WSR 00-09-059

DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY


[ Filed April 17, 2000, 11:59 a.m. ]


Priority Water Bodies to begin Cleanup Plans in FY 2001

Public Comments Invited on Water Cleanup List



The Washington Department of Ecology (ecology) wants your comments on a list of priority water bodies we have tentatively chosen for water cleanup planning this year. The criteria for making these selections included the severity of the pollution, potential harm to human and aquatic health, impaired beneficial uses, such as agriculture, drinking water and fish habitat, and the potential for local support for water cleanup activities. To help us select these waters, we met with groups in communities in four parts of the state last fall.

Priority Water Bodies to begin Cleanup Plans in FY 2001 (July 1, 2000 - June 30, 2001)


WRIA Primary

Location

 Water Body Pollution Problems (see below for definitions)
49 Okanogan Co. Okanogan River PCB and DDT
37 Yakima Co. Granger Drain Fecal Coliform
49 Okanogan Co. Similkameen River Arsenic
41, 43 Grant Co. Moses Lake, Rocky Ford Creek, Upper Crab Creek Phosphorus
3 Skagit Co. Carpenter Cr., Fisher Cr.,

Fisher Slough,

Skagit Basin

 Fecal Coliform and Temperature
10 Pierce Co. South Prairie Creek Fecal Coliform
10 Pierce Co. Meeker Ditch and Clark's Creek Fecal Coliform, pH, Dissolved Oxygen, and Temperature
18 Clallam Co. Dungeness River/Bay Expansion Fecal Coliform

WRIAs (water resource inventory areas) are large watersheds.

Ecology reviews and responds to your comments during May and June. The water cleanup list will be finalized by July 14. Work begins on selected waters in fall 2000.

Please address your comments on the above priority list by May 19, 2000, to Ron McBride, Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600, rmcb461@ecy.wa.gov, phone (360) 407-6469, or fax (360) 407-6426.

The entire list of water bodies we chose from can be viewed on our website: http://www.wa.gov/ecology/wq/303d/

Definitions of Pollution Problems: Although not necessarily agents of disease, fecal coliform bacteria indicate the presence of disease-carrying organisms, which live in the same environment as the fecal coliform bacteria.

A certain minimum amount of dissolved oxygen must be present in water for aquatic life to survive.

Temperature is important because it governs the kinds of aquatic life that can live in a stream. For instance, streams must be cooler than 61% Fahrenheit for salmon to successfully spawn.

pH is a term used to indicate the alkalinity or acidity of a substance as ranked on a scale from 1.0 to 14.0. Neutral pH is 7.0. Acidity increases as the pH gets lower.

PCB - Highly persistent organic chemicals used primarily in electrical equipment (e.g. transformers). Banned from production in mid-1970s. Accumulates in fish tissue.

DDT - Highly persistent organic insecticide used widely until banned in 1972. Accumulates in fish tissue.

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element. Human activities can increase concentrations to toxic levels in the environment.

Phosphorus serves as a nutrient or "fertilizer" for algae and aquatic plants. Too much algae cause aesthetic problems and reduce oxygen levels in lakes and streams.

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