Eastern Region
Topics of interest in the Eastern Region
Water rights
Waters of the state belong to the public and can't be owned by any individual or group. Instead, a person or group may be granted a right to use a volume of water, for a defined purpose, in a specific place. Learn more about water rights management, including requesting or relinquishing water rights, adjudications, water banks, and metering water usage.
Burn bans
Do you use a wood stove to heat your home? Check to see if there is an air quality burn ban in your area. We also have information about how to use your wood stove more efficiently and the health affects of breathing smoke.
Cleaning up Northport waterfront
Ecology cleaned up smelting contamination on the Columbia River public waterfront in Northport using state funding to remove and cap contamination, and encourage recreation in clean areas.
Ecology finished cleaning up and restoring the Columbia River public waterfront in Northport in fall 2025, the conclusion of a project that began in 2019. Investigation results showed copper, lead, and zinc from smelting were throughout the waterfront at levels posing a risk to people and the environment. We used $10.9 million from the Eastern Washington Clean Sites Initiative... Continue reading this blog...
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Contact information
Stephanie May
ERO Communications Manager
stephanie.may@ecy.wa.gov
509-202-5674