Environmental Watch: Winding up a record dry streak

SEATTLE -- The period from July through October was the driest on record at Sea-Tac Airport, according to the National Weather Service.

Just 1.57 inches of precipitation was recorded. The previous low-water mark was 1.9 inches in 1987. October was particularly dry. The weather service says that only 0.66 inches of rain fell. Typically, Seattle receives 3.19 inches.

The Puget Sound region should start catching up on rain tomorrow, according to the forecast. "The coast should certainly get something," said meteorologist Jeff Rood. "Even into the Cascades we should get some rain. Later in the week, we may get something more significant."

State mulls new irrigation rules

To encourage further water conservation, the state Department of Ecology is proposing to make several changes to the Agricultural Water Supply Facilities rule, or WAC 173-170.

Under this voluntary program, Ecology provides grants and loans to public irrigation districts to help repair ditches, pipes and other irrigation systems.

Competing demands on state water supplies have made it more difficult to obtain water for ag purposes, so irrigation districts have sought to improve the efficiency of their systems. Ecology is proposing a number of amendments to the rule to provide additional flexibility for making efficient and timely use of the remaining funds.

Ecology is proposing to: raise the limit from $1.5 million to $2.5 million on the amount of funds an entity can receive; exempt the Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project proposals from the funding cap to meet state obligations; provide flexibility to increase grant monies awarded for projects with significant public benefit; restrict funding of emergency projects to loans only; and exempt repaid loans from the limit.

A formal public comment period and hearings will be held in February. A copy of the proposed rule is at www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/wrhome.html; click on Agricultural Water Supply Facilities Rule.

Olympic marine sanctuary expanded

PORT ANGELES -- The buffer zone designed to protect the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary will pushed farther out to sea Dec. 1.

The sanctuary, a 3,310-square-mile area, runs from the mouth of the Copalis River near Grays Harbor north to Cape Flattery. The sanctuary provides habitat for one of the most diverse marine mammal faunas in North America.

As part of the change, the shipping lanes are also being pushed out. The Coast Guard already has moved the J Buoy 11 miles farther west.

The idea is to protect the sanctuary from oil spills. The old buffer zone was smaller and allowed more ships to pass through the sanctuary. Ships are not required to stay out of the area; compliance is voluntary. But Bob Steelquist, a spokesman for the sanctuary, said that over the years compliance by ships has grown steadily.

One more chance to see salmon spawn

RENTON -- Volunteer naturalists will be on hand one last time this fall on the Cedar River to show folks spawning salmon and tell the story of the epic journey of the river's salmon.

The volunteers have been sharing their knowledge on weekends since last month. The last of the presentations will be from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Nov. 9 at four locations: the Renton Library, Riverview Park, Cavanaugh Pond and Landsburg Park.

The library is in downtown Renton at 100 Mill St. Riverview Park is on the south side of the Maple Valley Highway (state Route 169) two miles east of the Interstate 405 overpass. Cavanaugh Park is on the north side of 169, less than one mile east of 149th Avenue Southeast.

To get to Landsburg Park, follow 169 southeast to Kent-Kangley Road (state Route 516) and the Four Corners Shopping Center, which is about 2 miles south of state Route 18. Turn left onto Kent-Kangley and take the next left onto Summit Landsburg Road. Turn left onto Landsburg Road, also known as 276th Avenue Southeast. Cross the Cedar and look for Landsburg Park parking on either side of the road just after the bridge.

For more information, telephone (206) 205-3888. Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities will be provided by contacting (206) 296-8359 or TTY: (800) 833-6388.

California may ban dry cleaning solvent

DIAMOND BAR, Calif. (AP) -- Southern California's air-quality regulators are considering a ban of the most commonly used dry cleaning solvent as a health hazard.

If adopted by the South Coast Air Quality Management District board, the measure would make the greater Los Angeles area the first region in the country to ban perchloroethylene, or perc. The distinctive-smelling chemical would be phased out by 2019.

More than 300 dry cleaners from across Southern California attended the meeting, many wearing black armbands in protest.

Perc has been linked to cancers of the lung, cervix, esophagus and bladder in dry cleaning workers, agency officials said.

New York, San Francisco and other cities heavily regulate the use of perc, but none has been banned it.

Southern California's clean-air agency grabbed national attention previously by passing regulations targeting house paint, diesel engines and power plants.

Under the proposal, new dry cleaners or existing cleaners adding equipment would have to buy non-perc machines after Jan. 1. After July 1, 2004, any dry cleaning machine that is replaced or is 15 or more years old would have to be replaced with a non-perc machine.

Portland picked for 2004 conference

PORTLAND -- The Oregon Convention Center will host the 2004 U.S. Green Building Council International Conference and Exposition Nov. 17-19.

The expo is one of the world's largest showcases of leading-edge technology, products and services for the green-building industry. More than 3,000 engineers, architects and developers are expected.

The inaugural 2002 Green Building Council conference will be Nov. 13-15 in Austin, Texas. For more details, see www.usgbc.org.

Salmon summit set for Upper Columbia

CHELAN -- The Upper Columbia Group and the Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board are presenting the first Upper Columbia Salmon Summit Nov. 21 - 23 at Campbell's Resort in Chelan.

For details, telephone (509) 422-3198 or see http://www.ucrfeg.org/Summit2002/index.htm.

Meetings, workshops planned

SEATTLE -- Following is a list of classes and workshops in the greater Seattle area.

• Building professionals can learn how to construct homes and commercial buildings while protecting soil and water at one of seven workshops that the Washington Organic Recycling Council is conducting. Each is from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Workshops will be Nov. 14 in Lacey; Feb. 4 in Everett; Feb. 11 in Puyallup; Feb. 25 in Kirkland; March 11 in Mount Vernon; March 18 in Silverdale; and March 25 in Shoreline. See www.compostwashington.org for details.

• A full-day conference of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties Built Green program will be Nov. 22 at the Embassy Suites in Lynnwood. Registration is $85, with $10 discounts for Built Green members. Contact the MBA's Kelly Lykken at klykken@mba-ks.com or (425) 451-7920, extension 12.

• Seattle Public Utilities and King County will present free Naturescaping Workshops Nov. 6 and Nov. 14. They'll show how to create low-maintenance landscapes that are healthier for people and wildlife. Both are from 6:30 - 9 p.m. The Nov. 6 workshop is at the King County Library System Service Center, 960 Newport Way N.W. in Issaquah, and the Nov. 14 one is at the Pritchard Beach Bathhouse, 8400 55th St., Seattle. On Nov. 16, workshop participants can participate in a native plant salvage. To register, contact Bob Spencer at (206) 684-4163 or bob.spencer@seattle.gov.

• The Northwest Green Power Forum, a day-and a half event designed to give utilities information to market green power, will be at the Sheraton Airport Hotel in Portland Nov. 19-20. See www.nwppa.org or call (360) 254-5731.

• The Nov. 21-22 seminar Wetlands in Washington will cover new regulations and requirements. The Law Seminars International conference will be at the Washington State Trade and Convention Center in Seattle. Email registrar@lawseminars; write 800 Fifth Ave., Suite 101, Seattle, WA 98104; telephone (206) 621-1938 or (800) 854-8009; or fax (206) 567-5058.

Environmental Watch: Hartung joins Adolfson Associates

Hartung

SEATTLE -- Sarah Hartung has joined Adolfson Associates as a project ecologist.

Hartung has more than 10 years of experience in ecological and wildlife studies, including work with songbirds, raptors and amphibians.

With Adolfson's natural sciences group she will work on the firm's specialties of natural resource management, planning, environmental impact analysis and Endangered Species Act compliance.

Water quality workshop in Seattle

SEATTLE -- The Advanced Water Quality Permitting Workshop will be Dec. 3 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center.

The program will discuss the complexities of water-quality permitting and will explain how various water-quality permits and certifications fit together.

Law Seminars International is presenting the workshop. For registration or more information, telephone (206) 621-1938 or (800) 854-8009. The fax is (206) 567-5058, and the email is registrar@lawseminars.com.

International green building confab in Texas

AUSTIN, Texas -- The first International Green Building Conference and Expo will be at the Austin Convention Center from Nov. 13 through Nov. 15.

Conference speakers include David Suzuki, author of "The Sacred Balance"; Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christine Todd Whitman and M. Arthur Gensler Jr. of Gensler Architecture San Francisco.

Topics of the conference include sustainability, productivity, green building scoring, LEED applications, brownfields and retrofits, incentives and regulatory issues, commercial and residential case studies, HVAC, lighting, and renewable systems, interiors, regional planning and urban design, education and training, indoor environmental quality, materials and waste reduction, international and regional initiatives and other options.

Also the first Green Building Leadership Awards will be presented at a gala dinner.

"This conference is designed to meet widespread interest for an annual 'meeting place' for the diverse and rapidly expanding green building industry," said Ross Spiegel, chair of the Conference Steering Committee and president of the 18,000-member Construction Specifications Institute.

BLM issues new wind power rules

WASHINGTON -- The nation's biggest landowner, the federal Bureau of Land Management, has issued new guidelines for wind energy development on public lands under its control.

The guidelines for the 262 million acres of BLM land cover the processing of right-of-way applications for wind energy site testing and monitoring facilities, as well as applications for commercial wind energy development projects.

The guidelines are designed to aid in the timely processing of wind-rights applications. Issues covered include land-use plan requirements for wind energy development, establishment of rental fees for site testing and monitoring authorizations and minimum rental fees for commercial development, due diligence requirements and requirements for environmental review of wind energy activities.

The BLM currently administers 25 wind energy right-of-way authorizations on public lands in California and Wyoming. The sites cover approximately 5,000 acres and generate about 500 megawatts of electrical power per year. The BLM has recently received some 30 new applications for projects in Nevada, Idaho, New Mexico, California, Wyoming and Washington.

The guidelines can be found at http://www.blm.gov/nhp/efoia/wo/fy03/im2003-020.htm.

SoCal diesel ban for public fleets upheld

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Government agencies in Southern California can be forced to use cars, trucks and buses with cleaner emissions, an appeals court ruled Thursday.

The decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a ban on diesel vehicles in public fleets imposed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Two groups had challenged the agency's rules, which also forced public entities with fleets of 15 or more vehicles to purchase alternative-fuel vehicles when expanding or replacing vehicles.

The regulation covers government agencies from the city to federal levels, school districts, universities and transit districts in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The Engine Manufacturers Association and the Western States Petroleum Association claimed the rules violated the federal Clean Air Act, which generally prohibits state or local governments from imposing standards relating to controlling emissions from new vehicles. Messages left at the offices of the two groups were not immediately returned.

"This is a big win for us," said Barbara Baird, a lawyer for the South Coast Air Quality Management District. "This decision clears the way for the district's fleet rules to help attack the problem of diesel pollution."

Diesel fumes are the greatest contributor to cancer-causing airborne pollution and also contribute substantially to smog, Baird said.

Federal agencies skip Klamath kill hearing

EUREKA, Calif. (AP) -- Federal agencies responsible for balancing water between farms and fish declined to attend a California legislative committee hearing Monday looking into the massive kill of salmon in the Klamath River.

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation spokesman Jeff McCracken said the Bush Administration decided it had nothing to add to the hearing until a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigation was completed.

The U.S. Department of Interior did not immediately return a telephone call for comment.

Assemblywoman Virginia Strom-Martin, chairman of the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, called the hearing after an estimated 33,000 salmon died in the lower 30 miles of the Klamath River.

The fish began dying in September from gill rot diseases that spread rapidly when fish are crowded together in warm water. It appears most of the dead fish were headed back to the Trinity River, the largest tributary of the Klamath.

The kill has focused new attention on the Bush Administration's efforts to balance water from the Klamath Reclamation Project between fish and farms. The federal irrigation system run by the Bureau of Reclamation serves 235,000 acres of farmland straddling the Oregon-California border east of the Cascade Range.

Environmental Watch: Tacoma Water cuts Green River use

TACOMA -- Tacoma Water is reducing its draw from the Green River to help support threatened chinook salmon.

The water reduction marks the third straight year the utility has responded to requests from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Muckleshoot Tribe to reduce its use of the Green River during the fall chinook return.

Tacoma Water has reduced the amount of water it takes from 72 million gallons per day to 48 million gallons per day. Water supplies are being supplemented with well water. The pumping costs are being subsidized with a $25,000 grant from the state Department of Ecology.

Tacoma Water expects to use the wells in place of its Green River supply until fall rains begin. Federal climate experts have said the Northwest should expect a drier and warmer winter this year because of the El Nino climate phenomenon.

'Salmon Stewards' wanted for Carkeek Park

SEATTLE -- The city of Seattle's Parks and Recreation department is looking for volunteers to become "Salmon Stewards" for Carkeek Park.

Duties include providing public education on weekends and perhaps to school groups during the week. Volunteers will receive training from naturalists before beginning their duties. Volunteers are required to commit to at least four weekend shifts.

For more information or to register call the Carkeek Environmental Learning Center at (206) 684-0877. The orientation day is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 26, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Hawks Prairie dump's neighbors to split $4.8M

OLYMPIA (AP) -- A judge has approved a plan to distribute $8.5 million from a settlement of the Hawks Prairie landfill lawsuit.

About 1,200 homeowners, property owners and residents who have lived around the foul-smelling, gull-infested dump since 1990 will split $4.8 million.

The Tacoma law firm of Gordon, Thomas, Honeywell, Malanca, Peterson & Daheim sued Thurston County and landfill operator Skagit Sand and Gravel for mismanagement of the dump. The firm gets about $3.7 million of the settlement money.

The settlement money came from insurance policies carried by the defendants and the county's solid waste reserve fund.

Plaintiffs alleged the noxious odors of rotting garbage and flocks of gulls defecating on nearby cars, roofs and yards nauseated residents and drove down property values.

The county closed the landfill and started shipping its refuse to Eastern Washington in May 2000.

Survey: Steller sea lion population on rise

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- A new survey indicates that the Steller sea lion population in Alaska is increasing for the first time in decades.

A June aerial survey of 84 places from the Gulf of Alaska to the Aleutian Island chain where the marine mammals regularly haul out found more than 19,300 adult and adolescent animals. That's about 5.5 percent more than the 18,300 counted two years ago at the same locations.

While the results are preliminary, they point in a good direction.

The survey matches reports from working fishermen, who say they've seen more sea lions lately, said Al Birch, executive director of the Kodiak-based Alaska Draggers Association. The group represents 55 trawlers and long-liners from the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska.

Steller sea lion numbers fell more than 80 percent over the past 25 years, confounding scientists for nearly two decades. The sharp declines in the population has led to commercial fishing restrictions and environmental lawsuits. The animals were listed as endangered in 1997.

Even with this latest increase, the sea lions were still more than 5 percent below the number tallied in 1998 and 34 percent below 1991 at the same index sites, Sease said.

$56M cleanup begins in Hylebos

TACOMA (AP) -- Workers have embarked on a $56 million operation to dredge sediment and toxins from the bottom of the Hylebos Waterway.

Dredging began last week, nearly two decades after the federal government declared the channel off Commencement Bay part of Tacoma's Superfund site.

"It's really the first major step in the cleanup of the Hylebos. It's a watershed event," said Maury Wassmann, who manages the site for Occidental Chemical Corp., the company paying for the cleanup.

Mud at the bottom of the waterway was found to include dangerous chemicals, including benzene compounds used in pesticides, PCBs and arsenic. The chemicals are byproducts of pollution from the manufacturing companies that line the waterway.

The dredging operation calls for the removal of 32,000 cubic yards of sediment, enough to fill 3,200 dump trucks.

Engineers expect the dredging and disposal of the polluted sediment to be completed sometime in 2004.

Once the sediment is treated, it will be buried in the Port of Tacoma's Blair Slip 1, said EPA project manager Peter Contreras. The slip will eventually be paved over as a shipping terminal.

Cross-country land use protest fizzles

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) -- Oregon property rights activists calling themselves the Sawgrass Rebellion wrapped up a cross-country convoy Saturday with a rally at a small Everglades community.

But the final stop fell flat for convoy members when few local residents showed up to protest an Army Corps of Engineers plan to flood much of their community. The leaders who invited them never showed.

Convoy leader Bill Ransom hooked up a 10-foot bucket on his trailer and left Oregon on his cross-country tour after receiving a letter from the Dade County Farm Bureau asking for help in saving farm land from the Everglades restoration project.

"We were five stops into the tour, in Nevada, when they called us up and said the whole thing was off," said Ransom as the convoy organized in a dusty gas station parking lot outside Miami. "But we had no intention of heading home, we don't care if there is only two people we are coming to see."

When the 50-car convoy reached the farm bureau in Homestead, the building was closed for the weekend.

"These are the people that invited us in the first place, and now there's nobody here," Ransom said as a group picture of the about 80 people was taken.

The convoy arrived at 8 1/2 Square Mile Area in the late afternoon, but in the end there were more there were more convoy members from around the country than there were residents at the scene to join the protest.

Ransom is also chairman of the Bucket Brigade, a group that fought for irrigation rights over a plan to protect salmon and sucker fish in the Klamath Basin, Ore., in 2001.

Environmental Watch: Ecobuilding Guild teaches rain harvesting

SEATTLE -- Reusing rainwater will be the subject of a Northwest Ecobuilding Guild presentation next week.

Topics will include systems to collect rainwater for toilet flushing and irrigation in existing and new homes.

Tim Pope, president of Northwest Water Source of San Juan Island, will discuss his experience with reclaiming rainwater as well.

Northwest Water Source is the single largest provider of rainfall catchment systems in the nation. It is the North American distributor for several major European suppliers of rainwater harvesting equipment. In the last four years the company has installed over 60 systems in San Juan County, with over 70 percent of the systems for potable use.

The presentation will be held Wednesday, Oct. 23, in the basement of the brick building at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N. The program begins at 7 p.m. A $5 donation is requested for non-guild members.

Big Finn Hill Park gets $145,000 fish ladder

SEATTLE -- King County and the Denny Creek Neighborhood Alliance will dedicate a new fish ladder at 10 a.m. Oct. 18 at Big Finn Hill Park.

The project involved converting 230 feet of creek from a sediment-filled waterway under an eight-foot waterfall into what now looks like a naturally sloping stream through the woods, with large boulders, stream cobbles and large woody debris.

Work consisted of installing 16 weirs to create pools for fish. Volunteers planted native trees and shrubs. The volunteer group completed construction documents, biological assessments and obtained funding for the $145,000 project from the county, private and federal sources. Parks employees did the construction, using clay from a landslide to seal the bottom of the creek and woody debris from park storm damage.

1,000th business gets city lighting rebate

SEATTLE -- Interlake Childcare Center is the 1,000th business in the city to join the Smart Business lighting rebate program. The center near Greenlake will save $650 on its heating bills and more than 9,000 kilowatt hours of electricity each year because of lighting improvements.

The owners were reimbursed $775, 42 percent of the total job cost, to replace 31 incandescent fixtures with compact fluorescent fixtures.

Information is available by calling the Conservation Help Line at (206) 684-3800.

PGE to remove 2 Sandy River dams

PORTLAND (AP) -- Portland General Electric will remove two dams in the Sandy River basin, an action that will improve conditions for salmon and steelhead.

The Marmot Dam, on the Sandy River, will go in 2007, and the Little Sandy Dam, on the Little Sandy River, will go in 2008. The dams lie just outside the western edge of the Mount Hood National Forest.

A settlement agreement detailing removal of the dams is to be signed Oct. 24 by PGE, four federal agencies, four state agencies, four conservation groups and others. Details of the plan were made public Friday at a meeting of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Besides improving conditions for salmon, the removal will relieve PGE, which owns the dams, of maintaining a low-output generating system at high cost.

The utility also will transfer 1,500 acres of lands near the dams to a nonprofit organization toward the creation of a 5,000-acre nature reserve.

The dams produce about 10 megawatts of electricity, less than 1 percent of the 2,000 megawatts of electricity PGE generates.

State task force seeks park funding

OLYMPIA (AP) -- Faced with the potential closure of more parks, a state task force is looking into ways to come up with more money to keep parks and other public lands open.

It's not an easy proposition.

With dwindling state funding amid a downturn in the economy, parks have become an easy target for budget cutters.

The state already has closed five parks. Tacoma's Metropolitan Park District is talking of "mothballing" more than a dozen parks, and King County is looking to shut down parks if it can't turn them over to cities.

Doubling the state tax on water and selling parking passes to outdoors enthusiasts are among the options under consideration.

Natural gas vehicles will fuel up at home

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Trips to the gas station could become obsolete for owners of an at-home fueling appliance for natural gas vehicles demonstrated for the first time last week.

Toronto-based FuelMaker Corp. said it will be the first company to mass-market a system that connects to a home's natural gas supply line to allow owners of natural gas vehicles to fuel up at home.

American Honda Motor Co., which owns a 20 percent stake in FuelMaker, hopes it will help expand the retail market of its Civic GX natural gas car beyond government fleet sales.

Natural gas vehicles have very low pollutant emissions and can help reduce global warming because the fuel burns less carbon. But their specialized tanks are more expensive and have shorter range than traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. They also lack a nationwide network of refueling stations.

FuelMaker's pump, called Phill, is about the size of a pay phone and can be installed in a garage or outdoors using a home's existing natural gas supply line. Drivers would leave the pump in the car overnight and have a full tank that could take them up to 220 miles in the morning.

FuelMaker President John Lyon said the system will go on sale next October for up to $2,000.

Natural gas vehicles are becoming increasingly popular for government buyers and public transportation because of their low emissions. A quarter of all transit bus orders made last year were for natural gas buses, according to the American Public Transportation Association.

Cracks delay test burns at Umatilla depot

UMATILLA, Ore. (AP) -- Test burns at the Umatilla Chemical Depot will not resume before November because of problems with the incinerator, environmental regulators said.

A recent Army inspection of the facility built to burn chemical weapons revealed cracks in the refractory bricks in the furnace, broken seals, cracked pipes and some areas that need recaulking, said Wayne Thomas, project manager with the Department of Environmental Quality.

The test burns were stopped last week because heavy metals emissions were exceeding allowable levels, state officials said.

Army officials were testing the incinerator's capacity, efficiency and the ability of its scrubbers to remove hazardous materials before they go out the incinerator's stack.

Levels of chromium and lead released from the stack surpassed the amount determined by the regulatory agency to be safe for the public. The lead values were only slightly more than the allowable limit. The chromium levels were double what's allowed.

Now, no one is sure when the destruction of mortar rounds, GB rockets, and artillery shells filled with deadly nerve agent will begin.

Environmental Watch: Anchor adds San Diego office

SEATTLE -- Anchor Environmental has opened a new office in San Diego. David Keith, a specialist in sediment and water quality work, will lead Anchor's operations there. The new office is in addition to the firm's Seattle headquarters and locations in Portland, Ore., and Oakland and Irvine. Calif.

In Seattle, John Laplante has joined Anchor's waterfront geotechnical engineering practice. Laplante will provide management, engineering and construction oversight for waterway, coastal, geotechnical and sediment remediation projects.

Also at Anchor, Dannielle Cappellino has joined the firm's Irvine office. Cappellino will work on environmental planning projects, including multiple efforts for the Los Angeles District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

King County wins EPA award

SEATTLE -- King County has been honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its recycling efforts.

This Thursday, the county will receive Partner of the Year honors from the EPA WasteWise program for waste prevention and recycling.

The county's efforts include employee recycling, paperwork reduction and "green" procurement. The Partner of the Year award is the WasteWise program's highest honor. Only one local government nationwide -- Jackson County, Mo. -- will be similarly honored.

For more information on the county's WasteWise program go to http://dnr.metrokc.gov/swd/wastewise.

New rules for live-aboards get state OK

OLYMPIA -- Changes to how public aquatic lands are used by residential vessels or floating homes have been approved by the state Board of Natural Resources.

State Commissioner of Public Lands Doug Sutherland said the new rules will provide greater certainty for live-aboards.

Changes include environmental standards for marinas and a 10 percent limit on the residential use of boats moored on state aquatic land. The rules also provide for additional local decision-making on live-aboards and moorage areas.

The state Department of Natural Resources is expected to file the new code in the middle of the month. It would become final 31 days after the filing

DNR manages 2.4 million acres for the state. To view the changes go to http://www.wa.gov/dnr/.

Oregon desert group wants land study

BEND, Ore. (AP) -- Environmentalists want federal officials to designate 363,000 acres in eight areas of southeastern Oregon as wilderness study areas.

The Oregon Natural Desert Association made the proposal last month. The acreage surveyed by ONDA and 13 volunteers include canyons, fields of sage brush, rolling hills and some drainages.

Ranchers graze cattle on the lands, but the designation would not affect their grazing rights. It would, however, close roads and ban off-road vehicle use, mining exploration and bicycling in the areas.

Environmentalists walked throughout the wildlands this summer to survey and map the proposed areas and recorded scenic views, native cultural sites and remoteness.

Tom Dyer, district manager for the Burns District BLM, said the information provided by the association will help the planning process. Any group or individual can propose the creation of a study area, but a proposal doesn't mean the area will automatically qualify, Dyer said.

ONDA's proposal will be included in a large-scale BLM land-planning process for 1.65 million acres surrounding the 175,000-acre Steens Mountain Wilderness.

Congress designated the wilderness area last year. The legislation required the BLM to develop a management plan for the area by 2004.

Klamath farmers join Florida fish fight

RENO, Nev. (AP) -- Ranchers and farmers battling the government over fish protection in Oregon and Nevada are headed for Florida, a giant shovel and bucket in tow.

The cross-country convoy by the Klamath Bucket Brigade of Klamath Falls, Ore., and the Jarbidge Shovel Brigade of Elko, Nev., is meant to rally support for the cause the groups share with Florida farmers: property rights. All three groups say the government is trampling their rights to protect endangered species.

The groups left Oregon for the 3,000-mile, 22-day drive to Homestead, Fla., towing the 13-foot silver bucket and 30-foot green-and-yellow shovel behind.

The two brigades hope to raise money for Florida farmers who oppose raising water levels that they say will flood their fields to help an endangered sparrow in the Everglades -- an effort environmentalists have worked for years to support.

Oregon's Klamath Basin farmers have been in conflict with the federal government since it cut off irrigation water to benefit salmon and other fish 14 months ago. Last summer, farmers desperate for water confronted federal marshals, pried open irrigation gates and formed a bucket brigade to dump water into irrigation ditches.

Group says threatened species list growing

GENEVA (AP) -- The nomadic Saiga antelope could soon be taking its last leap, the wild Bactrian camel its last drink and the Ethiopian water mouse its last dip. All are on the brink of extinction, conservationists said Tuesday.

The freshwater gastropod mollusk has already made its salty tearful goodbyes in the last two years, joining the long-departed Dodo bird among the ranks of vanished creatures.

There are 11,167 other plants and animals threatened with extinction, according to the World Conservation Union's 2002 Red List of Threatened Species, an increase of 121 since 2000.

The Red List, produced by a network of some 7,000 species experts working in almost every country in the world, found that 811 species have disappeared over the last 500 years, some permanently, while others exist only in artificial settings, such as zoos.

Five species have been added to the Extinct List over the last two years, said the union, known as IUCN, which is based in Gland, Switzerland.

Besides the mollusk they include two hippo species, last seen in 1500, the sea mink, unseen since 1860, and Reunion Island sheldgeese, last sighted around 1710

Environmental Watch: Jones & Stokes planning team grows

Grueter

BELLEVUE -- Jones & Stokes continues to add to its Northwest planning and transportation team with the hiring of Lisa Grueter.

Grueter, a certified city planner, has experience as both a consultant and in the public sector, with the cities of Renton and Sumner.

As a project manager and senior planner at Jones & Stokes, Grueter will work with clients on comprehensive planning, growth management planning, environmental review compliance, ordinance writing, policy analysis and land use permit review.

Grueter holds a master's in city planning from the University of California, Berkeley.

Environmental consulting firm Jones & Stokes, based in Sacramento, has additional offices in Oregon, California and Arizona.

Wolfe joins Clayton Group Services

Wolfe

SEATTLE -- Shawn Wolfe has joined Clayton Group Services Inc. as senior project manager in its Seattle occupational health and safety practice.

Wolfe is a registered engineer-in-training in the state of Washington, and a certified Lead Risk Assessor and Lead Inspector for Washington, Alaska and Idaho. In 1993, the Environmental Information Association recognized Wolfe with a Best Asbestos Survey award.

Clayton Group Services is a full-service environmental health and safety firm with laboratory services. Clayton specializes in environmental due diligence, remediation, industrial hygiene, indoor air quality, occupational and systems safety and ergonomics. Clayton, headquartered in Novi, Mich., has 20 offices nationwide.

State has $1M to buy riparian lands

OLYMPIA -- Private landowners in Washington have until Nov. 15 to apply to the Riparian Open Space Program for the state to purchase their forested river channel islands or river meander areas.

Commissioner Doug Sutherland, who manages the Washington Department of Natural Resources, said lands eligible for purchase often contain prime habitat and are unsuitable for logging.

The Washington Legislature has appropriated $1 million for acquisition through the program. The program is designed to help implement the Forests & Fish agreement which sets parameters for forestry to minimize harm to threatened salmon species.

A new program, the Riparian Open Space Program will also compensate landowners prohibited under Forests & Fish rules from harvesting timber on riparian land isolated by river channels that have migrated over time.

After acquiring ownership or a conservation easement, the property will be managed for ecological protection and fisheries enhancement.

Blank applications can be downloaded and printed from www.wa.gov/dnr or requested from Anne Sharar, Asset Management and Protection Division, at (360) 902-1739 or by e-mail at anne.sharar@wadnr.gov.

Green construction equipment for WTC

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- The state will require construction equipment that uses cleaner fuels during the rebuilding of lower Manhattan sites lost in the World Trade Center attack.

"We know that the community is extremely concerned about air quality and we also know that the community wants the redevelopment to be as `green' as possible," said Erin Crotty, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel also will be required in machinery and vehicle fleets maintained by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the state Department of Transportation and the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., which is coordinating the rebuilding effort.

Dirtier-burning diesel emissions are blamed for nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide pollution and for increasing particulates -- soot -- in the air. The emissions have been linked to respiratory illnesses, especially in urban areas.

Crotty said the department has the authority to mandate such changes for public agencies. For private contractors, the cleaner fuel requirement would be part of the state work contracts for rebuilding at the trade center site.

The DEC also will lead an effort to identify technology that can be used to retrofit older construction equipment machinery to lower emissions.

Who's to blame for Klamath fish kill?

PORTLAND (AP) -- Months ago the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service said the Bush administration's plan to shift water from fish to farmers in the Klamath Basin would harm salmon downstream in the Klamath River. Tribal biologists agreed.

Now the adult fish are dying by the thousands.

The Bush administration claims there is no evidence showing protected fish require the water that otherwise irrigates Klamath crops, and says the cause of the current kill is unknown.

And the administration, along with some biologists, said it's still unclear whether the irrigation diversions are to blame.

On the advice of biologists and approval of Interior Secretary Gale Norton, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation began releasing a new two-week pulse of water over the weekend into the river in hopes of loosening the logjam of dying fish.

Klamath Tribes biologists said temperature gauges in Upper Klamath Lake show that the release could cool the river, aiding salmon. The water will take three days to reach the dying fish.

The Klamath River starts at Upper Klamath Lake in Klamath Falls, where farmers in the 220,000-acre federal Klamath Project draw their irrigation water. By the time gets to the Northern California coast, it is a murky mix of water rivalries, politics and environmental troubles.

Those glaring stresses may have conspired with drought and heat to cause what appears to be the largest kill of adult salmon on the West Coast.

Rains delay New Mexico water fight

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- Rainfall and water already flowing downstream for the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow will delay any release of water from Heron Reservoir for the fish for another two weeks, a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation official says.

That will buy more time for those disputing how Heron water, owned by the city of Albuquerque, should be used. The city said it has invested $47 million in the San Juan-Chama project water stored in Heron.

U.S. District Judge James Parker on Sept. 18 ordered river flows to continue at 50 cubic feet per second to San Acacia in south-central New Mexico, the area with the largest remaining minnow population. Parker ordered federal agencies to consider using water from Heron.

The state has appealed the judge's ruling and other parties, including Albuquerque and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, plan appeals.

On Monday, the San Acacia area had a flow of 207 cubic feet per second, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The Bureau of Reclamation has been releasing water from Abiquiu Reservoir previously earmarked for the minnow.

Environmental Watch: Hart Crowser names COO

Ashman

SEATTLE -- William M. Ashman has been named chief operating officer at Hart Crowser, an environmental and geotechnical engineering firm headquartered in Seattle.

Ashman has been a member of Hart Crowser’s board of directors for the last 10 years. Over the last four years, he was CEO of Advance Online, an Internet-based training company that began as a subsidiary of Hart Crowser.

Ashman holds an International Business Degree from the Nederlands Opleiding Instituut Voor Het Buitenland (NOIB) in Breukelen, Holland, as well as business administration degrees from the University of Oregon.

Hart Crowser is a 230-person environmental and engineering consulting firm headquartered in Seattle, with offices located in Portland; Anchorage; Fortuna and Long Beach, Calif.; Denver; Jersey City, N.J.; and Boston.

Meyer to head state salmon office

OLYMPIA -- Steve Meyer has been named director of the state Salmon Recovery Office. Meyer previously served nine years as executive director of the State Conservation Commission and six years as director of governmental affairs for the National Association of Conservation Districts in Washington, D.C.

In a statement, Gov. Gary Locke said, "Steve knows the state salmon programs and individuals involved, and he is the right person for this job. Steve knows that I want on-the-ground results, and I want accountability for the money we are spending on salmon."

Locke said developing salmon recovery plans at the local and regional watershed levels will remain key, as will partnering with tribes and other state and federal agencies.

Meyer will also work with other state natural resource agencies on securing federal funding for salmon recovery.

Waste management conference Nov. 5-8

TACOMA -- The Pacific Northwest International Section of the Air & Waste Management Association will host its 42nd annual technical conference, Nov. 5-8, at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center in Tacoma.

Entitled "Environmental Solutions in a Changing World," the conference will focus on current and emerging environmental issues.

Go to the Web site http://www.pnwis.org for complete information on registration, call for abstracts, technical sessions, sponsorship, exhibition and social events. A gala banquet evening at the new Museum of Glass is also on the agenda.

If you have questions or would like to participate, contact Dave Dornbush, chair, Pacific Northwest International Section 2002, at (206) 544-0399 or by e-mail at david.j.dornbush<@>boeing.com.

Santa Monica polluters face $10,000 fine

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- State officials approved a regulation that would fine local governments up to $10,000 a day if they fail to improve water quality in the Santa Monica Bay during the dry months.

The State Water Resources Control Board voted Thursday to uphold a requirement severely limiting bacterial pollution in the waters from the Ventura County line to Palos Verdes by 2005.

Los Angeles County and area cities that do not comply could be fined up to $10,000 a day.

The regulation, first approved by the Los Angeles Regional Water Board, awaits final approval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Throughout the state, local governments must post warning signs at polluted beaches, but in many cases they have not been required to fix the problems.

"This is the strongest regulation to protect beachgoers in the country," said Mark Gold, executive director of Heal the Bay.

The regional water board will discuss next week whether to limit bacteria pollution levels during the rainy season.

Feds consider listing California state fish

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The federal government has determined California's state fish, the golden trout, may need to be listed as an endangered species.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Friday there's substantial evidence to support listing the trout. The finding comes almost a year after the conservation group Trout Unlimited sued the agency to force it to consider such a move.

The fish's population has declined because of habitat loss, hybridization, competition with non-native trout, and even overgrazing by livestock. At one time, the fish were found in 450 miles of streams in the Southern Sierra Nevada, but over the past 100 years that has dwindled to just over 80 miles.

The service now will begin a 12-month review to determine if a listing is warranted and, if it is, whether that listing will be as a threatened species or as an endangered one. A threatened species is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future, and an endangered one faces the threat of extinction throughout part or all of the range where it lives.

Native populations of the fish now are found only in the Golden Trout Creek and South Fork of the Kern River. The rivers are both in the Golden Trout Wilderness in Inyo National Forest.

Conservation group Trout Unlimited sued the Fish and Wildlife Service in November 2001, and this June a federal judge gave the service three months to start the process of listing the fish.

The Fish and Wildlife Service faces a backlog of other endangered species requests and lawsuits.

Contaminated fridge given to college

PASCO (AP) -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory mistakenly gave a surplus refrigerator contaminated with beryllium to Columbia Basin College.

The lab gave the fridge to the college in May for chemical storage but didn't discover the error until last week. The fridge was tracked to a trailer at the college.

Beryllium is an exotic metal that has been linked to chronic and sometimes fatal lung disease.

No students were believed to have come in contact with the refrigerator, said CBC spokesman Frank Murray. School and lab representatives were meeting Wednesday to discuss the incident and any possible contamination of college staff.

The level of contamination is low enough that lab workers would not have been required to wear protective face masks or gloves around the refrigerator.

Old growth poachers to pay

MONTESANO (AP) -- A judge has ordered that two Grays Harbor area men must pay restitution of $290,955 for illegally cutting down seven old-growth cedar trees in the Olympic National Forest.

Judge David Foscue of Grays Harbor Superior Court ruled that Daniel Hughes and Sean Chavez must pay more than market value for killing the trees, some of which were more than 700 years old. Hughes will also serve four in jail and Chavez three months.

Foscue said it's difficult to put a monetary value on life, including plant life.

Forestry technician Ray Hershey had testified earlier that the market value of the wood in the trees would be $28,455, but noted the trees that were destroyed would have been too old for harvest.

Jan Henderson, an ecologist for the U.S. Forest Service, said the worth of trees can be determined by the "trunk formula method" -- based on the cost of the largest transplantable tree with adjustments for the species, condition and location.

Under that formula, the trees would be worth $290,955 -- the amount the judge used.

Environmental Watch: $10M for state habitat plans, land buys

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded over $10 million in grants to Washington state projects to protect endangered and threatened species.

The grants are part of an overall $68 million issued through the agency's Habitat Conservation Planning Assistance and Land Acquisition Program.

Under the program, the Fish and Wildlife Service provides up to 75 percent of the funding for land acquisition and conservation planning. Local partners contribute the rest.

The Washington grants are:

• $1,066,505 to the Washington Department of Natural Resources to support development of a statewide habitat conservation plan based upon the "Forests and Fish" agreement between the state and timber interests. The plan will cover up to 10.3 million acres of non-federal land harboring 30 species that are in some form of jeopardy, including six salmon species and bull trout.

• $3,297,569 for land acquisition in the Yakima River wildlife corridor in Kittitas County. The acquisition is associated with the Plum Creek Habitat Conservation Plan and will purchase nearly 2,200 acres of habitat to benefit the northern spotted owl, gray wolf, grizzly bear, bald eagle and bull trout. The land acquisition will help provide wildlife corridors that enable animals to travel north and south along the Cascade Crest. The Cascades Conservation Partnership has raised $2.4 million in matching funds, and the Plum Creek Timber Co. has donated $50,000.

• $5,482,000 for land acquisition in Jefferson and Clallam counties. This money will be used to purchase 365 acres of old growth forest adjacent to Washington State Department of Natural Resources land. The grant, associated with a DNR conservation plan, will benefit the threatened marbled murrelet.

• $1,800,000 for land acquisition in the Methow Valley. The grant will help fund the purchase of 568 acres of land including five miles of river frontage and forest along the Methow River in Okanogan County. The purchase is part of the long-running Methow Valley Protection Project, which has already secured more than 10,000 acres of land for habitat protection.

According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Methow is the only watershed in the country where the northern spotted owl, bald eagle, grizzly bear, Canada lynx, bull trout and gray wolf occur together. All are federally listed as endangered or threatened.

International Paper water rights challenged

DUNES CITY, Ore. (AP) -- International Paper Co., local residents and officials and a state water advocacy group are headed for a showdown over water rights.

The company has held permits to use water from Siltcoos and Tahkenitch lakes since 1960 for its paper mill operations at Gardiner. The mill shut down in 1998, but International Paper has continued to regulate lake levels.

The company in February was granted tentative certificates giving them permanent rights to the water, but Siltcoos Lake residents, Dunes City officials and WaterWatch of Oregon have challenged the application.

The permit process should include a hearing, said Karen Russell, WaterWatch attorney. She said because the company is no longer using the water, the rights should return to public ownership.

The lakes are near Dunes City, which is about 50 miles southwest of Eugene on the central coast.

Tilth convention in Yakima Nov. 8-10

YAKIMA -- Tilth Producers, the state’s non-profit association of organic and sustainable farmers, will hold its annual conference at the Yakima Convention Center, Nov. 8 through Nov. 10.

John Ikerd, a social economist and professor emeritus at the University of Missouri, will give the keynote address on the critical role of sustainable family farms in national and global systems.

Workshops with organic farmers and researchers will be offered, including a special track for fruit growers.

Lectures and hands-on workshops are tailored for both new and experienced growers, including topics such as marketing, large-scale composting, pests and diseases, soil nutrition, farm management, tools, innovation in local agriculture, and the economy of small farms.

The Tilth Producers conference will be preceded by a one-day research symposium sponsored by Washington State University, highlighting the latest research findings in biologically intensive agriculture. An industry-related trade show and an organic wine tasting will also be held.

For more information or to register for the conference, contact Nancy Allen of Tilth Producers, (206)442-7620 or e-mail nancy@tilthproducers.org or see the Web site www.tilthproducers.org.

Dead fish dump is industry first

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- A Vancouver Island salmon farm has dumped hundreds of tons of dead fish off the west coast of the island.

It was the first such ocean disposal permit issued to the aquaculture industry by Environment Canada.

Dixie Sullivan, a program scientist with the department's ocean disposal section, said the government is allowed Grieg Seafood to dispose of up to 2,800 metric tons because the weight of the dead fish threatened to sink the farm.

Sullivan said the permit was issued under an emergency provision of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.

"Normally, the fish are swimming, so there's no weight on the fish-farm nets," she explained. "So when they're dead, they're laying on nets, and that weight puts the farm under.

"There was a concern there would be a release of live fish (alien Atlantic salmon) -- not to mention you don't want 2,800 tons on one spot, which could also cause an unacceptable risk to the environment."

Grieg Seafood managing director Peter Gibson said the fourth and final load of dead fish were dumped over the weekend at the designated site, about 20 miles west of the island.

Gibson said only 850-900 metric tons need to be disposed of at sea because the remaining fish have survived.

He said the problem began Sept. 2, when a toxic algae bloom never seen before in British Columbia began killing fish at the company's farm in Esperanza Inlet.

There wasn't time to take the dead fish to the nearest fish-rendering plant in Vancouver or to a landfill, he said.

Environmentalists say the Environment Canada permit sets a bad precedent.

Otto Langer, the David Suzuki Foundation's director of marine conservation and a former federal fisheries official, noted the Fisheries Act prohibits dumping dead fish or offal into fish-frequented waters.

"Any one else can't do it, but fish farms seem to have immunity," Langer said.

Environmental Watch: Chapin to head NW energy tech group

SEATTLE -- The Washington Technology Center has named H. Day Chapin head of the Pacific Northwest Energy Technology Collaborative, a group working on new energy technologies for the region.

Chapin has more than 20 years experience as an entrepreneur and executive in start-up and large companies in a number of fields including telecommunications, manufacturing and energy.

The Northwest Energy Technology Collaborative is an agreement among Washington Technology Center, Avista Corp., Bonneville Power Administration, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute. Its purpose is to accelerate growth of the energy technology industry in the Pacific Northwest.

EcoBuilding meeting Sept. 25 on cement

SEATTLE -- The Central Puget Sound Chapter of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild will hold a presentation on the environmental, performance and economic benefits of using fly ash as a substitute for Portland cement in order to reduce a building's environmental impact.

Doug Howell from Seattle City Light will give a background on cement production and climate change, including investigating the possibility of incentives for substituting fly ash for cement. Chris Dixon, director of specifications for Mithun Architects, will discuss actual experience in specifying and using high volume fly ash concrete mixes.

Greg McKinnon of Stoneway Concrete will provide information from the vendor point of view. Lynne Barker, code specialist from Seattle's Department of Design, Construction and Land Use, will speak on building code considerations with fly ash mixes.

The event will be held Wednesday, Sept. 25, in the basement of the brick building at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m.; it is free for EcoBuilding Guild members. A $5 donation is requested from others. For more information contact Thor Peterson at (206) 615-0731.

Salmon recovery conference Oct. 22-25

SEATTLE -- The Northwest Salmonid Recovery Conference set for October 22-25 is accepting registrations.

The four-day conference will feature presentations on fish and habitat science, including a field trip to successful habitat restoration projects.

The conference costs $432 for all four days, but single session admission is available.

The event is sponsored by the National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, British Columbia Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington Department of Natural Resources, Portland Metro, Clallam County Natural Resources, Chelan County Public Utilities, Washington Trout, University of Washington, Inter-Fluv Inc., Ridolfi Engineers, and the Mid-Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group.

The conference will be held at the Mountaineers Conference Center, 300 Third Avenue W. For more information go to http://www.nwetc.org or call (206)762-1976.

Rice-to-fuel project targets pollution

GRIDLEY, Calif. (AP) -- The city of Gridley is taking part in an experimental program that could reduce air pollution in agricultural areas by converting rice straw into a form of fuel for vehicles.

Gridley is just one of many communities in California looking for a way to dispose of rice straw after the rice has been harvested.

"Most of this technology is used in making other products, so there is a fairly high level of confidence this will be successful," said Gridley City Administrator Jack Slota.

The rice industry in Northern California can produce 2 tons of straw per acre annually, Slota said. With 500,000 acres of rice in production in California, that amounts to 1 million tons of straw each year, he said.

Houston bayou added to Superfund list

HOUSTON (AP) -- A polluted waterway that flows into the Houston Ship Channel and is home to a wide range of wildlife has been added to the list of federal Superfund hazardous waste sites requiring priority cleanup.

Patrick Bayou, surrounded by petrochemical plants near Deer Park, was one of 19 sites added to the Superfund National Priorities List this past week.

With the new additions, the priorities list now contains 1,238 cleanup sites, the Environmental Protection Agency said.

Chemicals in sediment from the bayou and adjacent areas include pesticides, aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury and other metals, according to tests by city and state agencies and the EPA.

The bayou includes wetlands that provide habitat for wildlife, waterfowl and migratory birds, and large numbers of fish and shellfish congregate at its confluence with the ship channel.

The EPA says fishermen harvest blue crab and catfish along the channel near Patrick Bayou despite state Health Department restriction on eating such seafood because of high levels of dioxin.

GAO: $245M air filters need more tests

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Air filtering equipment being considered for installation in postal facilities to protect against another biological attack needs further testing, says an investigative report.

The post office began looking into protective systems in the wake of last fall's anthrax attacks which killed five people, including two postal workers. Major mail processing centers in Washington and New Jersey remain closed until they can be decontaminated.

Among the systems under consideration are high efficiency air filtering systems for mail processing centers to remove biological contamination from the air.

But a study by Congress' General Accounting Office, released Monday, said the post office needs to further evaluate whether the filter systems will do the job. It also questions the estimated $245 million cost of the project and whether electrical demand of the systems will affect other postal machinery.

In a response, Patrick R. Donahoe, postal chief operating officer, agreed with the need for testing and said it is under way with the assistance of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

A preproduction version of the system is planned for installation this fall in the mail processing center at Dulles International Airport so its efficiency can be evaluated, he added.

The $245 million cost estimate nationwide was based on the best available information but will probably have to be adjusted over time, he said.

Environmental Watch: Aquifer storage rules

OLYMPIA -- Only about a week remains to comment on new state Department of Ecology rules that would allow reservoir permits to be issued for underground water storage projects.

The process, known as aquifer storage and recovery, injects water into natural geologic formations for withdrawal later. Locally, the Lakehaven Utility District in Federal Way has been studying a pilot project since 1991 and hopes to expand its aquifer storage.

Elsewhere, Walla Walla and the Tri-Cities are studying large scale aquifer storage projects.

Among the issues associated with aquifer storage are water quality -- the water must meet state groundwater standards -- water rights, geotechnical impacts both above and below ground and the actual operation of the system, how the water is injected and removed.

Ecology is accepting comments on the proposed rules through Sept. 9. To make comments write to Kathleen Ensenat, Dept. of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504. To comment electronically, go to the aquifer storage Web site at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/asr/asr-home.html.

AG to speak at whistleblower gathering

SEATTLE -- The Government Accountability Project, formed by defenders and advocates for whistleblowers at Hanford, is having its 10th anniversary party on Thursday, Sept. 5 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. The event is free and not a fund-raiser.

Washington State Attorney General Christine Gregoire will be the keynote speaker. Some of the original whistleblowers will be there.

The event's happening at the NW Horticultural Society Hall at the UW's Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 NE 41st St. To attend, email beths@whistleblower.org, or by call 292-2850.

ChveronTexaco donates to Yosemite project

SAN FRANCISCO -- ChevronTexaco has contributed $1 million to Yosemite National Park to improve the area around Yosemite Falls.

The money will go to a two-year, $12.5 million project to restore natural habitat and improve the visitor experience in the 56-acre area leading up to Lower Yosemite Fall. The area hosts about one million of Yosemite's four million annual visitors.

The project will remove a large parking lot and replace it with a more natural setting, protect stream banks, improve viewing areas, footbridges and trails, add educational, directional signage, and disabled access.

The project will be performed by a partnership of the Yosemite Fund, a non-profit park support organization, and the National Park Service.

For more information go to www.yosemitefund.org.

Leadership of aquifer study in dispute

SPOKANE (AP) -- Who will lead a $3.5 million study of an aquifer shared by Washington and Idaho has become a sticky point between the states, public officials and environmental groups.

Environmental groups want federal control of the Rathdrum Prairie-Spokane Valley Aquifer study, which will help determine who gets how much of the shared water supply, which straddles the state line.

The three-year study was proposed after power companies applied to withdraw millions of gallons of water from the aquifer, the sole source of drinking water for 400,000 people.

Idaho proposes state control of the study, saying it will avoid potential conflicts of interest. Washington says it's not ready to agree to that.

The states' aquifer coalition has already secured $500,000 from the Interior Department's budget. But the budget contains no language specifying where the money will go.

Idaho proposes that the states split the money, giving less control to the U.S. Geological Survey, which has conducted several groundwater studies in Washington state.

Environmental groups have concerns about Idaho's plan, in part because it was prepared by university professors who testified on behalf of power companies proposing to take millions of gallons of water from the aquifer.

Recall on natural gas-powered Fords

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Ford Motor Co. is recalling 598 Crown Victoria cars powered by natural gas because fuel could leak and possibly start a fire.

The recall involves 2002 model year fleet cars, such as those sold to government, taxi services and law enforcement. At least 81 are police cars, mostly in Phoenix and Mesa, Ariz.

More than half of the recalled vehicles were sold in California.

Ford spokesman Todd Nissen said natural gas can leak from a connector between two of the five fuel tanks. If the gas were exposed to a spark, it could start a fire. "It's a pretty remote set of circumstances where this would occur, and it never has resulted in a fire that has been reported to us," Nissen said.

Mudsnail spotted in Oregon

PORTLAND (AP) -- The New Zealand mudsnail -- a wanted criminal in several states -- has been sighted in Oregon.

Under its harmless-looking exterior are the reproductive organs of a true stealth killer.

First detected in Idaho in 1997, the mudsnail reproduces at an exponential rate, creating a veritable carpet of snails that blankets the bottom of rivers and lakes, consuming food needed by fish.

Each self-cloning snail can make up to 38 miniature versions of itself twice a year, enough to account for 3.7 million offspring in two years.

The mudsnail has been fingered for the ruination of several of the best trout streams in Yellowstone National Park. Scientists say the tiny mollusk has been putting down roots in at least three Oregon sites: in the Columbia River at Young's Bay and Kalama, and in the Snake River on the state's eastern boundary.

Streams blanketed with mudsnails have a marked decrease in species diversity, a key measure used by ecologists to gauge the health of a waterway.

Raptors dying from drought

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Four straight years of drought are beginning to diminish the number of birds of prey seen along migration routes, with satellite tracking surveys suggesting that raptors choosing hunting territories in Utah and other parched regions are dying.

HawkWatch International conducts some of the most extensive counts of raptors in the West. Across the Northwest and intermountain West birds such as osprey, sharp-shinned hawks and peregrine falcons had been showing steady population increases since the 1980s.

That began to change with the uncommonly dry weather in 1998.

HawkWatch's Jeff Smith compares a map, showing patches of extreme drought in the West, with the results of a recent satellite tracking study of nine red-tailed hawks. The birds wintered in Mexico.

The four that flew north to Idaho, Washington and Canada, where the weather has been wetter, were all found alive. Three that stopped in the Four Corners region were dead within weeks.

Environmental Watch: Gregg Dohrn joins Jones & Stokes

BELLEVUE -- Gregg Dohrn has joined the Bellevue office of environmental consultants Jones & Stokes as an associate principal and marketing leader for the firm's Northwest transportation and environmental planning team.

Projects Dohrn will manage include the city of Kenmore's downtown plan, the city of Sammamish's comprehensive plan and environmental impact statement, and the city of Federal Way's annexation feasibility study.

Dohrn comes to Jones & Stokes from Bucher, Willis & Ratliff, where he was director of Northwest planning services. He also has public sector experience with the cities of Burien, Kenmore and Edgewood.

Jones & Stokes, based in Sacramento, also has offices in Oregon, Arizona and other California locations.

Hazmat management group meets Sept. 3

SEATTLE -- The Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Management will hold its fall dinner meeting next week at the Rock Salt Steak House on Lake Union.

The featured speaker will be Bill Christie, the new national education and training director for the national ACHMM. Christie has over 23 years of experience in widely diversified environmental, health and safety activities in the public and private sectors as well as academia.

In his new position, Christie expects to develop courses and training programs at the national level on topics not currently offered by local chapters.

The meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 3, beginning with a social hour at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. and the program at 8 p.m. The Rock Salt is located at 1232 Westlake Ave. N. in Seattle.

For additional information or to reserve a dinner contact Diana M. Cull at diana.cull@ci.bothell.wa.us or call (425) 489-4872.

DOE may fine Fluor Hanford $137,500

RICHLAND (AP) -- The contractor managing the Hanford nuclear reservation should pay $137,500 for violating nuclear safety rules for low-level radioactive trash last summer, the U.S. Department of Energy said.

DOE issued a preliminary of notice of violation to Fluor Hanford, contending the violations could have led to improper burial of transuranic waste, which is radioactive trash -- gloves, tools, rags, equipment -- that is contaminated, usually with plutonium.

Michael Turner, a Fluor spokesman, said the waste was improperly classified because of an incorrectly calibrated radiation counter and, consequently, it was placed in a disposal site where it didn't belong.

"The waste in question was quickly removed and it was disposed of in a compliant burial ground," Turner said.

Fluor discovered the mistake, reported it and corrected it, he said. No one was hurt and the public was not at risk, the Energy Department said.

Fluor can appeal the proposed penalty, but a decision has not yet been made, Turner said.

Pollution penalty for Holland America

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) -- The U.S. Coast Guard said it plans to take some kind of enforcement action against a cruise line whose ship discharged partially treated sewage into Juneau's harbor.

Holland America also is investigating why partially treated sewage spilled out of a tank vent on the cruise ship Ryndam Aug. 17. Company officials estimate the spill at 250 gallons, although an eyewitness disputes that amount.

The Coast Guard and state Department of Environmental Conservation continue to investigate reports that the Ryndam discharged a brown substance near the cruise ship terminal in Juneau.

Cmdr. Steve Ohnstad, captain of the port for Southeast Alaska, said the Coast Guard needs to finish its investigation before deciding "what type of tool to use."

Holland America has brought experts familiar with its sewage and piping systems on board the ship to figure out exactly what happened, Ohnstad said.

Holland America officials said they believe the mishap was caused by human error.

Race track promoters defy Ecology

WOODLAND, Cowlitz County (AP) -- Despite orders from Cowlitz County and state officials to stop building a race track in an agricultural area, organizers held their first jet boat races over the weekend in the Woodland Bottoms.

The event was held by Wildside Enterprises owners Keith Richards of Kelso, Jeff Strong of Longview and Ted Erickson of La Center. The three partners, who defied the county and state by not getting a permit to hold the races, refused to comment. Track security escorted a Daily News reporter off the site.

The Department of Ecology ordered Richards to stop pumping groundwater onto the track Aug. 9. Richards hadn't responded, Ecology spokeswoman Sandy Howard said.

Richards could face fines of $100 a day if the department pursues the case, she said.

Cowlitz County planners in July notified the partners that they needed a permit to hold the races in the agricultural zone, but Wildside never applied.

Woodland motels and gas stations reported business was a bit more brisk on Saturday, and Woodland motels were packed over the weekend.

Dairy farmer Jim Donald, who has land next to the track, said the races didn't bother his farming operation.

"The traffic wasn't bad and my cattle didn't stampede," he said. "But it was noisy."

Study: fluoride won't poison fish

TACOMA (AP) -- A study by the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department says fluoride -- a chemical put in drinking water to strengthen teeth -- wouldn't harm endangered chinook salmon and other marine life, although it would marginally increase fluoride levels in the Puyallup River and Puget Sound.

Fluoridation foes say they likely will challenge the health department's finding and press for a more detailed environmental study.

"I don't think they did a very in-depth analysis," said Emily Kalweit, coordinator of Washington Citizens for Clean Drinking Water.

The Board of Health voted in April to require fluoridation of all water systems serving more than 5,000 customers in Pierce County. The order would affect about 240,000 people in 14 water districts, including Lakewood, Spanaway, Parkland, Puyallup, Sumner, Milton, Edgewood and Bonney Lake.

Some research suggests that elevated fluoride in fresh water may be harmful to salmon and other fish species. But that would not be expected in the Puyallup River, according to the environmental analysis, because the levels of fluoride would be so low.