Urban Waters Initiative

New funding from the 2007 Washington legislature promises to boost clean-up and protection efforts in three of the state's keywater bodies - the Lower Duwamish Waterway in South Seattle, Commencement Bay in Tacoma, and the reach of the Spokane River that flows through the city of Spokane.

The legislature budgeted $2.57 million for this "Urban Waters Initiative," to focus on water bodies that are under pollution pressures from concentrated population and industry. Nearly 70 percent of the state's dangerous waste generators - most of them small businesses - are in the Puget Sound region and the Spokane River watershed.

Both the Lower Duwamish and Commencement Bay are on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) "Superfund" list. EPA and Ecology have been coordinating the cleanup of some Spokane River recreational sites in or near the city.

EPA and Ecology generally divide responsibilities for these projects, with EPA managing the cleanup and Ecology coordinating "source control" to keep the cleaned up sites from being re-contaminated. The new funding will help Ecology increase its efforts to trace the sources of key pollutants and to make sure that permits are up to date and being followed.

The Urban Waters Initiative will complement another new project, the Local Source Control Partnership. (See “Local Source Control Partnerships to Help Small Businesses,” in the Winter 2007 Shoptalk.)

These local government and Ecology source control specialists will be stepping up site visits in the Urban Waters areas to help businesses:

Identify potential sources of contamination.
Ensure they have the right environmental permits and are in compliance.
Provide technical assistance on Best Management Practices to reduce toxics and prevent pollution.
Develop site-specific solutions.

For more information about how Ecology staff can work with your business, contact your nearest Ecology regional office.