H-1360              _______________________________________________

                                                    HOUSE BILL NO. 818

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1985 Regular Session

By Representatives Unsoeld, Rust, Vekich, Jacobsen, G. Nelson and Fisher

Read first time 2/8/85 and referred to Select Committee on the Clean-up and Management of Puget Sound.

AN ACT Relating to Puget Sound water quality; and adding a new chapter to Title 90 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The legislature finds that Puget Sound constitutes a unique and unparalleled resource that has significant environmental, aesthetic, recreational, transportation, natural resource, commercial, and other values.  The legislature further finds that the quality of the water and sediments in Puget Sound has deteriorated, and is in danger of further deterioration, and that this deterioration poses threats to the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of this state.  The purpose of this legislation is to protect, preserve, and rehabilitate the quality of Puget Sound.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.

          (1) "City" means any city or town.

          (2) "Puget Sound" means all salt waters of the state of Washington inside the international boundary line between the state of Washington and the province of British Columbia, lying east of one hundred twenty-three degrees, twenty-four minutes west longitude, but not including those portions of Clallam county bordering on the Straits of Juan de Fuca.

          (3) "Shellfish protection areas" means:

          (a) Hood Canal, and adjacent inland saltwater areas; and

          (b) Southern Puget Sound where direct travel by water to the Straits of Juan de Fuca necessitates passage through the Tacoma Narrows.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     All counties and cities, that include shellfish protection areas within their boundaries, or which have bodies of fresh water that discharge into shellfish protection areas, shall adopt and enforce regulations limiting and controlling nonpoint pollution of the shellfish protection areas.

          All fees or charges that are collected by such counties and cities on periodic inspections of septic tank/drainfield systems, and fines imposed for failing to conform with such regulations, including the periodic pumping of the septic tanks, shall be placed into a fund or account used to finance the administrative costs of the programs, monitoring of water pollution in the areas, informational programs concerning pollution of the areas, and activities designed to mitigate water pollution in the areas.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     Sections 1 through 3 of this act shall constitute a new chapter in Title 90 RCW.