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Washington State Department of Ecology

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Washington State Marine Debris Task Force - January 30, 2013

13-002-MDNR

Marine debris item found in Seaview being examined

SEAVIEW, WASH. – State officials are examining a large, metal cylinder that washed ashore Monday at Cape Disappointment State Park to determine if it came from Japan as a result of being swept out to sea by the 2011 tsunami.

The cylinder is longer than a small pickup truck. While no markings have been detected yet, some algae and other sea life were attached to the item. View photographs on Flickr.

As a precaution, a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife official will check it for potential invasive species. A Washington Department of Health official examined the cylinder Tuesday and, as expected, found no radioactive contamination above normal background levels.

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Media Contact: Virginia Painter, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, (360) 902-8562, Virginia.Painter@parks.wa.gov.

For more information:

People who want to keep abreast of new marine debris developments in Washington State can sign up for an information listserv established by the state. To sign up, go to Ecology's Listserv page and choose “marine/tsunami debris.”
Washington Marine Debris Web portal (http://marinedebris.wa.gov/)
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) remains the best source for information about Japan tsunami marine debris including modeling, protocols to follow for handling marine debris and frequently asked questions. Go to marinedebris.noaa.gov/tsunamidebris/
NOAA is collecting information about tsunami debris and asks the public to report debris sightings to DisasterDebris@noaa.gov.. Please include the time, date, location and, if possible, photographs in such reports.
Joint States tsunami debris information Web site (http://disasterdebris.wordpress.com/)
Washington Emergency Management Division (www.emd.wa.gov/index.shtml)
Washington Department of Health (www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/EmergencyPreparednessandResponse/FukushimaUpdate/TsunamiDebrisFAQ.aspx)
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (www.wdfw.wa.gov/tsunami/)
Washington Department of Ecology (www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/spills.html)
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission (www.parks.wa.gov/)
Washington State Invasive Species Council (www.invasivespecies.wa.gov)
Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (www-stage.capaa.wa.gov/news)

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