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Regulations & Permits > Permits & certifications > Nutrient permit

Puget Sound Nutrient General Permit

Discharges of excess nutrients — particularly nitrogen — to the Puget Sound from public domestic wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are contributing to existing low oxygen levels in the Puget Sound and the rest of the Salish Sea. The Clean Water Act and federal rules require WWTPs that contribute to water quality impairments, by discharging excess nutrients, take action to prevent this pollution. The Puget Sound Nutrient General Permit is designed to address excess nutrients from the identified 58 domestic wastewater facilities discharging to the Washington Salish Sea.  

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2025 permit reissuance

In February 2025, the Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB) invalidated the Puget Sound Nutrient General Permit "insofar as it is mandatory" and remanded the permit back to Ecology for further action. In April 2025, we sent a letter to permittees terminating their coverage and providing an overview of possible next steps. 

We consider the general permit to be an appropriate tool for our long-term strategy to reduce nitrogen discharges and improve water quality in the Sound. So, we are proposing to reissue the permit with changes to allow facilities to opt in and apply for permit coverage. If a facility does not opt in to the general permit, Ecology will incorporate nutrient reduction requirements into the facility's individual permit, which will have a separate formal public process.

We invite comments on the draft general permit document beginning at 9 a.m. on June 18, 2025, until 11:59 p.m. on July 25, 2025. A formal announcement was published in the Washington State Register on June 18, 2025. We also published a news release announcing the comment period. 

Public involvement

Written comments may be submitted online or through the mail. Verbal comments may be submitted at a public hearing. Written comments will receive the same consideration as oral testimony.

Ways to comment

  • Submit comments online (preferred)
  • By U.S. mail (postmarked by July 25, 2025)
    William Weaver
    WA Department of Ecology
    PO Box 47696
    Olympia, WA 98504-7696
  • At our public hearings, listed below

Public meetings and hearing

We will host two public informational presentations to explain the changes to the draft general permit and to answer questions prior to the formal public hearing. The public hearing will begin immediately following the presentation on July 22, 2025 and will conclude when public testimony is finished. During the hearing, you may give verbal testimony and share written comments. 

Presentations and public hearing will occur:

Next steps 

After the comment period closes, we will review and consider all comments recieved. Then, we will publish a Response to Comments as an appendix to the fact sheet and make a final decision on permit issuance. We expect to make a decision on the final general permit in Fall/Winter 2025.

Timeline

June 18 to July 25, 2025: Formal public comment period on the draft general permit
July 1, 2025: Online informational presentation
July 22, 2025: Online informational presentation and public hearing
Fall/Winter 2025: Ecology makes a decision on issuing the final general permit
Winter 2025: Final permit will be effective 30 days after issuance, hold permit application period

map of puget sound with all WWTP marked as small or dominant loader. Contact Ecology for more info

The Permit covers 58 wastewater facilities that discharge to Puget Sound. Seven of those facilities are dominant loaders contributing over 80% of the nutrients.

Brief history of the general permit

We held a public process to decide if we should use a general permit or individual permits to control nutrients. In January 2020, with support, we announced our decision to move forward with developing a draft Nutrient General Permit. During 2020, we worked with the General Permit Advisory Committee to develop recommendations for permit conditions. We held public reviews of a preliminary draft, then in Summer 2021 we developed a formal draft, held another comment period, and finalized the permit in December 2021. Several parties appealed the permit (see "Appeals of the general permit" below).

More permit information

Help applying for coverage, finding or completing forms, or drafting public notices

Tricia Miller
tricia.miller@ecy.wa.gov
206-594-0167

Mail forms to:

Washington State Department of Ecology
Attn: WQ Puget Sound Nutrient Permit Coordinator
Northwest Region Office
PO Box 330316
Shoreline, WA  98133-9716

Carey Cholski
carey.cholski@ecy.wa.gov
360-407-6279

Mail forms to:

Washington State Department of Ecology
Attn: WQ Puget Sound Nutrient Permit Coordinator
Southwest Regional Office
P.O. Box 47775
Olympia WA 98504-7775

Related links

Contact information

William Weaver, Ph.D., P.E.
Senior Environmental Engineer
william.weaver@ecy.wa.gov
360-870-7424