S-0735.1 _______________________________________________
SENATE BILL 5424
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State of Washington 56th Legislature 1999 Regular Session
By Senators Winsley, Fraser, Honeyford, Hochstatter, Hale, McCaslin, West and Haugen
Read first time 01/21/1999. Referred to Committee on Environmental Quality & Water Resources.
AN ACT Relating to aquatic plant management; adding a new section to chapter 90.48 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that the environmental, recreational, and aesthetic values of many of the state's lakes are threatened by the invasion of noxious aquatic weeds. Once established, these noxious aquatic weeds can colonize the shallow shorelines of lakes with dense surface vegetation mats that degrade water quality, pose a threat to swimmers, and restrict use of lakes. Many commercially available herbicides have been demonstrated to be effective in controlling noxious aquatic weeds and do not pose a risk to the environment or public health. The purpose of this act is to allow the use of commercially available herbicides that have been approved by the environmental protection agency and subject to rigorous evaluation by the department of ecology through an environmental impact statement for the aquatic plant management program.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 90.48 RCW to read as follows:
The department of ecology shall update the final supplemental environmental impact statement completed in 1992 for the aquatic plant management program to reflect new information on herbicides evaluated in 1992 and new, commercially available herbicides. The department shall maintain the currency of the information on herbicides and evaluate new herbicides as they become commercially available.
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