Stories for Whitman County

Washington State Department of Ecology

Ecology home > Water Quality > Water Quality Stories > Water Quality Stories Catalog > Stories for Whitman County

Whitman County Map with WRIAs, Washington State. Developed by Mike Woodall, Department of Ecology.

Water Quality stories are grouped according to the Water Quality Program's Five Program Activities. Some Stories may fall under more than one category, and are referenced accordingly.

Prevent Point Source Pollution (excluding water cleanup, stormwater, and financial assistance)
Reduce Nonpoint Source Pollution (excluding water cleanup, stormwater, and financial assistance)
- Transforming Watersheds: Palouse River - Whitman County
  The Palouse River is the main artery of the great Palouse grasslands of eastern Washington. Recently it became clear the river needed help. It was failing state water quality standards for bacteria, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and a variety of different toxic chemicals, making it one of the more polluted water bodies in the state. Using a variety of different funding sources the Palouse-Rock Lake Conservation District initiated several river restoration projects.
- New Program Provides Assistance in Hangman Creek Watershed
  Hangman Creek, covering parts of Washington, Idaho, and the Coeur d′Alene Reservation. It flows into the Spokane River, is impaired with fecal coliform, sediment from soil erosion, and water temperatures that are too warm for cold-water fish. Coordination between Ecology and the Spokane County Conservation District, supported by several Washington and Idaho governments and organizations, led to receiving funding from the Natural Resources Conservation Service to help farmers utilize direct-seed tillage cropping technology. This project brought Idaho and Washington together to work to implement water quality protection in the Hangman Creek watershed – without letting a state line create a barrier to success.
Control Stormwater Pollution
- Eliminating Dirty Discharges
  A story of how a combination of observation, assistance, and cooperation helped reduce pollutants from industrial sites.
- Growing Pains in Pullman
  How Ecology developed a working relationship with a construction company, which resulted in an improvement in the quality of stormwater discharges from construction sites.
Provide Financial Assistance
Cleanup Polluted Waters

Back to Stories Catalog

Last updated November 2010