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Ecology’s Environmental Assessment Program conducts various monitoring efforts to characterize toxic chemicals in Washington's environment. Some of our more recent efforts are described below.
List of candidate sites for various monitoring efforts in 2008.
Toxic contamination of our air, water, soil, and wildlife continues to be a concern in Washington State. Humans and wildlife face a variety of risks due to toxic chemicals in the environments. For many areas of Washington, information is lacking about the levels of toxic contaminants in freshwater fish and surface water. In 2000, Ecology developed the Washington State Toxics Monitoring Program to address these concerns.
     
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Where water quality criteria are exceeded, the state of Washington may be required to develop a water cleanup plan known as the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) process. Water Cleanup Plans involve watershed residents in choosing and implementing strategies to reduce pollution.
TMDL studies for toxics contaminants are intensive monitoring efforts of sediment, water, and fish to provide the information needed for developing water cleanup plans. Verification studies are performed where more information is needed to determine whether water quality criteria were exceeded and help determine the next course of action.
In 2002, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) contracted with the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) to design and conduct a multi-year surface water monitoring program to characterize pesticide concentrations in salmonid-bearing streams.
The groundwater scientists of the Environmental Assessment Program conduct studies across a broad spectrum of groundwater-related issues. Many of these studies address toxic contamination of groundwater from accidental spills, leaking underground storage tanks, and leaching from landfills or agricultural practices. The Groundwater Assessment website describes current monitoring efforts and strategic planning.
The Puget Sound Assessment and Monitoring Program (PSAMP) monitors toxic contaminants in sediments and fish throughout Puget Sound. Since 1989, Ecology has conducted the Marine Sediment Monitoring Project part of PSAMP while the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has tested for contaminants in marine fish.
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
