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The Clean Water Act established a process to identify and clean up polluted waters. Every two years, all states are required to prepare a list of water bodies (called the 303[d] list) that do not meet water quality standards. (Ecology's Water Quality Assessment Web site provides more information on this process.) All water bodies identified on the list must attain water quality standards within a reasonable period, either through a water quality improvement plan (also known as a total maximum daily load, or TMDL) or other pollution control mechanisms.
In Washington State, the 62 water resource inventory areas (WRIAs) of the state are grouped into 23 water quality management areas (WQMAs). Each fall, Ecology holds a series of workshops around the state. During these sessions staff evaluate WQMAs to choose and prioritize which 303(d)-listed water bodies or watersheds will be addressed in the next state fiscal year.
Due to a number of considerations, not all watersheds in these areas are selected for water quality improvement projects. For the selected water bodies, work begins the following fiscal year (state fiscal years are from July - June).
The following tables list those water quality improvement projects that were chosen, by fiscal year.
2009 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005
FY2009 Proposed Priority Water Quality Improvement Plans
| Region* | Water Quality Management Area (WQMA) Considered during Scoping Process | Priority Water Bodies Proposed for Water Quality Improvement Plans | Water Quality Lead Staff Person | Remarks | |||
| Primary Location | Waterbody(ies) Name(s) |
Water Resource Inventory Area {WRIAs} (see Watershed Conditions maps) |
Pollution Problems | ||||
| CRO |
Lower Yakima |
Yakima County | Yakima River - Mainstem | 37-39 | Conventionals |
Jonathan Merz 509-454-7207 |
|
| ERO | Upper Columbia | Ferry County | Curlew Lake | 60 | Phosphorus |
Karin Baldwin 509-329-3472 |
QAPP only |
| NWRO | Cedar-Green | King County | Juanita Creek Beach | 8 | Fecal Coliform |
Chris Coffin 425-649-7110 |
Collaborative fecal coliform source investigation led by city of Kirkland and King County |
| Des Moines Basin | 8 | Zinc/Copper | Verification study - not a TMDL | ||||
| Lake Washington | 8 | PCBs | Sediment survey of PCBs in South Lake Washington - not a TMDL | ||||
| Newaukum Creek | 9 | Fecal Coliform | |||||
| BFO | Nooksack / San Juan | Whatcom County | Squalicum, Padden, & Whatcom Creeks | 1 | Temperature |
Steve Hood 360-715-5211 |
Innovative TMDL |
| SWRO | Columbia Gorge | Clark County | Salmon Creek | 28 | Temperature |
Kim McKee 360-407-6407 |
Innovative TMDL |
FY2007 Proposed Priority Water Quality Improvement Plans
| Region* | Water Quality Management Area (WQMA) Considered during Scoping Process | Priority Water Bodies Proposed for Water Quality Improvement Plans | Water Quality Lead Staff Person | Remarks | |||
| Primary Location | Waterbody(ies) Name(s) |
Water Resource Inventory Area {WRIAs} (see Watershed Conditions maps) |
Pollution Problems | ||||
| CRO |
Upper Yakima Lower Yakima |
Yakima County | Yakima River | 37-39 | Toxics, Pesticides, PCB |
Jane Creech 509-454-7860
Jonathan Merz |
Set Human Health Criteria |
| ERO | Mid Columbia | Garfield County | Tucannon/Pataha Creeks | 35 | Temp, FC, pH,Turbidity |
Jon Jones 509-329-3481 |
Streamlined TMDL |
| NWRO | Kitsap | King County | Green River/Newaukum | 9 | Temp |
Chris Coffin 425-649-7110 |
KC-DNR Partnership. List FY06; start FY07 |
| Fauntleroy Creek | 9 | Fecal Coliform | NWRO – in House TMDL | ||||
| SWRO | Lower Columbia | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | No approved projects |
FY2006 Proposed Priority Water Quality Improvement Plans
|
Region* |
Water Quality Management Area (WQMA) Considered during Scoping Process |
Priority Water Bodies Proposed for Water Quality Improvement Plans |
Water Quality Lead Staff Person |
|||
| Primary Location | Waterbody(ies) Name |
Water Resource Inventory Area {WRIAs} (see Watershed Conditions maps) |
Parameter | |||
| CRO | Wenatchee | -- | -- | -- | -- | Ryan Anderson |
| Lower Yakima | -- | -- | -- | -- | Ryan Anderson | |
| ERO |
Upper Snake Lower Snake |
-- | -- | -- | -- | Donovan Gray |
| NWRO | Nooksack and San Juan | Whatcom County | Drayton Harbor | 1 and 2 | Fecal Coliform (bacteria) |
Steve Hood 360-738-6254 |
| King County | South Lake Sammamish Tributaries | 8 | Fecal Coliform (bacteria) | Dave Garland 425-649-7031 | ||
| King, Snohomish counties | Snoqualmie River | 7 | Temperature | |||
| SWRO | Western Olympic | Pierce County | Puyallup River | 10 | Fecal Coliform (bacteria) |
Cindy James 360-407-6276 |
FY2005 Proposed Priority Water Quality Improvement Plans
See Ecology Publication 05-10-001 for more information
| Region* | Water Quality Management Area (WQMA) Considered during Scoping Process | Priority Water Bodies Proposed for Water Quality Improvement Plans | Water Quality Lead Staff Person | |||
| Primary Location | Waterbody(ies) Name |
Water Resource Inventory Area {WRIAs} (see Watershed Conditions maps) |
Parameter | |||
| CRO | Okanogan | Yakima County |
Selah Ditch (If resources are available) |
48 - 51 | Fecal Coliform (bacteria), Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen |
Greg
Bohn (509) 454-4174 |
| Kittitas County | Upper Yakima River | Temperature | ||||
| ERO |
Crab Creek Esquatzel |
Whitman County |
Palouse River (Note: This project has been delayed)
|
36, 42, and 43 | Dissolved Oxygen, pH, Fecal Coliform (bacteria), Ammonia, Temperature, Toxic Chemicals | Paul Turner |
| Spokane County | Newman Lake | Phosphorus | ||||
| NWRO | Island/ Snohomish | Skagit County | Samish Watershed | 6 and 7 | Fecal Coliform (bacteria) | Ralph Svrjcek (425) 649-7165 |
| Snohomish County | Old Stillaguamish Channel in Stillaguamish River Watershed | Dissolved Oxygen, pH | ||||
| King, Snohomish Counties | Little Bear Creek | Fecal Coliform (bacteria) | ||||
| SWRO | South Puget Sound | Clark County | East Fork Lewis River | 27 | Temperature, Fecal Coliform (bacteria) |
Kim
McKee (360) 407-6407 |
| Lewis, Cowlitz, Skamania Counties | Gifford Pinchot National Forest | Temperature | ||||
If you have questions or need more information on the these lists please contact:
Diane Dent
WA Department of Ecology
E-mail: Diane.Dent@ecy.wa.gov
Phone: (360) 407-6616
* BFO = Bellingham Field Office; CRO = Central Regional Office; ERO = Eastern Regional Office; NWRO = Northwest Regional Office; SWRO = Southwest Regional Office
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
