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Department of Ecology News Release - January 15, 2008
08-012
SPOKANE – Finding—and stopping—the sources of toxic pollutants found in the Spokane River in recent years is the goal of a major new effort getting under way now within the Department of Ecology (Ecology) and through a partnership with the Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD).
The state Legislature appropriated $2.1 million statewide to pay for an Urban Waters Initiative in three areas of the state: the Lower Duwamish Waterway, Commencement Bay in Tacoma and the Spokane River.
Businesses and industries from Spokane and the Spokane Valley will get onsite technical assistance, pollution-prevention advice and education to control and prevent toxic pollution from reaching the Spokane River or the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie aquifer.
“It is better to prevent pollution than to clean up wastes after they are formed,” said Ecology Director Jay Manning. “Technical assistance will save firms money by helping them control the amount of waste they generate, hopefully preventing the need for expensive cleanups later on.”
Of the $2.1 million that the Legislature dedicated to this effort statewide, $540,000 was budgeted for hiring one “local source control specialist” for each of the three areas included in the initiative. About one third of that amount, or $180,000, will pay for a source control specialist in Spokane, under an agreement with SRHD.
Ecology entered into a contract agreement with SRHD and the district will use the money to hire the source-control specialist.
Local governments already help businesses safely manage hazardous and solid wastes. The state money for interagency contracts from Gov. Chris Gregoire and the 2007 Legislature boosts these local programs as part of a comprehensive effort to keep toxic chemicals from our rivers, lakes, streams and aquifers.
“This project will make the current cleanup effort of Spokane’s urban waters more effective,” said David Swink, director of the Spokane Regional Health District’s environmental public health division. “It will allow us to provide more tools to keep our water clean and protect the public’s health.”
The specialist will work directly with businesses and industries to:
Another $980,000 is dedicated to beefing up Ecology’s staff and resources in Spokane to provide extra help to find the sources of the toxic chemicals. Two new and one existing position in Ecology’s Spokane office will work closely with the source-control specialist hired by the health district on the goal of eliminating the sources of toxic chemicals to the Spokane River.
A series of technical reports completed in 2005, concluded that the Spokane River has elevated concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins/furans. In addition, the concentrations of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (PBDEs or flame retardants) in the fish are the highest in the state. Further, the Spokane River carries historic mining waste that includes heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, and zinc.
While scientists understand the sources of some of these toxic substances, others, such as PBDEs, remain a mystery. Finding the sources is the first step toward stopping them.
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Media Contacts: Jani Gilbert, Ecology, 509-329-3495; cell,
509-990-9177, (jagi461@ecy.wa.gov)
Julie Graham, Spokane Regional Health District, (509) 324-1539, (JGraham@spokanecounty.org)
For more information: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/hwtr/lsp/index.html
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
