Category Archives: Announcement

Spokane River PCBs in Atmospheric Deposition Draft Report – request for feedback by 9/14

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Ecology has completed a draft report for a study of atmospheric deposition of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Spokane area. The Task Force is asked to provide feedback on the draft plan because they requested that Ecology’s Environmental Assessment Program conduct this specific project.

The draft report and accompanying spreadsheet are available here: Spokane River Technical Assistance Projects.  If you are a member of the Task Force or a contracted technical review team for the Task Force, please provide your feedback to Brandee Era-Miller by September 14, 2018.  Thanks!

August 22, 2018 Spokane River Regional Toxics Task Force Meeting

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

Date: Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Location: Liberty Lake Sewer & Water District Office
22510 E. Mission Avenue Liberty Lake, WA 99019 
To attend by Webex and phone (all please register using the link below):
Register 

Ecology Announcement: Draft QAPP Available for Review

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The Department of Ecology is providing technical assistance to the Spokane River Toxics Task Force. The Agency has drafted a Quality Assurance Project Plan for assessing PCBs in biofilms, sediment, and invertebrates in the Spokane River. The Task Force has been asked to provide feedback on the draft plan because this is a specific project the Task Force requested Ecology’s Environmental Assessment Program to conduct.

If you are a member of the Task Force, or a contracted technical review team for the Task Force, please provide your feedback to Siana Wong (swon461@ecy.wa.gov) by Aug. 16, 2018.

The draft Quality Assurance Project Plan is available for review:

QAPP Biofilm – DRAFT for External Review 8-2-18

Ecology News: The Water Quality Financial Assistance 2015-2017 Biennium Outcomes Report

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The Water Quality Financial Assistance 2015-2017 Biennium Outcomes Report is now available!

You can find it on fortress and there is a link on our grant and loan general resources web page, under the heading for Reports and Surveys.

Please share the link with anyone you think might be interested.

About the outcomes reports

The biennial outcomes reports provide an overview of our grant and loan programs, and summarizes two-years of closed projects. It includes a breakdown of how our funding is helping improve water quality, with specific focus on wastewater, stormwater, nonpoint source, on-site sewage systems and aquatic invasive species and algae control. It features many photos, highlighting the great work accomplished by our funding recipients, many of whom are also permittees. If you’re curious, the previous report is also available: 2013-2015 Biennium Outcomes Report.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me!

Best Regards,

Eliza Keeley-Arnold
Clean Water Needs and Outcomes Coordinator
Water Quality – Financial Management
WA Department of Ecology
Ph: (360) 407-7489 Em: eliza.keeley-arnold@ecy.wa.gov

WDFW Spokane Hatchery PCB BMP Plan

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The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has submitted its Spokane Hatchery PCB Best Management Practices Plan to the Department of Ecology and the plan has been uploaded to Ecology’s PARIS database.

A copy of the WDFW PCB Best Management Practices Plan has also been uploaded to the SRRTTF website and can be found here: WAG137007_Spokane_Hatchery_PCB_BMP_Plan_2018-06-20 (1)

For the Task Force, this submittal is referenced as item 5.1.4 in the SRRTTF Comprehensive Plan.

 

June 27, 2018 Spokane River Regional Toxics Task Force Meeting

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

Date: Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Location: Liberty Lake Sewer & Water District Office
22510 E. Mission Avenue Liberty Lake, WA 99019 
To attend by phone:
Phone: 509-335-2277,
Access code: 6456706

Meeting Documents:
–  SRRTTF-06-27-18-agenda_draft2_revised 6.25
–  SRRTTF Mtg.Notes 5.23.14_DRAFT (DECISION)
–  SRRTTF 5.3.18 draft notes_TF portion of meeting (DECISION)
–  SRRTTF 6.13.18 phone meeting notes_draft (DECISION)
–  Ace Commitment Report May 2018
Presentations/Interviews with Top Candidates from RF QP P
roposals: (DECISION)
–  RFQ Evaluation Criteria and Weighting
–  WhiteBluffs Consulting_Spokane proposal_Final
–  GeorgeSchneiderAssoc_cover letter
–  GSA_SRRTTF_Proposal May 2018
–  GSA_SRRTTF RFP May_2018_Costs
Project Updates and Project Proposals
–  PCB Mass Balance June 2018 (Update)
–  Groundwater PCB upgradient of Kaiser June 2018 (Update and Decision)
–  Regional PMF Analysis – blank study v 2 (DECISION)
–  PCB Demolition Remodeling Manual
Work Group Rosters and Suggested Protocols:
–  SRRTTF_workgroup protocols_for 06-27-18
–  SRRTTF_SmallWorkGrps_05-29-18

Task Force Project News: Green Chemistry – Inadvertent PCBs paper by Lauren Heine – please review and provide feedback by September 7, 2018 (updated date)

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Based on the Task Force having as its top priority to determine its next provider of facilitation and other services, the SRRTTF meeting on June 27th will not have time for a full presentation and discussion of the recently-produced Green Chemistry white paper by Dr. Lauren Heine. That paper and the accompanying presentation slides are posted below. Task Force members are asked to review the paper and send comments or concerns by noon on Tuesday June 26th (updated to Friday, September 7) to Adriane Borgias at aborgias461@ecy.wa.gov or lheine@northwestgreenchemistry.com.

With the white paper, Dr. Heine appears to have met the deliverable in the ACE contract with NW Green Chemistry; the hope at the is for Task Force to confirm at its meeting that this deliverable has been met (or agree that with identified changes the deliverable will have been met).

https://northwestgreenchemistry.app.box.com/v/InadvPCBs-PresPDF 
NGC inadvertant PCB report for SRRTTF 2018_06_16

RFQ Work Group Contractor Short List – TF Member Roster phone meeting to confirm the short list on June 13th, 2018

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The RFQ work group held a deep and thorough conversation analyzing and exploring the facets of proposals and teams to select a short list (from among seven bidders: Enviroissues, George Schneider & Associates, Hart Crowser, The Langdon Group, Ross Strategic, Strategic Earth Consulting, White Bluffs Consulting). As agreed at its May meeting, the Task Force will hold a phone meeting on June 13th to confirm or adjust the short list of candidates to invite for in-person presentations and Q&A at the regular Task Force meeting on June 27th, ,2018.

A week from today, on June 13th, from 10 am-12 noon, Bud Leber will be prepared to walk the Task Force through the process the work group used and the considerations involved. The Task Force roster members will be receiving a separate email with the short list once references have been checked. Roster members will also recieve a summary of the work group’s thinking and meeting call in information. We will be asking the voting members of the Task Force to confirm the work group’s recommendation.

Call in information is available on request to Kara Whitman (kmwhitman@wsu.edu)

Blank Ranking Sheet and Instructions that the work group used:
– Proposal Ranking Instructions
– RFQ Rating Template

All Seven Proposals (in no particular order) 

GSA
– GeorgeSchneiderAssoc_cover letter
– GSA_SRRTTF_Proposal May 2018
– GSA_SRRTTF RFP May_2018_Costs

Langdon Group (a J-U-B Company)
–  Langdon Group_TLG-Proposal_SRRTTF-SupportServices

Hart Crowser and DH
–  Hart Crowser and DH_SOQ SRRTTF_FINAL

EnviroIssues
–  EnviroIssues_EI_Response_SRRTTF_FacilitationSupport_01June2018

WhiteBluffs Consulting
–  WhiteBluffs Consulting_Spokane proposal_Final

Strategic Earth Consulting
– SRRTTF_RFQP_StrategicEarth_June2018

Ross Strategic
– SRRTTF_Ross Strategic Proposal_060118

Ecology News: Ecology Water Quality Program State Fiscal Year 2019 Final Funding Offer List and Intended Use Plan.

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Ecology’s Water Quality Program is pleased to announce the publication of the State Fiscal Year 2019 Final Water Quality Funding Offer List and Intended Use Plan (Final List). The Final List describes how Ecology will use state and federal dollars to fund projects to improve and protect water quality.
 
Ecology is offering more than $155 million in financial assistance for 69 high-priority clean water projects across Washington state. The total includes roughly $12 million from the Centennial Clean Water Program, $1.5 million from the Clean Water Act Section 319 Program, $27 million from the Stormwater Financial Assistance Program, and $115 million from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.
 
To ensure that funds were directed to the highest priority projects, our water quality specialists evaluated and scored all eligible project proposals. Scores were compiled, and a statewide priority list was developed. Projects offered funding are based upon the priority list, the type of project, and the funding source.
 
All applicants will receive a letter about their funding status from Ecology by next week. If your project is offered funding, the letter will list your Ecology contact(s).
 
For more information about the SFY19 Funding Cycle, including access to an interactive map of funded projects, please visit the Water Quality Combined Funding Program Funding Cycles Webpage. For more information about the Water Quality Combined Funding Program please visit Water Quality Combined Funding Program.
 

June 6, 2018 Facilitation/Project Management RFQP Review Work Group Meeting

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The Task Force will hold a small work group meeting on June 6th to select a “short list” of contractors to attend the June 27th SRRTTF meeting for presentations and Q&A before a Task Force decision at that meeting. (NOTE: the voting members of the Task Force will hold a special phone meeting on June 13th to confirm or adjust that short list.) The small work group members who have volunteered to attend on June 6th are asked to thoroughly review all received proposals, below, for the Request for Qualifications and Proposal for Support Services for the Spokane River Regional Toxics Task Force (SRRTTF) and spend the time it takes to rank them. Bud Leber will send out a ranking/scoring sheet directly to the work group.

Date: Wednesday, June 6th, 2018
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Location: Washington Department of Ecology
N. 4601 Monroe St.
Spokane, WA 99205
Click here for a map.

Please attend in person if possible, call in information is available on request to Kara Whitman (kmwhitman@wsu.edu)

Please read the following proposals prior to attending the meeting.

GSA
– GeorgeSchneiderAssoc_cover letter
– GSA_SRRTTF_Proposal May 2018
– GSA_SRRTTF RFP May_2018_Costs

Langdon Group (a J-U-B Company)
–  Langdon Group_TLG-Proposal_SRRTTF-SupportServices

Hart Crowser and DH
–  Hart Crowser and DH_SOQ SRRTTF_FINAL

EnviroIssues
–  EnviroIssues_EI_Response_SRRTTF_FacilitationSupport_01June2018

WhiteBluffs Consulting
–  WhiteBluffs Consulting_Spokane proposal_Final

Strategic Earth Consulting
– SRRTTF_RFQP_StrategicEarth_June2018

Ross Strategic
– SRRTTF_Ross Strategic Proposal_060118