Puget Sound Nutrient General Permit
Notice: this General Permit is not in effect
In February 2025, the Pollution Control Hearings Board invalidated the Puget Sound Nutrient General Permit. Ecology will regulate nutrients in each facility’s individual permit. See below and our focus sheet for more information.
Discharges of excess nutrients — particularly nitrogen — to the Puget Sound from public domestic wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are contributing to 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.
In summer 2025 Ecology accepted public comments on a draft. Based on the feedback we received, as well as legal rulings on permit appeals, Ecology chose not to pursue the general permit. Instead we are addressing nitrogen discharges in the Puget Sound with individual permits for the wastewater treatment plants that were formerly covered under the general permit.
Join our email list to receive notifications and updates.
2025 permit process
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 proposed to reissue the permit with changes to allow facilities to opt in and apply for permit coverage. We provided a public notice of the draft general permit, issued a news release, and accepted public comments from June 18, 2025, through Aug. 27, 2025. In early July we hosted a public meeting with an informational presentation and question and answer session to help explain the draft permit's proposed changes. A second public informational meeting paired with a formal hearing was held on July 22, 2025, providing opportunity for formal spoken testimony on the draft permit. We received comments online, by mail, and during our public hearing.
We initially considered the general permit as an appropriate tool for our long-term strategy to reduce nitrogen discharges and improve water quality in Puget Sound. However, based on the feedback we received in 2025, as well as legal rulings on permit appeals, we are not reissuing the Puget Sound Nutrient General Permit. We will use each facility’s individual permit to set nutrient control requirements. Any proposed changes to a facility’s individual permit includes a formal public review process.
For more information see our focus sheet.
2025 draft permit documents
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).
Based on comments on the draft released in summer 2025, and legal rulings, we decided to use individual permits to address nitrogen discharges for the 58 domestic wastewater treatment plants.
More permit information
Related links
Contact information
Lucienne Banning
General Permit Unit Supervisor
lucienne.banning@ecy.wa.gov
360-407-6400