WSR 18-05-036

[Filed February 12, 2018, 3:44 p.m.]

The department of ecology (ecology) is seeking public input on the next water quality assessment for Washington waters in order to develop and submit a 2018 "Integrated Report" to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to meet federal Clean Water Act requirements under Sections 303(d) and 305(b).  Ecology provides notice that it will:

1. Conduct a public review of proposed revisions to Water Quality Policy 1-11, Chapter 1, Assessment of Water Quality for the Clean Water Act Sections 303(d) and 305(b) Integrated Report. Policy 1-11 guides how ecology assesses data on waterbody segments and makes listings decisions on the water quality status. 

2. Conduct a public call-for-data to seek available water quality data and information collected from fresh and marine waters in Washington within the ten year period between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2017. An initial call-for-data was conducted in February 2016 to seek data up through December 2015. Additional data and information provided by the public will be added to the earlier data collected and will be used for updating Washington's next water quality assessment.

The last water quality assessment was approved by EPA in July 2016. The start of this next assessment process will result in submittal of the 2018 assessment and candidate 303(d) list to EPA.

Ecology's 2018 assessment will be based on the most recent state water quality standards approved by EPA (chapter 173-201A WAC, Water quality standards for surface waters of the state of Washington, and chapter 173-204 WAC, Sediment management standards).

The two requests for public input to develop the next water quality assessment are further described below.

1. Conduct a 45-day Public Review of Proposed Revisions to Water Quality Policy 1-11:

Ecology is proposing revisions to Water Quality Policy 1-11, chapter 1. We are conducting a forty-five day public review from February 12 – March 28, 2018. This listing policy guides how ecology assesses data for waterbody segments and makes listings decisions on the water quality status. It was last updated in 2012. A copy of the draft revisions to Policy 1-11 as well as additional information on the assessment process can be found on ecology's web site at https://www.ecology.wa.gov/Water-Shorelines/Water-quality/Water-improvement/Assessment-of-state-waters-303d/Assessment-policy-updates.

The deadline for getting public comments on revisions to Water Quality Policy 1-11, Chapter 1, is 11:59 p.m. on March 28, 2018. Comments may be submitted online at http://ws.ecology.commentinput.com/?id=ph6ZP or sent to the address provided below.

2. Additional Public Call-for-Data:

Ecology is seeking new data to be used in the next data assessment that has been collected from fresh and marine waters within the ten year period between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2017. If any data were previously submitted to ecology for use in the water quality assessment it does not need to be submitted again. Numeric water quality data must be submitted into ecology's environmental information management (EIM) database to be used for the assessment. Information on submitting water quality data to EIM is available on ecology's web site at https://www.ecology.wa.gov/Research-Data/Data-resources/Environmental-Information-Management-database/EIM-submit-data. Narrative information that provides conclusive evidence that a beneficial water use is being impaired can be submitted directly to the water quality program at the address provided below. 

More details about this next water quality assessment can be found at https://www.ecology.wa.gov/Water-Shorelines/Water-quality/Water-improvement/Assessment-of-state-waters-303d.

Questions about the water quality assessment process, or requests for assistance in submitting data and information should be directed to Patrick Lizon, Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600, phone 360-407-6782, email 303d@ecy.wa.gov.