Ecology News, Environmental Assessment Program: Freshwater Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program: 2014 Results

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The report, Freshwater Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program: 2014 Results, is available at https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/SummaryPages/1603027.html

The Department of Ecology’s Freshwater Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program sampled fish from the Yakima River basin in 2014.  Results are highlighted for Keechelus Lake and three mainstem river sites: the canyon upstream of Roza Dam, the river near Prosser, and the Horn Rapids to Kiona reach.  Goals were to characterize: (1) contaminant concentrations in fish tissue and (2) spatial and temporal patterns.

Washington’s water quality standards for contaminants in fish tissue were met for most of the chemicals analyzed.  However, some samples from each site did not meet standards for one or more of: 4,4’-DDE, dieldrin, toxaphene, t-PCBs, and dioxins/furans.

Spatial and temporal trends in Yakima River fish were seen for some contaminants.  Spatially, concentrations of 4,4’-DDE increased in a downstream direction.  This was true to a lesser extent for many other organic chemicals.

Temporal trends were seen in concentrations of 4,4’-DDE and PCBs in whole largescale suckers, yet not for fillet tissue from other species.  Between the 1990s and the 2014, median levels of 4,4’-DDE in whole suckers from the Canyon, Prosser, and Horn Rapids-Kiona sites decreased by 73%, 56%, and 87%, respectively.  Decreases in median levels of PCBs in suckers from these same sites were 41%, 41%, and 85%, respectively.

If you have questions, contact Keith Seiders at 360-407-6689 or keith.seiders@ecy.wa.gov.

Diana Ruth Olegre

Web Coordinator and SharePoint Site Collection Administrator
Washington State Department of Ecology

Environmental Assessment Program 

diana.olegre@ecy.wa.gov
360-407-6696

 

Rule-making Information for WAC 173-350 – Solid Waste Handling Standards

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Ecology has received inquiries about the possibility of extending the comment period on the draft rule beyond September 6th.  It is necessary to move forward now so that the rest of the rulemaking pieces can fall into place.  It is important to remember that the draft rule released to stakeholders at the end of June was not a formal rule proposal.  The workshops held in July were intended to give stakeholders an understanding of the changes we are considering, and to generate discussion based on the draft rule.

We received some really good feedback during the workshops.  We are hoping that stakeholders will follow through with constructive comments.   There will be another opportunity for review and comments when an actual proposed rule is released.   That is a more formal process that will include hearings and the opportunity to testify, if desired.  We will do our best to consider all comments on the draft rule, including those that arrive after September 6.  Based on stakeholder feedback, it is clear that we have some work to do on the draft we shared before we can consider making a formal rule proposal.  We are continuing to work with stakeholders as we make those changes.

The best way to remain informed about the rule process is to sign up for our Solid Waste Handling ListServ.  If you receive this message directly, you are a member already.  If you know someone who may be interested, please forward this message to them.

You can find details on this rulemaking, including videos and information shared at recent workshops on our web pages:

Please submit comments to w2rrulemaking@ecy.wa.gov.  Thank you for continuing interest and participation in this rulemaking process.

 

 

August 24, 2016 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 24, 2016
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Location:
Liberty Lake Sewer & Water District Office
22510 E. Mission Avenue Liberty Lake, WA 99019
Click here for a map

To attend by phone:
Call In Number: 800-704-9804
Participant Code: 34863442#

Please note, the conference call in number will remain open until 15 minutes until after the meeting begins. It will continue to remain open as long as there are callers on the line. If you wish to join the meeting by phone late, please notify Kara Whitman (kmwhitman@wsu.edu) ahead of time.

Meeting Documents
–  SRRTTF-08-24-16-Summary Notes_FINAL DRAFT
–  SRRTTF Meeting July 27 summary_draft (decision item)
Agenda: SRRTTF August 24_2016 Agenda_draft V2
–  2016 SRRTTF Funding Support Letter_Governor Inslee docx (decision item)
–  Quick comments on the letter_AB
–  Data Managment Pilot Project – Scope of Work – Draft 08-08-16
–  Draft SRRTTF Coment Letter – Solid Waste Handling Standards – 8_12_2016 (decision item)
–  AppendixB_0823_2016_Draft

Presentations:
–  SRRTTF_LimnoTech_08_22_2016_draft

Ecology News: Rule-making Information for WAC 173-350 – Solid Waste Handling Standards [mailto:ECY-SW-HANDLING-STANDARDS

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We wanted to update you on progress toward revising the rules in Chapter 173-350 WAC – Solid Waste Handling Standards.

Outcome of July Meetings

More than a hundred stakeholders attended three meetings across the state in July.  The purpose of the meetings was to inform stakeholders about possible changes, and why, and to generate discussion.  Participants raised good questions, and helped the agency identify aspects of the draft rule needing more consideration.  As a result, lead staff are already working on some changes to the draft rule.

Updated Web Site

There have been some important updates on our web pages.  If you need a refresher, or were unable to attend the meetings there is a way for you to learn more about the rule.  We have added video clips and pdfs of individual presentations from the Lacey meeting to our public involvement page.  You can choose your area of interest in order to make the best use of your time.

We have also posted a revised version of the draft rule to our documents page.  The new version reflects errors noted in the draft that were corrected following the meetings.  Errors to date are generally minor.  There were several corrections in new section 995 – Soil and sediment screening levels, which is used in conjunction with new section 235 – Soil and sediment criteria and use.  Some threshold levels and footnotes for chromium, lead, and molybdenum were corrected, and additional information was added in the reference portion following the criteria table.  These are detailed in the errata sheet included with the revised draft.  If you find any errors in the draft rule, please let us know.

Next Steps

We will be evaluating any comments we receive by early September.   We have asked for comments from stakeholders by September 6.  Ecology plans to move forward with drafting formal rule revisions this fall, and we hope to make a formal rule proposal later this year or early in 2017.  The formal proposal will include public hearings and an additional comment period before and after the hearings. We are continuing to work with stakeholders to improve rule language in the interim.

As always, this ListServ remains the best source of information for updates on rule development.  If you know others who may be interested, please forward this message.  Anyone can subscribe or manage their subscription from the log in – registration page.

The Department sincerely thanks those who made the effort and could take time to attend the informational meetings.  We look forward to hearing from anyone who has comments on the preliminary draft rule.  If you have questions about the rule process or where to direct questions, please send email to w2rrulemaking@ecy.wa.gov or phone 360-407-6559.

 

Thank you!

 

 

Kyle Dorsey

Rules & Policy Specialist

Waste 2 Resources Program

Washington State Department of Ecology

PO Box 47600

Olympia, WA  98504-7600

360-407-6559

 

Draft SRRTTF Funding Support Letter to Legislature: Please review

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Task Force members are asked to review the attached draft funding support letter to Washington legislature. The Task Force will make a decision on the final letter at the August 24th Task Force Meeting.  Please provide feedback to Doug Krapas (dougkrapas@iepco.com) no later than noon on Tuesday August 16.

2016 SRRTTF Funding Support Letter_Governor Inslee.docx

Compiled TCP Information

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On August 3, 2016, the Technical Track Work group discussed data from the background wells on the Kaiser site. LimnoTech has determined that there may be evidence from a comparison of background well data and that from Kaiser site, along with synoptic river data, of an unknown groundwater source up-gradient of this site, but there is more information needed. Coordinating with the Toxics Cleanup Program in the future may help in the task. However, given the legal restrictions that MTCA/TCP has to work within (for existing and closed cleanup sites, and identification of new sites) this may be a difficult task.

For now, we have compiled list of documents provided to the Task Force regarding Toxics Cleanup Program (TCP) that may be of use in charting a path forward to identify this groundwater source, and how TCP can help to complement this work. If you have additional information that would be useful, please send them to Kara Whitman (kmwhitman@wsu.edu) for posting on this page. Note: these are also posted on the Department of Ecology Publications Page.

– Approach for TCP sites – (From Adriane Borgias (Feb 2016)
– PCB TCP Sites 4-17-15 (TCP site presentation April 2015)
– Appendix A-TCP Sites (June 2015)
– Appendix B-Spokane Wells (June 2015)
– Standard Operating Procedure for Purging and Sampling Monitoring Wells plus Guidance on Collecting Samples for Volatiles and other Organic Compounds 
– Tech Memo – PCBs in Spokane Valley GW – Marti – 9-16-15 FINAL  (September 2015)

Ecology Resources: Searchable map database of TCP Sites

TCP memos regarding analytical data: Information regarding policy decision by TCP to use 1668 

 

 

August 10, 2016 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 10, 2016
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Location:
Liberty Lake Sewer & Water District Office
22510 E. Mission Avenue Liberty Lake, WA 99019
Click here for a map

To attend by phone:
Call In Number: 800-704-9804
Participant Code: 34863442#

Please note, the conference call in number will remain open until 15 minutes until after the meeting begins. It will continue to remain open as long as there are callers on the line. If you wish to join the meeting by phone late, please notify Kara Whitman (kmwhitman@wsu.edu) ahead of time.

Meeting Documents
–  SRRTTF 8.10.16 Meeting Summary_FINAL DRAFT
– SRRTTF August 10_2016 Agenda_revised
– SRRTTF 6-22-16 DRAFT Summary Notes_draft
10 August 2016 Task Force Borgias
10 August 2016 Hallinan
10 August 2016 Task Force Key

August 3, 2016 Technical Track Work Group Meeting

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The next meeting of the SRRTTF Technical Track Work group is:

Date: Wednesday August 3, 2016
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

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

Call In Number: 800-704-9804 Participant Code: 34863442#

Meeting Documents:
–  TTWG 8-3-16 Summary Notes
Agenda: Tech Track WG agn 08-03-16_revised
–  GW_Seepage_PCB_mass-loading_Aug-2016
–  LevelDActions
–  PCB-Control-Actions-worksheet_simple buckets
–  SRRTTF_UpdatedGroundwater_2016_08_03 ; (PDF)
–  SRRTTF-Funding-Support-Letter_2015-Revised-7 28 16

Data Management Work Group Meeting: August 8, 2016

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The next meeting of the SRRTTF Data Management Work group is:

Date: Monday, August 8, 2016
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

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

Call In Number: 800-704-9804 Participant Code: 34863442#

Meeting Notes
Data Management Workgroup Notes 080816 DRAFT
Evaluation-Worksheet-Notes 0808016
Data Managment Pilot Project – Scope of Work – Draft3

Draft Agenda

• Status of DMWG Pilot Project – Data Management Pilot Project – Scope of Work – Draft2-2016

• Complete Review of DRBC Standards –
May 10, 2016 Meeting Notes
Evaluation Table: from May 10, 2016
• Blank Correction Recommendations: (path forward discussion)

  • Gather data
    • Who is doing what method currently and why?
      • Permittees
      • Ecology Permits
      • Ecology EAP
      • Ecology Duwamish
      • Ecology TCP
      • Other?
  • Point of application
    • Generic “one size fits all” for Task Force
    • Flexible on project by project basis
  • How to communicate censoring
    • QAPP
    • Report
  • Laboratory Considerations
    • Reporting of Laboratory data
    • Considerations when lab uses multiple blanks

• Protocol for Releasing Task Force Data (this is an old item we haven’t addressed yet)