precipitation patterns in 20 cities and eight counties in Eastern Washington that were not previously regulated.
Separate permits for Eastern and Western Washington are tailored to match the unique characteristics of each side of the state.
Additionally tomorrow, Ecology will re-issue the Phase I municipal stormwater permit. The permit covers the state's most populated areas in Clark, King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties, as well as Seattle and Tacoma. Ecology issued the original phase I permit in 1990.
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Contact: Sandy Howard, public information manager, 360-407-6408; cell 360-791-3177
Stormwater: ttp://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/stormwater/index.html#permits
Stormwater educational flier: http://www.psat.wa.gov/Publications/stormwater_ed/Pipe_flier.pdf
Western Washington cities and towns subject to Phase II stormwater regulations:Aberdeen, Algona, Anacortes, Arlington, Auburn, Bainbridge Island, Battle Ground, Bellevue, Bellingham, Black Diamond, Bonney Lake, Bothell, Bremerton, Brier, Buckley, Burien, Burlington, Camas, Centralia, Clyde Hill, Covington, Des Moines, DuPont, Duvall, Edgewood, Edmonds, Enumclaw, Everett, Federal Way, Ferndale, Fife, Fircrest, Gig Harbor, Granite Falls, Issaquah, Kelso, Kenmore, Kent, Kirkland, Lacey, Lake Forest Park, Lake Stevens, Lakewood, Longview, Lynnwood, Maple Valley, Marysville, Medina, Mercer Island, Mill Creek, Milton, Monroe, Mount Vernon, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, Newcastle, Normandy Park, Oak Harbor, Olympia, Orting, Pacific, Port Angeles, Port Orchard, Poulsbo, Puyallup, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish , SeaTac, Sedro-Woolley, Shoreline, Snohomish, Steilacoom, Sumner, Tukwila, Tumwater, University Place, Vancouver, Washougal, Woodinville, Yarrow Point.Western Washington counties subject to Phase II stormwater regulations:
Cowlitz, Kitsap, Skagit, Thurston, Whatcom
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
