2019 News stories

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December 2019

12/30 News – Washington’s emission check program ends Dec. 31

12/23 Blog – Crews safely remove, detonate dangerous chemical device

12/20 News – Inslee names Laura Watson director of Washington State Department of Ecology

12/19 Blog – What do you do when the polluter is a mountain?

12/19 News – New climate research shows need for deep cuts in Washington’s greenhouse gas emissions

12/18 Blog – Protecting Puget Sound’s No Discharge Zone

12/18 Blog – Floodplain redesign delivers downstream benefits for all

12/16 Blog – Ecology adopts rule to strengthen railroads’ oil spill response efforts

12/13 Blog – Let it snow!

12/11 Blog – Brighten your holiday season with the northern opalescent nudibranch

12/10 Blog – We can't effectively regulate Hanford cleanup without access to key information from U.S. Department of Energy

12/09 News – Burn ban expires for Chelan, Douglas, Kittitas, Klickitat and Okanogan counties

12/06 News – Stage 1 burn ban for Methow Valley, Chelan and Douglas counties; extended in Kittitas and Klickitat

12/04 Blog – Boots on the Ground: Salmon carcasses make a splash in Chiwawa River

12/04 News – Stage 1 burn ban called for Kittitas and Klickitat counties

12/02 Blog – Updating fresh water rules to protect salmon spawning

12/02 News – Statement from Ecology Director Maia Bellon

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November 2019

11/27 Blog – Eyes Over Puget Sound: Conditions still favorable for fish growth

11/22 News – Additional environmental review required for Kalama methanol project

11/19 News – Comments sought on proposed amendments to instream flow rule in Nooksack watershed

11/19 News – New data shows Washington’s carbon emissions cooling

11/17 News – Draft plan released to restore Chehalis River basin habitat

11/13 News – Marine Servicecenter fined $30,000 for water pollution

11/13 Blog – Despite challenges, recycling is still the right thing to do – for the environment and the economy

11/12 News – Burn ban expires 10 a.m. Tuesday in Asotin, Columbia, Garfield and Walla Walla counties

11/08 News – Stage 1 burn ban called for Asotin, Columbia, Garfield and Walla Walla counties

11/08 News – Burn ban expires 10 a.m. Sunday in Ferry, Okanogan, Pend Oreille and Stevens counties

11/06 News – King County fined for sewer overflow violations

11/01 News – Stage 1 Burn ban for Ferry, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, and Stevens counties

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October 2019

10/31 News – Tukwila business settles dangerous waste penalty

10/30 Blog – This creeping pedal sea cucumber might just give you the creeps!

10/30 News – Environmental penalties for third quarter 2019

10/28 Blog – Cleaning up: An affordable housing milestone

10/25 News – Cleanup proposed for site on Duwamish Waterway

10/24 News – Port plans environmental studies at Terminal 90-91

10/21 News – Statement from Ecology director about EPA’s proposed Clean Water Act rule

10/18 Blog – Partnering on safe well water in the Lower Yakima Valley

10/16 Blog – Yakima River receives ‘water quality’ check-up

10/15 Blog – Slime on river rocks is a forensics tool for environmental scientists

10/14 News – Helping fire departments safely dispose of toxic foam

10/09 News – Ecology finds application incomplete for Kalama methanol project

10/07 News – Dangerous fire on Tacoma tideflats leads to $1.9 million fine

10/04 Blog – Federal grants go toward repairing two Washington dams

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September 2019

09/30 Blog – Zero Emission Vehicles: Driving towards the future

09/27 Blog – Cleanup: The slow slide into Swift Creek

09/26 Blog – The spiny pink scallop is ready for sweater weather

09/17 Blog – Update to general permit that helps remove noxious weeds

09/16 News – Fall drawdown at Lake Osoyoos commences

09/13 Blog – Boots on the ground: Serving in Shenandoah, Iowa

09/13 Blog – Looking upriver: What's next for the Walla Walla watershed?

09/12 Blog – How woody debris becomes orca food

09/11 Blog – State adds airboat to its oil spill response toolbox

09/09 Blog – Bellingham community active in Waterfront cleanup outreach

09/04 Blog – How could our Brownfields program help your community?

09/03 News – Plan proposed to finish Pasco Landfill cleanup

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August 2019

08/30 Blog – Our scientists contribute to “global biodiversity library”

08/27 Blog – Nuclear Waste Program intern gains new appreciation for the scope of work at Hanford

08/26 Blog – Tacoma Smelter Plume: Model Remedies Guidance gets an update

08/26 News – Cleanup proposed for site on Duwamish Waterway

08/26 News – Summary of environmental penalties issued in the second quarter of 2019

08/20 Blog – Ecology considers General Permit to control nutrients in Puget Sound

08/16 Blog – Dust buster: A plan to manage dust in and near Wallula

08/12 News – Initial site survey work on Port Angeles dock, shoreline to begin late August

08/12 News – Shoreline penalty resolved on Palmer Lake

08/08 Blog – New app shows softer side of Puget Sound

08/07 News – Changes proposed to strengthen oil spill requirements for facilities, vessels and pipelines

08/05 News – Irrigators in Little Spokane River watershed will likely see water restrictions this summer

08/05 News – Outstanding performance awards go to 110 wastewater treatment plants

08/04 Blog – These wastewater treatment plants earn an A+ in clean water

08/01 News – Comments sought on shoreline master program for Stevens County, Kettle Falls, Marcus and Northport

08/01 News – Washington begins work to slash HFCs – climate change “super pollutants”

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July 2019

07/31 News – In support of salmon recovery, Ecology seeks feedback on proposed rule changes

07/30 Blog – The striped nudibranch: Don’t mess with this ferocious sea slug!

07/29 Blog – Boots on the ground: WCC as a stepping-stone to disaster management career

07/25 Blog – A Little Green for the Brownfields

07/22 Blog – Use caution if your local lake has a colorful coating

07/19 News – Ecology investigating King County sewage discharge

07/18 Blog – Chip, chip, hooray!

07/18 News – Ecology helps Okanogan County fight smoke - with steam

07/15 Blog – New Tacoma park emerges from Superfund site

07/15 Blog – Wait, how can there be a drought when it’s raining?

07/11 News – Stronger protections for Puget Sound in final permits for Atlantic salmon farms

07/10 Blog – Now accepting nominations for Cleanup Rule Advisory Group

07/08 News – Construction company fined $202,500 and ordered to restore damaged wetlands

07/07 Blog – From onsite septic repair to stormwater infrastructure, $183 million is going to more than 100 clean water projects

07/03 News – Washington Conservation Corps opens 300 environmental positions statewide

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June 2019

06/30 Blog – By managing stormwater, cities and counties are helping to protect Washington’s waters

06/28 News – Coleman Oil settles fine for oil spill to Columbia River in Wenatchee

06/28 Blog – Time to get Smoke Ready

06/27 Blog – Celebrate Pride! The ornate tube worm sports all the colors of the rainbow

06/26 Blog – Calling all lovers of the Puget Sound!

06/24 Blog – Cleaning up: In the footprint of an old corner gas station

06/21 Blog – Wood stove roundup: helping to clear wintertime smoke

06/20 News – Ecology and Auburn wood finisher settle $20,000 penalty

06/18 Blog – Latest health report on Washington beaches

06/14 News – Soil cleanup planned for Duwamish shoreline site

06/14 Blog – Legal victory holds Canadian company accountable for polluting the upper Columbia River

06/14 News – Summary of environmental penalties issued the first quarter of 2019

06/12 News – 50 electric buses coming to Washington transit agencies

06/11 Blog – Pursuing clean water for the Spokane River

06/11 Blog – Watching the water

06/10 News – Lake Osoyoos water levels on the rise

06/07 News – Updated regulations for toxic air pollutants proposed

06/06 Blog – Olympic Peninsula classified as being in severe drought by federal drought monitor

06/06 News – Changes proposed to strengthen railroads’ oil spill response efforts

06/04 News – Funding now available to public agencies for drought relief

06/04 Blog – Recycle Right: How empty is empty enough? How clean is clean enough? How dry is dry enough?

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May 2019

05/30 Blog – Water curtailments for the Chehalis River basin

05/29 Blog – Enhancing and preserving wetlands large and small making critical difference

05/28 Blog – Women in Science: Arati Kaza

05/27 News – Public invited to June 3rd meeting about East Fork Lewis River water quality

05/23 Blog – Citizen science at Washington beaches

05/22 News – New agreement broadens cleanup process at Boeing site on Duwamish

05/20 News – Inslee expands drought emergency for nearly half of the state

05/14 News – New agreement provides water for Skagit well owners

05/14 News – Decades-long water dispute settled on Chamokane Creek

05/10 Blog – Central and Eastern Washington: Prepare for dust storm season

05/09 Blog – Kicking off American Wetlands Month by securing $4.5 million in federal conservation grants

05/08 Blog – Ecology taking action to support orca and salmon recovery

05/08 News – Intalco agrees to install new sulfur dioxide controls

05/01 Blog – Prevention is key to lowering the cost of roadside litter

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April 2019

04/29 Blog – Hanford's PUREX tunnels: It's time for the next chapter

04/29 Blog – Monitoring air quality in Washington

04/29 News – Cooke Aquaculture will pay full $332,000 penalty for fish pen collapse in Puget Sound

04/26 Blog – Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority earns national floodplain management award

04/24 Blog – Our sediment monitoring team contributes to the Smithsonian’s Global Genome Initiative

04/22 Blog – Boots on the ground: Restoring habitat through partnerships in Bellingham

04/19 Blog – Walking our talk on greenhouse gas emissions

04/18 Blog – Women in Science: Sheelagh McCarthy

04/16 Blog – Boots on the ground: Empowering leaders through environmental service

04/15 Blog – We oppose federal proposal to redefine 'waters of the United States'

04/15 News – Public invited to meeting about Olympia brewery oil spill

04/11 Blog – Tacoma Smelter Plume Yard Program

04/11 Blog – Recent rain welcome bonus for water supply

04/10 News – Ecology objects to EPA’s attempt to roll back clean water rule in Washington

04/09 Blog – Video highlights Washington's innovative cleanup law

04/08 News – First comment period opens on future water use in Nooksack watershed

04/05 Blog – A breath of fresh air

04/04 News – Inslee declares drought emergency for Okanogan, Methow and Upper Yakima

04/03 News – Water quality penalties fund environmental restoration

04/01 Blog – After 40 years, Acquavella adjudication is coming to close

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March 2019

03/28 Blog – Moss animals: Animals in plant disguises!

03/26 Blog – Reclaimed water in Sammamish Valley to benefit community

03/25 Blog – Women in Science: Brandee Era-Miller

03/21 News – Osoyoos water levels to rise earlier than normal

03/20 Blog – Cleaning up: It’s about turf in two Everett parks

03/18 Blog – Puget Sound Nutrient Watch: What we're learning from other states

03/14 Blog – What’s in a name: Defining the problem with nuclear waste

03/14 Blog – Investing in communities to turn blighted properties into affordable housing

03/13 Blog – Water supply issues could be a reality for North-Central Washington

03/13 Blog – Washington litter czars welcome viral #Trashtag Challenge – but advise safety first

03/13 News – Ecology proposes updates to wastewater treatment plant operator certification program

03/11 Blog – Cleaning up: Washington’s environmental cleanup law turns 30

03/08 News – Incentives for innovation included in proposed updates to permit fees

03/06 Blog – Local video highlights 'soft' shoreline stabilization approaches

03/05 News – Summer jobs now open for Central Washington teens

03/04 News – Environmental penalties for fourth quarter 2018

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February 2019

02/25 News – Comments sought on a program to reduce nitrate levels in Lower Yakima Valley wells

02/22 Blog – Big gains in snowpack, but still below normal

02/21 Blog – Women in Science: Laura Hermanson

02/17 Blog – $187 milion proposed for clean water projects across the state

02/14 Blog – My heart will go on: the humble heart cockle lives long and prospers

02/13 News – Seattle metal recycler fined $98,000 for pollution discharges to Duwamish River

02/07 News – Recurring violations lead to dangerous waste fine for Tukwila business

02/05 News – Ecology begins planning for future water use in Nooksack watershed

02/01 Blog – Wetlands around the world protect communities while helping fight climate change

02/01 News – Intalco fined for multiple air quality violations

02/01 News – Nisqually watershed plan earns state’s first approval under new water law

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January 2019

01/28 Blog – Understanding the environmental impacts of more water over the dam

01/28 News – Ecology invests first $20 million to help protect rivers and streams

01/24 News – Cleanup of former Reynolds Metals site moving forward

01/24 News – New testing methods better protect against waterborne disease

01/23 Blog – San Juan air quality gets first checkup

01/17 Blog – $183 million proposed for clean water projects across the state

01/15 News – Burn ban lifted for Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Kittitas, Okanogan, Pend Oreille and Stevens counties

01/11 News – Stage 1 burn ban for Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Kittitas, Okanogan, Pend Oreille and Stevens counties

01/04 News – Vancouver fined $60,000 for spilling sewage into Columbia River

01/03 News – Restoration plan adopted for Icicle watershed

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