January 24, 2018 Spokane River Regional Toxics Task Force Meeting

The next meeting of the Spokane River Regional Toxics Task Force is:

Date: January 24, 2018
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 pm
Location:
 Spokane County Water Resource Center
1004 N. Freya Street
Spokane, WA 99202

Click here for a map

To attend the meeting by phone:
(509)335-2277, ID 5230244

Meeting Materials to review prior to the meeting:
Meeting agenda:
– SRRTTF January 24_2018 agenda_(V2)

Previous Meeting Summaries –Decision: Accept 11/29/17 Meeting Notes? (5 min agenda topic)
–  SRRTTF 11.29.17 Meeting Summary DRAFT (DECISION ITEM)
–  
TTWG 01-03-18 mtg.notes (REVIEW ITEM)

ACE  Commitment reports: (Informational- short agenda topic)
  Ace commitment report 2017 through 4th quarter
  ACE Commitment report December 31_2017
–  Ecology-ACE Contract for 07-01-17 to 06-30-19

Comp Plan implementation projects—Decision: authorize ACE to develop detailed scopes/schedules based on conceptual scopes?

  ACE contract #C1800094 project planning2 (Project tracking: master table + ACE-Ecology spreadsheet)
  Project Management Process 01-02-18 word doc (guideline for project leads); Project Management Process 01-02-18. reviewed (pdf)
–  High level scope of work GW upgradient of Kaiser
–  High level sow_PCB mass balance in river reaches Plantes Ferry to Nine Mile
–  High Level Conceptual Scope of Work Education and Outreach team 1-16-18
–  Regional PMF Analysis

– Green Chem ideas (Posted late – Monday 1.22.18 – for discussion)
Product Testing budget ideas ; Bio-based ice control article (Posted late – Monday 1.22.18 – for discussion)

MOA & Collaboration: Purpose: address issues related to SRRTTF MOA
–  SRRTTF MOA key guidelines_highlighted

For more information on the Task Force MOA and Previous MOA workgroup unapproved revisions go to:
  TASK Force MOA (approved MOA)
–  MOA Work Group work in 2015 (note, revisions were put on hold in 2015)

Comp Plan Implementation Review Summary (IRS)Purpose: Fulfill Comp Plan condition—Decision: accept IRS for the record?
 Comp Plan Impl.Review Summary (DECISION ITEM)

For review before the February Task Force Meeting (IRS addendum), consider adding the following addendum to the IRS.
–  Implementation Review Summary_Addenda–summaries from technical advisor, facilitator, and workgroups

Phase 2 Funding for Fungi “Emerging Stormwater Technologies”Purpose: Comp Plan Implementation—Decision: allocate $15K for Phase 2 of fungi PCB remediation project?
  
The Lands Council Proposal for Phase 2 Fungi-PCB project

Lands Council: Use of Fungi to Degrade Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) Final Report

Final Report on study of the Use of Fungi to Degrade Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

Task Force,

You are asked to review and provide feedback on the final report released from the Lands Council on the use of Fungi to Degrade Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs). This review period fulfill a goal in Comp Plan element 5.12 (emerging end of pipe stormwater technologies) under which the Task Force decided to review the Lands Council Report in preparation for a decision on funding Phase 2 of this work. The report and all supporting data are posted below . Please send your comments to Mike Petersen (mpetersen@landscouncil.org) no later than 12 noon on January 17th, 2018.

Mike will review all comments and will summarize them to the Task Force at the January 24th, 2018 full Task Force meeting. This will be in advance of the potential Task Force decision to allocate $15,000 in support of Phase 2 funding for this project. The Task Force could decide to table the funding decision, in the event the review/comment period elicits any issues needing resolution prior to Phase 2 funding being allocated.

Thank you.

Fungal breakdown of PCB’s FINAL REPORT-min
RESULTS CHART 1 petri PDF
RESULTS CHART 2 grain PDF
RESULTS CHART 3 sawdust PDF
RESULTS CHART 4 ratio PDF

ECOS Resolution Update

On August 28th, during their annual conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS), which is the national non-profit, non-partisan association of state and territorial environmental agency leaders, passed a resolution addressed to the EPA that laid out several points about how to best address levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in wastewater discharges to our nation’s waterbodies.

The ECOS resolution is the most recent step in a process that began two years ago when SRRTTF members Inland Empire Paper Company along with Spokane Riverkeeper and The Lands Council wrote a letter to the EPA alerting them of the the regulatory loophole that allows PCBs to continue to be released to the environment.  

“The passage of the resolution was really a significant event,” said Ted Sturdevant the director of the Washington State Department of Ecology. “State environmental regulators heard the exact same message from industry, academia and the environmental community — we need to turn off the faucet that is allowing this pollution stream to continue. That allowed a very diverse gathering of states to agree to a strong statement calling for a national solution. The states are fed up with trying to solve pollution problems at the end of the pipe, when the solutions are best found through prevention at the national level. It’s why ECOS has called for comprehensive reform of the federal law governing toxic substances, and why we’ll keep pushing at the national level, and within our own states, until we get there.”  Ted Sturdevant, Director, Washington State

On September 7, 2012 the Waterkeeper organizations sent EPA a letter in support of the ECOS resolution. EPA sent this response on October 5, 2012.

Read the Huffington Post Article, “State Environmental Heads Pass Resolution about PCBs” by Bart Mihailovich.

Signatories to the Memorandum of Agreement

Voting Members

Spokane County MOA/Spokane County SRRTTF Resolution 12-0145

Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District MOA

Inland Empire Paper Company MOA

Kaiser Aluminum MOA

City of Spokane MOA/City of Spokane OPR 2012-0059

Spokane Regional Health District MOA

Washington State Department of Health MOA

Lake Spokane Association MOA

The Lands Council MOA

Spokane Riverkeeper MOA

City of Coeur d’Alene MOA

Kootenai Environmental Alliance

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Advisory

Avista Letter of Support

 

Sovereigns

Washington State, Represented by the Department of Ecology

Washington State Department of Ecology MOA

United States, Represented by the Environmental Protection Agency

EPA-Letter-of-Support

 

 

Spokane Riverkeeper, The Lands Council, Kootenai Environmental Alliance letter to EPA re PCBs, Idaho Task Force participation and Idaho NPDES permits

“This letter is  sent on behalf of the Spokane Riverkeeper, The Lands Council, and the Kootenai Environmental Alliance (“Conservation Groups”) in response to your March 29, 2012 letter to Sarah Hubbard-Gray regarding conditions to address PCBs that will be included in the NPDES permits for Spokane River dischargers in the State of Idaho.”

Conservation Groups PCB Letter