State seeks comment on which waters to clean first

OLYMPIA - The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) is seeking public comment on which polluted water bodies should get cleanup plans during the coming year.

Each year, Ecology proposes a list of polluted waters that will be the next to undergo cleanup planning, and asks the public to review the list. So far, cleanup plans have been developed for 270 of Washington's almost 700 polluted lakes, rivers and streams.

"Cleaning up Washington's polluted waters starts with developing cleanup plans," said Dave Peeler, who manages Ecology's water quality program. "With limited state resources, there are only so many we can tackle at once, so we're asking people to help make sure our priorities are right."

The plans (also called "total maximum daily loads," or TMDLs) set a budget for the amount of pollution a water body can receive and still remain healthy. Ecology works with people in affected communities to develop the plans, which also identify sources of pollutants, the extent to which pollution needs to be reduced, and strategies to clean up the water.

Most water pollution comes from everyday activities such as household and garden chemicals, runoff from urban streets, agriculture, logging, discharges from cities and industries, and failing septic systems. The federal Clean Water Act requires states to develop cleanup plans for polluted waters.

Ecology is proposing to begin cleaning up or further studying waterways in Clark, Cowlitz, Kittitas, Lewis, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Spokane, Whitman and Yakima counties. The list of water bodies under consideration is available online at www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0410040.html or by calling 360-407-6480.

Comments on the proposed cleanup list must be received by June 24. Send comments to Ron McBride, Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, Wash., 98504-7600, or via e-mail to rmcb461@ecy.wa.gov; phone, 360-407-6469; or FAX, 360-407-6426.

The water cleanup list will be completed in July of this year.