Environmental Watch: July 21 workshop on selling green homes

BELLEVUE -- Master Builders Association University is holding a half-day workshop next week for Realtors, lenders, developers and marketing professionals who want to reach buyers interested in healthy, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly homes.

On July 21 from 8 a.m. until noon the "Tapping the Green in Built Green" workshop will feature presentations by Millie Allen, vice president of sales for Ideal Homes; Jill Mayfield, president of Jill Mayfield Communications; Kathleen O'Brien, president of O'Brien & Co.; Dave Porter, vice president of Countrywide; and Robin Rogers, director of the Built Green program of Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties.

The workshop is in the banquet room of the Master Builders Association at 335 116th Ave. S.E., Bellevue, WA 98004. Registration is $45 and $5 for a RCH certificate fee. For more information, call (425) 451-7920.

City's sustainability office targets business

SEATTLE -- Former Seattle Mayor Paul Schell formed the city's Office of Sustainability and Environment in late 2000 to foster eco-friendly practices in Seattle neighborhoods, government departments and transportation systems.

As it prepares to head into its third year, the office's new goal is to create similar change in the private sector, said director Steve Nicholas.

Seattle's sustainability office is working with the Economic Development Council of Seattle/King County and Seattle Office of Economic Development on ways to encourage eco-friendly business in the region. Nicholas said he and his five-person staff are also working on strategies to promote sustainable products, practices, technologies and other possible economic growth sectors.

For more information, call Nicholas at (206) 615 0829 or visit www.cityofseattle.net/environment.

Tacoma landfill cleanup gets thumbs-up

TACOMA -- A few improvements could be made to the Tacoma landfill, but overall, the cleanup project is on track and is protecting human health and the environment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said.

Part of the Commencement Bay, South Tacoma Channel Superfund site, the Tacoma landfill was added to EPA's National Priorities List in 1983. In a second five-year review of the 220-acre landfill -- the first was in 1997 -- EPA considered groundwater monitoring, surface water and landfill gas, as well as inspection and maintenance reports and community concerns.

To improve the landfill, EPA recommended that cleanup teams address small amounts of gas detected at a nearby Home Depot store; stormwater found leaking through the upper landfill cover; vegetation and other visual obstructions to the landfill cover; and bird-management and odor-control plans.

Aug. 4-8 course on groundwater pollution

SAN FRANCISCO -- A Princeton Groundwater class next month will cover groundwater pollution and hydrology from theory to practice.

The Aug. 4-8 class will explore the Pollution Prevention Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as well as state groundwater and pollution regulations. Topics include groundwater legislation, natural attenuation, risk assessment, wellhead protection, monitoring equipment and remediation alternatives, with an emphasis on principles and professional practices underlying groundwater pollution, hydrology and remediation.

The instructors are Robert Cleary of Princeton Groundwater; John Cherry of University of Waterloo; David Nielsen of Nielsen Environmental Field School; Michael Kavanaugh and Richard Brownell of Malcolm Pirnie; Bernard Kueper of Queens University; and Murray Einarson of Einarson and Associates.

The $1,395 registration fee covers materials and refreshments. For details about topics and instructors, call Princeton Groundwater at (813) 964-0800 or visit www.princeton-groundwater.com.

Exhibit space remains for tradeshow

PORTLAND -- Only 16 booth spaces remain for the Nov. 18-19 Northwest Environmental Conference Tradeshow at the DoubleTree Jantzen Beach Hotel in Portland.

Booth space at the 2003 conference, which highlights advanced environmental technologies and services, has sold out the past four years. For more information about booth space, call Cara Bergeson of the Northwest Environmental Business Council at (503) 227-6361 or visit http://www.nwec.org');">www.nebc.org or http://www.nwec.org.

Wind power, other projects get funds

SEATTLE -- 3TIER Environmental Forecast Group is working with the University of Washington to forecast the amount of energy produced by large wind projects.

More accurate wind forecasts make systems more reliable and lower costs, according to 3TIER, a Seattle-based atmospheric and hydrological forecasting service. The 3TIER/UW project will use computer algorithms to help expand wind power production. Its first year will focus on short-range forecasting, and later research will focus on improving forecasts at longer lead times.

The project received funding from the Washington Technology Center, which supports industry/university collaborations and companies with 250 or fewer employees.Twice a year, the technology center's Research and Technology Development program makes awards of up to $100,000 to support companies' work with university researchers. Andgar Corp., Second Act Partners, Shoreline Industries and Washington Farms also received funding.

Watch out for drug junk

OLYMPIA -- Propane tanks and other seemingly innocent trash could actually be waste from a methamphetamine lab, the state Department of Ecology says.

As summer sunshine draws more people outdoors, Ecology is warning Washingtonians to watch out for a rising number of meth lab dump sites.

Camping areas, public and private forests, and rural and suburban roads, as well as dumpsters behind businesses and shopping malls, put some people in contact with meth-lab chemicals.

The following items, as well as strong ammonia odors, could point to a meth-lab dump site: propane tanks or other pressurized cylinders; containers of acetone, toluene and Coleman Fuel; starter-fluid spray cans; shredded lithium batteries; Red Devil Lye (drain cleaner); muriatic and/or hydrochloric acid; empty cold-medicine packages or containers; and plastic tubing, glass jars, funnels, coffee filters and hypodermic needles.

Ecology hazardous-materials teams were called to clean up 818 meth-labs and dumpsites though the end of June. Pierce County reported the highest number of meth-lab, followed by King, Spokane, Thurston, Snohomish and Benton counties. Those who contact meth lab materials should leave the area immediately and contact local police.

Environmental Watch: Workshop to highlight EPA rules

SEATTLE -- An upcoming workshop will provide diverse discussion groups for professionals whose jobs require a clear understanding of federal environmental mandates.

Lion Technology Inc. invites environmental engineers, consultants, executives and those with related duties to "The Complete Environmental Regulations Workshop" July 27 and 28 at Hilton Seattle Airport. Topics include authorities, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, pesticides, hazardous waste, Superfund & EPCRA, toxic substances, environmental management and "systematic compliance versus common sense."

Registration is $795 for first and second guests and $645 for third and fourth guests and is flexible for groups of five or more. The cost includes reference manuals, online materials, certification and a banquet luncheon. For registration information, call (973) 383-0800 Ext. E716 or email register@lion.com. For more information, visit www.lion.com/E716.

Conference on NW water supply issues

BOISE -- National, state and local policy makers and elected officials will discuss Pacific Northwest water supply problems at a July 17 conference hosted by the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation.

"Water 2023" topics will include: watersheds with the greatest risk of inadequate water supply in the next 25 years; ways to address supply challenges; and planning approaches and tools with the best chance for success.

The conference will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Red Lion Hotel, Boise Downtowner, 1800 Fairview, Boise. It is free, but pre-registration is required. For registration details and a list of panelists and speakers, visit www.usbr.gov/pn.

Duwamish sites picked for early cleanup

SEATTLE -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Ecology accepted a report identifying seven areas of the lower Duwamish waterway as candidates for early sediment cleanup.

The lower Duwamish waterway has been Seattle's main industrial corridor since the early 1900s. King County and the city of Seattle, Port of Seattle and Boeing Co. -- or the Lower Duwamish Waterway Group -- prepared the report.

The group considered areas where chemical concentrations at three or more locations were higher than state standards to protect clams, worms and other creatures that live in mud. It also considered areas with the highest levels of polychlorinated biphenyls.

The areas in the report are along five miles of the Duwamish between Harbor Island and Tukwila. Cleanup studies are planned for four early-action sites in the lower Duwamish site. Cleanup will also begin this fall for contaminated sediments near the Duwamish combined sewer overflow and Diagonal Way storm drain, where planning began before the area was included in the site.

For more information on lower Duwamish sites, call B.J. Cummings at the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition at (206) 954-0218, or visit info@duwamishcleanup.org.

EPA says Vancouver plume getting cleaner

VANCOUVER (AP) -- A milelong plume of contaminated groundwater from a Superfund site is slowly becoming cleaner, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says.

Lee Marshall, an EPA project manager, said early indications are that the pump-and-treat system is working as expected on the groundwater plume extending 17 blocks to the west of the "Boomsnub site" in Hazel Dell, an unincorporated area north of Vancouver.

The EPA is conducting its first formal progress review since the site was added to the Superfund list in 1994.

That's when the EPA shut down the old Boomsnub Chrome & Grind Inc. electroplating plant, demolished the building and removed more than 6,000 tons of chromium-laced soil at a cost of $5 million.

BOC Gases, formerly Airco Gases, is located across the street from Boomsnub and has spilled volatile organic compounds, among them the suspected carcinogen TCE.

Those compounds mixed with the remaining chromium from Boomsnub's site to create a slow-moving plume of tainted groundwater.

Marshall said monitoring wells have revealed a reduction in trichloroethylene and chromium in the groundwater.

Comments due on Tacoma cleanup

TACOMA -- The U.S. Department of Justice announced a 30-day public comment period on two proposed settlement agreements for hazardous waste cleanup at the Middle Waterway of Commencement Bay.

The agreements are between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and 11 parties who accepted liability for Middle Waterway cleanup. Commencement Bay mouth and Middle Waterway cleanup will be done by the Middle Waterway Action Committee, while the Department of Natural Resources and other parties will handle cleanup for the head of the waterway.

The committee will dredge roughly 94,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediments and dispose of it in Blair Slip 1; place three feet of material in areas where it is impossible to remove all contaminated sediments; place a foot of clean material over surface sediments with low contamination; and remove about 800 creosote-treated timber piles and replace them with concrete or steel piles.

The city of Tacoma, DNR and other responsible parties will remove up to 4,000 cubic yards of contaminated subsurface sediments and dispose of the sediments at an off-site facility; and place a thin layer of clean material to reduce contamination in surface sediments with contaminants slightly above cleanup levels.

Submit comments by July 21 to Assistant Attorney General, Environmental and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justice, P.O. Box 7611, Wash., D.C. 20044-7611. Comments must include the reference United States v. Foss Maritime Co., et al., No. CO3-5331RJB, DOJ Ref. 90-11-2-729/1.

Seattle arborist earns national title

SEATTLE -- Long-time Seattle arborist Scott Baker earned designation as a registered consulting arborist by the American Society of Consulting Arborists.

Baker is a certified arborist and owner of Tree Solutions, Inc., a Seattle arboriculture firm that provides risk evaluation, diagnostics, tree appraisals, sustainable landscape design and renovation, vegetation inventory and planning. Baker is also a tree preservation advocate with experience in development and construction sites. He joins two other registered consulting arborists in Washington.

Oregon spotlights solar events

JOHN DAY, Ore. -- Those interested in soaking up knowledge about solar power can spend six days visiting solar workshops and exhibits in Oregon this month.

From July 22 to July 24, a mountain cabin near John Day will be the subject of a solar electric installation workshop. The cabin's owners have lived off-grid for more than 20 years and are installing solar panels that will produce both AC and DC power.

From July 25 to July 27, the SolWest Renewable Energy Fair at the Grant County Fairgrounds will offer more than 50 workshops on renewable energy and "independent living." Workshop topics will include solar water pumping, hydroelectric power, biofuels, solar hot water, photovoltaics and passive solar design.

Exhibitors will sell solar, hydro and wind power systems and components. For more information, visit www.solwest.org or call (541) 575-3663.

Environmental Watch: Farallon adds engineer, moves office

ISSAQUAH -- Farallon Consulting is relocating its Bellingham office to a larger space in the Cornwall Plaza Building at 1201 Cornwall Ave., Suite 105, this month. The extra space will allow the environmental consulting firm to add staff to join project manager Paul Grabau and geologist Tracy Mulhern.

Farallon also added associate chemical engineer Terry W. Montoya to its Issaquah office. Montoya has a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Washington. His 15 years' experience in site remediation systems include projects under CERCLA, MTCA and state ecology programs in Oregon, Alaska and Idaho.

Shockey Brent hires scientist

EVERETT -- Everett-based Shockey Brent hired wetland/environmental scientist Oliver Grah to help the company represent public and private clients in project permitting and development. A professional wetlands scientist with a master's degree in watershed science from Utah State University, Grah has more than 20 years' experience in wetlands science, riparian zone assessments, soils surveys, vegetation mapping, river basin modeling, surface water hydrology and water-quality monitoring studies.

Adolfson Associates adds biologist

SEATTLE -- Environmental consulting firm Adolfson Associates added project biologist Steve Krueger to its Seattle office. The Seattle company specializes in natural resource management, planning, Endangered Species Act compliance and environmental impact analysis.

Krueger has more than 10 years' experience in salmonid and stream research and recovery and environmental monitoring programs, and has done quality control on large-scale remediation and restoration projects.

NEBC revs up for mixer July 17

SEATTLE -- The Northwest Environmental Business Council is holding its 10th Annual Olympic Chapter Rooftop Mixer on the rooftop of HartCrowser July 17.

NEBC members, board members, colleagues and guests are invited to chat with new members and potential partners over drinks and hors d'oeuvres at 1910 Fairview Ave. E. from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Registration is $30 each for NEBC members and guests, and $45 for non-members. Space is limited, and cancellations will be accepted until noon July 15, after which no-shows will be charged. To sponsor, call NEBC staff at (503) 227-6361. For more information, contact NEBC at (888) 609-NEBC (6322) or visit www.nebc.org.

Contractors can recycle mercury thermostats

SEATTLE -- The city of Tacoma and King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks are working with Thermostat Recycling Corp. and heating, ventilation and air conditioning wholesalers to collect and recycle toxic mercury thermostats.

Mercury is a nerve toxin that can damage the central nervous system, kidneys and liver, and is especially harmful to children and pregnant women, causing problems such as birth defects and learning disabilities.

The state legislature recently passed a bill prohibiting installation or reinstallation of mercury thermostats unless the manufacturer participates in a thermostat recycling program.

The King County Solid Waste Division estimates 12,000 to 20,000 mercury thermostats holding 80 to 130 pounds of mercury are removed from buildings each year. Homeowners have been able to bring mercury thermostats to household hazardous waste collection facilities in Pierce and King Counties, but the new program lets contractors safely dispose of thermostats as well.

HVAC contractors can drop off used mercury-switch thermostats at participating wholesalers, which collect the items and send them to TRC's recycling center. There, switches are removed and forwarded to mercury reclaimers. TRC is a private corporation set up by manufacturers Honeywell, White-Rodgers and General Electric to collect and recycle mercury thermostats. Nineteen area HVAC wholesalers are involved in the program.

Free pesticide disposal for businesses

OLYMPIA -- Business owners, public agencies and others who want to dispose of old or unusable pesticides can register in advance for four waste collection events the Washington Department of Agriculture is holding in August.

Leaky containers or improper pesticide disposal may cause health problems, contaminate drinking water supplies or cause environmental damage, according to WSDA. WSDA will accept insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides and most chemicals that kill, repel or prevent unwanted pests. It will not accept empty containers and other waste, such as fertilizers, motor oil and household hazardous waste.

The events are Aug. 19 near Mount Vernon, Aug. 20 in Seattle, Aug. 21 at Centralia and Aug. 22 at Vancouver. Walk-ins will not be served. Those who sign up by July 18, however, will receive directions to the site, hours of operation and needed transportation documents. WSDA will also provide supplies necessary to protect broken or leaky containers to ensure safe transportation to collection sites.

To sign up, call (360) 902-2056 or (877) 301-4555, or e-mail wastepesticide@agr.wa.gov. For information on how to dispose or recycle containers or hazardous household waste, contact a local hazardous household waste or solid waste department. Also, Northwest Ag Plastics operates a free empty plastic pesticide container recycling program. For information, call (509) 952-7146 or visit www.nwagplastics.com.

Explore watershed ecology with SPU

NORTH BEND -- Two upcoming Seattle Public Utilities seminars at the Cedar River Watershed Education Center near North Bend will discuss forest ecology and watershed restoration at King County's primary drinking water source.

From 7 to 8:30 p.m. on July 9, SPU will cover the basics of forest development and ecological processes in "Finding the Pieces of the Forest Ecology Puzzle." The cost is $5. From 7 to 9 p.m. on July 11 and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 12, "Watershed Restoration: What's it all about?" will explore how watersheds are affected by human activities and environmental conditions. The two-day, $15 event will focus on mountain watersheds and will include an outing to restoration projects.

To register, call SPU's public programs information line at (206) 233-1515 ext. 4, or e-mail celese.brune@seattle.gov. For information about the Cedar River Watershed Education Center, visit www.seattle.gov/util/cedarwatershed/.

Environmental Watch: Aberdeen area cleanup may start soon

ABERDEEN -- The Washington Department of Ecology is seeking public comments on a proposal to clean up petroleum- and metals-contaminated groundwater, soil, surface water and ditch sediment at the 295-acre former Roderick Timber site, near Aberdeen.

Ecology also issued a determination of nonsignificance for the proposal.

Ecology will issue a $1.2 to $1.6 million grant to the city of Aberdeen, which will advertise for bids on the work, said Ecology site manager Dom Reale. He said cleanup could begin this summer and end by September 2004.

Located in Junction City near Aberdeen, the site is a former truck maintenance shop and log sorting yard in the Chehalis River floodplain. Much of the property, which originally was a wetland, was used as a landfill for dredge spoils, wood waste and garbage from 1958 to 1968 before it became a timber operation from the mid-1970s until 1988.

Under the cleanup proposal, the city of Aberdeen and Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority will excavate ditch surface sediment and soil; cover the fenced area with gravel; build a bioswale and install an interception trench to route contaminated groundwater away from neighborhood ditches; cap garbage with soil and vegetation; plant vegetation around the landfill perimeter to draw up metals from soil; monitor groundwater and bioswale surface water; and place deed restrictions to ensure future owners maintain elements of the cleanup.

Submit comments and requests for updates are due by June 27 to Dom Reale, site manager, Ecology Southwest Regional Office, Toxics Cleanup Program, 300 Desmond Drive S.E., P.O. Box 47775, Olympia, WA 98504-7775. For more information, call Reale at (360) 407-6266.

Washington wins $1.2M brownfields grants

SEATTLE -- King County and seven other Washington jurisdictions won more than $1.2 million in competitive U.S. Environmental Protection Agency brownfields assessment and cleanup grants.

The EPA awards are part of $73.1 million in federal brownfields funds allocated under the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Of 700 applicants nationwide, 176 jurisdictions in 37 states won awards, said Tim Brincefield of the EPA Region 10 Brownfields Team.

EPA also selected the Washington Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development for a $3 million revolving loan grant fund for assessment and cleanup of contaminated sites across the state. Washington has nearly 5,400 suspected or confirmed contaminated sites and almost 5,000 leaking underground storage tanks, according to EPA.

The King County Brownfields Program will use the funds to pay for environmental assessments of properties targeted for redevelopment in Auburn and near North Bend. The grant will also help fund King County's Environmental Extension Service Program, which provides free technical assistance to manufacturing and industrial businesses in assessing, cleaning up and redeveloping brownfield properties, said Lucy Auster, of the county's Solid Waste Division.

EPA assessment and cleanup grants totaling more than $1.2 million went to King County, Bellingham, Buckley, Kitsap County, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe and Skokomish Indian Tribe.

Herrera Environmental adds staff

SEATTLE -- Herrera Environmental Consultants added geologists George Iftner and Brady Hanson to its hazardous materials group.

Iftner is a licensed geologist and environmental scientist with experience in site investigation and remediation, underground storage tank removal, groundwater quality, and landfill gas and construction monitoring. Hanson is a staff geologist with experience in RCRA facility closure, complex hydrogeologic interpretation, mass balance calculations, remedial effectiveness evaluations, ground water sampling programs and regulatory compliance for hazardous waste projects.

Iftner and Hanson joined Herrera under an on-call U.S. Environmental Protection Agency contract for conducting hazardous waste site assessments, mitigation analysis, and pre-remedial design and construction oversight for cleanup sites throughout the Pacific Northwest.

AWB gives 13 environmental awards

SEATTLE -- The Association of Washington Business recognized seven Washington companies with Environmental Excellence awards and six with certificates of Continuous Improvement.

The AWB awards went to Cispus Learning Center of Randle, MountainStar Resort of Roslyn, Port Blakely Tree Farms of Tumwater, Pacific NW National Laboratory of Richland, Georgia Pacific Co. of Bellingham, GP Gypsum of Tacoma and Quadrant Corp. of Bellevue.

The certificates went to Echo Bay Minerals of Republic, Weyerhaeuser Building Materials of Tacoma, Cablecraft of Tacoma, Stevens Pass (New Stevens LLC) of Skykomish, Nuprecon of Snoqualmie and Westmark Products of Tacoma.

Habitat projects win $130,000 from county

SEATTLE -- The King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks awarded more than $130,000 in habitat restoration and conservation education grants to five fish and wildlife habitat projects.

Recipients included the Adopt a Stream Foundation, Heron Habitat Helpers, Homewaters Project/North Seattle Community College, Mid-Puget Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group and Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District.

King County awards grants for watershed protection, habitat restoration, reforestation, salmon conservation, natural resources stewardship and other education related projects. Proposals for grants up to $5,000 are accepted anytime, but the deadline for grants of $5,000 to $50,000 is Aug. 1. For more information, call Ken Pritchard at (206) 296-8265 or visit the Grant Exchange at http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/pi/grants.htm.

Neighborhood groups can get free trees

SEATTLE -- The Department of Neighborhoods is delivering free trees to qualified neighborhood groups that want to spruce up residential planting strips. Groups of at least five households can request trees, which the city will deliver this fall.

Those interested in the trees should apply by Aug. 22 and designate two people to attend an October training session on tree planting and maintenance. Download application forms online at seattle.gov/neighborhoods.

The Department of Neighborhoods has contributed more than 20,000 trees to Seattle neighborhoods under Seattle's Neighborhood Matching Fund program in the past three years.

For more information, contact Shireen Deboo at 206-684-0547 or shireen.deboo@seattle.gov.

NEBC to hold rooftop mixer July 17

SEATTLE -- The Northwest Environmental Business Council is holding its 10th Annual Olympic Chapter Rooftop Mixer on the rooftop of HartCrowser July 17.

NEBC members, board members, colleagues and guests are invited to chat with new members and potential partners over drinks and hors d'oeuvres at 1910 Fairview Ave. E. from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Registration is $30 each for NEBC members and guests, and $45 for non-members. Space is limited, and cancellations will be accepted until noon July 15, after which no-shows will be charged.

To sponsor the mixer, call NEBC staff at (503) 227-6361. For more information, contact NEBC at (888) 609-NEBC (6322) or visit www.nebc.org.

Environmental Watch: Wyckoff/Eagle Harbor cleanup delayed

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND -- Chemical and mechanical problems have delayed the steam cleaning pilot project at the Wyckoff/Eagle Harbor Superfund Site until this fall, the Environmental Protection Agency said.

Last October, EPA started using steam-injection technology to remove wood-treating contaminants from groundwater under the former Wyckoff site. Recently, the concentration and chemical makeup of contaminants caused chemical and mechanical problems, prompting EPA to change steam injection and water treatment systems at the site.

EPA tests showed that pumping large amounts of the chemical naphthalene from groundwater at the site caused problems with seals and gaskets and clogged equipment. EPA is evaluating design changes to treat the groundwater to meet regulatory requirements before the water is released into Eagle Harbor.

After EPA evaluates test results and retrofits steam injection and water treatment plants, steam injection will likely last six to eight months or until extraction volumes are small and no longer cost-effective to pump.

Last day for water meter grants

OLYMPIA -- Today is the last day to apply for state grant funds to help farmers, irrigation districts, small drinking-water systems, businesses and municipalities purchase, install and calibrate install water-measuring devices.

Just $50,000 remains of the Washington Department of Ecology's $3.4 million grant fund. The department has approved 194 requests worth approximately $3.35 million since last March.

The fund has helped pay for about 950 meters and other equipment. Eligible candidates can receive up to $50,000 each.

Company will use ice to clean wells

TACOMA -- The Tacoma City Council last week awarded a $363,600 contract to a company that uses an innovative method to clean wells.

Water Recovery Services, which city officials say is the only Washington company to use a carbon dioxide freezing method to clear wells of iron bacteria, was hired to help rehab groundwater extraction wells at the city landfill.

The company will clean 22 wells to remove iron bacteria deposits from the well and from extracted groundwater discharge lines. City officials say the iron bacteria is harmless but clogs well screens, pumps and discharge lines.

The city must maintain the extraction wells to stay in compliance with a consent decree with the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Ecology to clean up groundwater at the site. The landfill has 35 extraction wells, which collect a total of about 1.7 million gallons of water per day.

Ecology blasted for stormwater rules

OLYMPIA -- The state's Pollution Hearings Control Board accused the Washington Department of Ecology of letting businesses and government essentially police themselves in complying with the state's water quality standards.

Washington's industrial general stormwater permit lasts five years and outlines actions businesses must take to keep pollution out of stormwater runoff. It was revised last August after challenges by the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance and five other environmental groups.

The permit requires owners of about 1,300 facilities to sample stormwater discharges and submit results to Ecology. Ecology has said the permit strikes a balance between environmental protection and the needs of business, but environmental groups say it fails to hold permitees accountable for meeting water-quality standards.

The board ruled in favor of the environmental groups in a summary judgement on Ecology's pollution-control deadlines, legal language and issues related to oversight of polluters. Ecology officials said they may appeal the ruling to Superior Court or the state Court of Appeals. Boeing, Snohomish County and the Association of Washington Business, which are also involved, are also considering appeals.

Ecology is trying to reach a settlement before a June 23 hearing, when the board is scheduled to make decisions on eight other issues related to stormwater rules, said spokesperson Leslie Thorpe.

Navy sonar tests concern Locke

OLYMPIA -- Seven porpoises that washed up on Puget Sound coastlines last month prompted Gov. Gary Locke to write a letter to acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hansford T. Johnson expressing concern over a possible connection between marine mammal fatalities and Navy sonar tests.

In the June 6 letter, distributed by the Puget Sound Action Team, Locke noted that orcas and porpoises were spotted fleeing an area where the Naval guided missile destroyer USS Shoup was conducting mid-frequency sonar tests.

Locke pointed out a report by the Navy and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -- sparked by beached-whale incidents -- that called for "mitigation measures that will protect [marine] animals to the maximum extent possible and not jeopardize national security." He asked Johnson for a report on how the Navy will mitigate the impact of sonar on marine mammals in Puget Sound.

Hart Crowser promotes Garrett Jackson

SEATTLE -- Environmental and engineering consulting firm Hart Crowser promoted Garrett Jackson to associate geomorphologist. Jackson, who joined years ago, manages the firm's sediment sampling program and Creek Landscape Analysis and Shotgun Cove Road Environmental Assessment projects in Alaska.

Jackson also secured National Environmental Policy Act projects under a contract with the U.S. Forest Service. He has 13 years of experience in geomorphology, specializing in watershed analysis and stream restoration to enhance salmon habitat.

Cities collect 140,000 pounds of hazardous waste

BELLEVUE -- King County cities collected more than 1.25 million pounds of materials including 140,000 pounds of hazardous waste for spring recycling round-ups this year.

Funded in part by the Washington Department of Ecology, the March, April and May drop-offs drew 6,815 area residents who brought motor oil, antifreeze, scrap metal, electronic waste and other recyclable wastes generally not collected through county curbside programs.

Ecology awarded $114,000 in Coordinated Prevention Grants to 14 cities in the past two years to help stage solid-waste collection events. The funds come from a state tax paid by wholesale distributors of petroleum and other hazardous materials under the Toxic Cleanup Act of 1989. Cities provided $37,900 in matching funds. Coordinated Prevention Grants leverage local matching funds to support solid-and moderate-risk waste projects.

Environmental Watch: County plans two more co-gen facilities

SEATTLE -- The Cedar Hills Regional Landfill isn't the only spot where King County plans to convert waste to clean energy. The county's Wastewater Treatment Division is preparing to issue requests for proposals to build co-generation facilities at the South Treatment Plant in Renton and West Point Treatment Plant in Magnolia near Discovery Park, said county program manager Greg Bush.

The facilities will generate electricity using gas and heat produced by the plants. The estimated construction cost for the South Treatment Plant is $15.5 million. The project will use gas turbine generators, which work like jet engines. The construction estimate for West Point is $6 million. A RFP has been issued for engine generators, which are comparable to car engines. The equipment deadline is July 15.

In other waste-to-energy news, a fuel-cell gas-to-energy facility also at the South Treatment Plant is scheduled to begin operations in September, Bush said. Hawk Mechanical is the contractor and Connecticut-based FuelCell Energy Inc. is scheduled to ship equipment July 9.

Locke backs three new water bills

OLYMPIA -- Gov. Gary Locke is pressing state lawmakers to pass three bills that he says would boost conservation efforts, clarify water rights and transfer more water-management decisions to the local level.

House Bill 1336 would provide continued state funding and the authority for local communities to put watershed plans into action, according to the Washington Department of Ecology. House Bill 1338 would let cities, towns and other public water suppliers use existing water rights to meet future community growth needs; it also would offer conservation incentives.

Senate Bill 5028 would forbid Ecology from using water-quality law to restrict diversion or withdrawal allowed under existing water rights. It would also boost the maximum daily illegal water-use penalty from $100 to $5,000. Locke is urging lawmakers to pass the three laws by the end of this week's special session.

EnviroIssues expands staff in Seattle

SEATTLE -- The Seattle-based technology and policy consulting firm EnviroIssues added four employees to its 26-employee staff.

Susan Serres, who has managed projects and studies for the Washington State Department of Transportation and Bellevue Transportation Department, will specialize in transportation and environmental issues. University of Puget Sound graduate Tom DePonty will work on transportation projects. Kristine dos Remedios, a graduate student in urban and regional planning at Portland State University, will support EnvirIssues' Seattle and Portland offices. Courtney Caughey will support public outreach efforts as a summer intern.

Cleanup plan drafted for North Creek

BELLEVUE-- People who come in contact with water from North Creek risk illness due to pollutants including failing septic systems, pet and horse wastes, and lawn and garden products, according to the Washington Department of Ecology.

Ecology is seeking public comment on a proposed water quality action plan aimed at making the creek clean enough to play in.

The plan outlines steps that local governments and private property owners can take to reduce fecal coliform bacteria in the creek, which runs from Everett to Bothell before entering the Sammamish River. Ecology proposes pet-waste programs, stormwater management improvements, assistance for septic-system owners and monitoring streams to track progress.

Ecology will hold a public meeting June 11 at the Knights of Columbus Meeting Hall, 24323 Bothell-Everett Highway (SR 527) in Bothell. An open house starts at 6 p.m. and presentations at 7 p.m. E-mail comments on the draft plan by June 20 to rsvr461@ecy.wa.gov, or mail to Ralph Svrjcek, Department of Ecology, 3190 160th Ave. S.E., Bellevue, WA 98008-5452. For more information, call Svrjcek at (425) 649-7165.

(Note: An incorrect date for the public meeting was listed in the first publication of this story. The meeting will be held June 11, not July 11.)

Cedar River Watershed tours to start

NEAR NORTH BEND -- Those interested in seeing firsthand where most of King County's water comes from are invited by Seattle Public Utilities to tour the protected Cedar River Watershed.

Located in the Cascade Foothills, the 91-339-acre watershed provides nearly 70 percent of the drinking water the utility delivers to 1.3 million county residents. Scheduled for weekends and selected weekdays from June 28 to Aug. 31, the naturalist-led tours will start at the Cedar River Watershed Education Center, which offers a cultural heritage library and an interactive watershed display.

For more information or to reserve a spot, call the SPU public programs information line at (206) 233-1515, or e-mail celese.brune<@>seattle.gov. For a preview, visit http://www.seattle.gov/util/virtualtour/.

Two groups assess state forestry practices

OLYMPIA -- Two accredited forest-certification groups will begin independent assessments of forestry on state-owned lands.

The Washington Department of Natural Resources will use independent assessments by the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative to determine whether to apply either of the certification systems to state-owned forests, public lands commissioner Doug Sutherland said in a DNR news release.

The Forest Stewardship Council was established in 1993 by business, environmental and business groups. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative was established in 1994 by the American Forest & Paper Association, the national trade association of the forest products industry. Forest management policies in Washington are guided by DNR's Forest Resource Plan. The plan will be updated over the next two years with information gathered during assessments by both groups.

Policymakers asked to protect oceans

SEATTLE -- Environmental advocates are asking elected officials to be more aggressive in safeguarding the region's ocean environment.

Responding to a recent study by the Pew Oceans Commission that recommended a dramatic shift in federal ocean policy, Northwest scientists and activists are asking regional policymakers to pursue similar changes to policies that impact Pacific environments and coasts.

In "America's Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea Chance," the independent commission concluded that ocean ecosystems are collapsing and ocean wildlife is declining due to overfishing at sea, overdevelopment along the coasts and increasing pollution from cities and fields. The three-year study of the nation's oceans calls for immediate reform of U.S. ocean laws.

Noting environmental concerns and the importance of ocean ecosystems to the region's tourism and fishing economies, organizations including the California-based Surfrider Foundation and Seattle-based People for Puget Sound want stronger pollution and coastal habitat laws, and a system of protected marine reserves.

Environmental Watch: Study: Pre-1994 stream buffers too narrow

PORTLAND -- While fish and nonfish species are protected by streamside buffers required on federal lands since 1994, many Pacific Northwest nonfish species are not adequately protected by buffers prior to 1994, according to a recent study.

A key element of 1994's Northwest Forest Plan, designed by the Forest Ecosystem Management Assessment Team to protect water and water-side habitats, was the buffering of federal rivers and streams. While this protection is being served by buffers added since 1994, many buffers put in place in earlier years are too narrow to protect amphibians and other nonfish species, according to the Portland-based Pacific Northwest Research Station.

Researchers found that amphibian populations decline sharply with narrow buffers and after timber harvests. After examining 62 Olympic Peninsula streams and riparian zones between 1996 and 1999, researchers concluded that streamside habitats may be served best by buffers of varying widths.

Clean energy group hires Moulton

OLYMPIA -- A long time Nisqually River Management Program public affairs manager has been hired to oversee the growth and development of Harvesting Clean Energy, a regional network formed two years ago to develop rural clean energy sources.

Peter Moulton joins Harvesting Cleaning Energy after overseeing public involvement and governmental coordination for a program that managed a 500,000-acre watershed stretching from Mount Rainier to Puget Sound.

Initiated by Climate Solutions in 2001, Harvesting Clean Energy holds yearly conferences and manages a rural clean energy action plan. As the network's first-ever outreach coordinator, Moulton will edit the Harvesting Clean Energy Bulletin. He will also coordinate Climate Solutions to the Our Wind Co-op, an effort to place small-scale wind turbines on rural sites.

45,000 worms eat museum's food waste

PORTLAND -- Curators at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry hope a new exhibit will compel observers to do more than just squirm.

Kitchen waste from the museum cafe is being placed in a 30-square-foot bin holding nearly 45,000 red worms, which digest the food and recycle it as a nutrient-rich organic material that resembles fine-textured soil.

The museum targeted "vermicomposting" after a waste stream analysis determined that composting kitchen scraps could eliminate more than 10 dump loads of food waste that was going from the museum into landfills.

The year-long exhibit, which opened May 29, was funded by a $18,500 grant by Metro's Regional Solid Waste Management Plan. Worms consume at least half their weight each day in food, and the new worm-bin exhibit highlights a clean, odorless way to cut organic waste, according to the museum. The museum cafe generates 40 to 75 pounds of food scraps per day.

Thirty pounds of small, thin, red worms (or Eisenia foetida) living in the bin can consume that amount in less than three days, recycling the food as castings that can be used as mulch or soil conditioner for indoor or outdoor garden use.

EPA honors Seattle for climate protection

SEATTLE -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized Seattle for the city's efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and become completely "climate neutral" by the end of next year.

The EPA presents Climate Protection Awards to public- and private-sector individuals and organizations that demonstrate originality, public purpose, leadership, corporate responsibility, global perspective and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

EPA chooses climate award winners after recommendations are reviewed by a panel of judges representing government, industry and non-governmental organizations. The EPA lauded Seattle for 2000 emissions that were 60 percent below 1990 levels, according to the city's greenhouse gas inventory. It also recognized Seattle City Light's energy conservation and renewable energy programs.

WWU wins marine research grant

BELLINGHAM -- Western Washington University's Shannon Point Marine Center won a $164,673 grant to buy instruments that measure the responses of marine organisms to changing environmental conditions.

Matched with $70,754 in university funds, the National Science Foundation Grant will help the research center in Anacortes buy sophisticated equipment that measures physiological and biochemical responses.

The tools, which include a high-performance liquid chromatograph and a mass spectrometer, will be useful for faculty and students investigating marine food webs and how organisms use chemicals to protect themselves against predation and ultraviolet radiation.

Shannon Point scientists Kathy Van Alstyne, Brian Bingham and Suzanne Strom submitted the proposal that earned the grant. For more information on the grant, contact Kathy Van Alstyne at (360) 650-7400.

Consulting firm relocates, expands office

SEATTLE -- The national consulting firm Environmental Science Associates has relocated its Northwest regional office to the Dexter Horton Building, at Second Avenue and Cherry Street.

ESA, which also has offices in California, Florida and New Mexico, offers consulting services to airports, government agencies, private developers, natural resource managers, and water, wastewater, electric and solid waste utilities.

Recent Northwest projects include assisting King County with its Brightwater Treatment Facilities citing process; preparing an environmental impact statement for the Bonneville Power Administration’s Northeast Oregon Hatchery Spring Chinook Project; developing an anchoring and moorage plan for Bainbridge Island; and helping state and local air pollution control managers establish goals for Washington state.

Sea-Tac wins recycling award

SEATTLE -- The Washington State Recycling Association named Seattle-Tacoma International Airport the agency's "Recycling Business of the Year" for 2003.

The Port of Seattle was recognized for cutting waste tonnages sent to the landfill by 30 percent and increasing recycled material tonnages by more than 260 percent over the past two years.

The Port's airport recycling program saves approximately $100,000 per year in deferred landfill costs.

The award also recognized Sea-Tac for installing recycling boxes and tote bins; setting up glass-recycling stations; working with contractors and Port maintenance to recycle wood products and scrap metals; and displaying posters that encourage recycling and buying recycled products.

Environmental Watch: Cohousing workshop on Wednesday

SEATTLE -- Those interested in balancing the traditional advantages of home ownership with the benefits of shared common facilities can learn more about it at a Wednesday workshop on cohousing communities.

Kelly Scott Hanson of Cohousing Resources will discuss scheduling, financing, feasibility, design, forming residential groups and identifying potential building sites. Guests will discuss cohousing case studies, work through an interactive cohousing exercise and hear testimonials from cohousing residents.

The meeting will be sponsored by the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild Central Puget Sound Chapter and will run from 7 to 9 p.m. in the basement of the brick building behind Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N. Non-members will pay $5. For more information, call Marni Evans at (206) 522-7600 ext. 13.

Students design green Habitat homes

LACEY -- St. Martin's College civil engineering students and South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity have designed a high-density cottage housing development that incorporates energy- and resource-efficiency measures such as radiant-floor heating, conventional wood-framing and insulated concrete.

Using a zero-to-low-impact site design method, 15 St. Martin's seniors designed 15 homes with small footprints so the development allows higher density than standard single-family zones. The design approach also requires that most or all stormwater infiltrates on-site and a majority of the site remains undisturbed from its predeveloped state.

Such restrictions led the students to split into design teams. One focused on a shared community building, one targeted efficiency measures and another formed a site plan with stormwater measures. One such measure was to use permeable pavement, which lets surface water seep through, diminishing the need for storm drains.

The team's goal was to give Habitat permit-ready drawings to submit to the city of Olympia.

"Their site work is invaluable because it's allowing us to move into new territory with low-impact design," said Gretchen VanDusen, an architect on Habitat's design committee.

Skagit dams certified as low impact

SEATTLE -- Seattle City Light's Skagit Project, which is made up of three dams and powerhouses on the Skagit River, has been certified as low impact hydropower by the Low Impact Hydropower Institute.

LIHI recognizes environmentally sound facilities as part of supporting incentives to reduce the impact of hydropower dams on rivers and streams. City Light facilities in Ross, Diablo and Gorge were examined for river flows, water quality, fish passage, cultural resources, and threatened and endangered species protection.

Skagit is Washington's first LIHI-certified project and the first large hydro project in the nation to win the label.

Ecology's first quarter fines: $295,000

OLYMPIA -- The Washington Department of Ecology issued $294,550 in penalties during the first quarter of this year.

Ecology fined Longview's Dockendale Shipping Co. $81,000 for spilling approximately 800 gallons of fuel into the Columbia River. Kalama's Evergreen Marine Corp. was fined $67,500 for spilling 500 gallons of oily waste into the river. The third largest fine was issued against Tacoma's Unix Pine PTE, which released 50 gallons of oily waste into Commencement Bay.

King County penalties included $18,000 against Auburn's Icon Materials for failing to comply with a water-quality order and $10,000 against Issaquah's Port Blakely Communities for discharging turbid water into Issaquah Creek. Ecology's penalty tally for the first three months of 2003 included only fines of $1,000 or above.

TREE program cuts waste, saves money

OLYMPIA -- A partnership between Washington businesses and the state Department of Ecology is helping companies reduce water use and hazardous waste.

By sharing knowledge of industrial processes and pollution prevention, engineers and scientists affiliated with Ecology's Technical Resources for Engineering Efficiency (TREE) program helps businesses reduce waste and save money, the department said.

Ecology cited Industrial Plating of Seattle, whose water bill fell from $80,000 to $23,000; Warden's Basin Frozen Foods, which is saving upwards of 22 million gallons of water a year; and Washougal's Saint Gobain Crystals & Detectors, which cut monthly solid waste by 3.5 tons based on TREE's recommendations.

For information about TREE's free service, call team leader James DeMay at (360) 407-6338, or public information manager Caitlin Cormier at (360) 407-6149. Details are also available at www.ecy.wa.gov.programs/hwtr/TREE/index.html.

Superfund cleanups trudge forward

PORTLAND -- State and federal funds available for large cleanup projects such as the McCormick & Baxter Superfund site are shrinking each year, the Portland Tribune reports.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has spent more than $15 million cleaning the McCormick waterfront site north of the University of Portland. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has spent $8 million, and an estimated $12 million more is needed to finish the job.

It is unclear where the estimated $200 million needed to finish the Portland Harbor Superfund site will come from. The six-mile portion of Portland Harbor includes the McCormick property and dozens of others along the Willamette River.

A new Oregon bill, Senate Bill 751, would let Oregon issue "pollution control bonds" to pay for cleanup; the state could pursue reimbursement from businesses proven responsible for the mess, according to the Tribune.

14 schools win grants for green work

OLYMPIA -- The state Department of Ecology has honored 14 Washington schools for their efforts to protect the environment.

The schools received the Terry Husseman Sustainable Schools Awards with awards ranging from $1,500 to $2,500. Formerly focused on recycling, the awards have been revamped to support the state's waste-reduction and sustainability priorities.

Three types of awards were presented. One helps schools start programs, the second assists with ongoing recycling programs and the last goes toward development of an environmental curriculum.

Two King County schools -- Crestwood and Glacier Park elementaries, both in the Kent area -- won. A list of the winners is at www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/terryhusseman.html.

Environmental Watch: Herrera adds staff at Oregon office

PORTLAND -- Jerry Mitchell and Jeff Mitchem have joined the Portland office of Herrera Environmental Consultants.

Mitchell will direct the office's planning efforts. An infrastructure planner, he focuses on integrating new development with the built and natural environments. He has 30 years of experience in planning, design and construction.

Mitchem is a land-use planner and urban designer, with 20 years' experience in community revitalization and sustainability. From site-specific projects to regional efforts, he helps clients visualize, design and build.

Herrera Environmental Consultants provides interdisciplinary engineering, environmental science and planning services in the western United States and Alaska.

County offers help to boost recycling

SEATTLE -- The King County Solid Waste Division wants to help Puget Sound-area manufacturers that use recycled materials in their products.

Companies can get free, customized technical and marketing assistance through the division's LinkUp program. It is designed to expand markets for recycled materials generated in the county, and help manufacturers use more recycled materials.

Preferences will be given to manufacturers that use mixed glass, urban wood, mixed paper and food waste. Companies that incorporate other recycled materials into their processes, or that do not presently use recycled materials but want to, also are encouraged to apply.

For an application, see www.dnr.metrokc.gov/linkup or telephone Erv Sandlin at (206) 296-0233.

Rowley honored for Issaquah creek work

ISSAQUAH -- There's more work to be done the Tibbetts Greenway Project that last week won praise from the Cascade Land Conservancy.

Skip Rowley of Rowley Enterprises was among the Conservation Awards winners. The $11.5 million Tibbetts project -- designed to solve flooding in Issaquah and enhance fish and wildlife habitat -- involved redirecting 2,000 feet of creek from a ditch into a meandering channel. Rowley, a developer, paid the $1.7 million cost of the creek relocation. Bill Way, restoration ecologist and president of the Watershed Co. in Kirkland, was prime designer, and J.R. Hayes & Sons of Maple Valley was the prime contractor.

Two bridges, replacement of undersized culverts and remediation of coal mine tailings in the upper basin have also been completed.

The state Department of Transportation is planning a new bridge under Interstate 90, and the city will construct a sedimentation control structure and create more habitat enhancements. KPG Inc. designed the city projects, which will go out to bid soon and be advertised in the DJC.

When the tide's out, the table's set

NAHCOTTA, Pacific County (AP) -- A researcher is using video technology and hundreds of volunteers to show how the spread of non-native spartina grass affects a key feeding area here along the migration paths of shorebirds.

Washington State University researcher Kim Patten has only just begun his study, but expects he'll find shorebirds shun dense meadows of spartina. Government and industry are conducting a multimillion-dollar campaign to eradicate thousands of acres of spartina, an eastern native. Patten is the first to scientifically study how spartina affects birds, and he's also looking at how to restore habitat once the invasive grass is gone.

Patten recently trained binoculars on a spartina meadow for four hours and spotted no shorebird species. Nearby, volunteers working with him and the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge counted 30,000 shorebirds pecking worms, midges, nematodes and other critters from open mud flats.

Complementing these efforts are five cameras fixed to poles driven into the mud. Nearby, spruce and alder tripods hold protected VCRs and the marine batteries and solar panels that power the equipment. Peregrine falcons use the platforms to dine on dunlins and dowitchers.

Patten won't be able to review the video until after the spring migration, but he is hearing from volunteers and he measures the density of bird footprints and droppings in the mud.

$300,000 system cooks town's garbage

HAINES, Alaska -- Other small towns with trash troubles may look to an Alaskan panhandle town's new garbage composting system for answers.

The Chilkat Valley News reports Haines' facility is like a backyard compost pile only lots bigger and mechanized. It has two 40-foot-long, 15-foot-diameter rotating drums. One prepares a mixture of water, garbage and sludge from the city sewage treatment plant. The second separates material after it "cooks" in four shipping container-sized composting vessels.

The compost is screened and separated from inorganic material in the second drum. The uncomposted matter is taken to the landfill and covered under compost. Eventually, the system will produce salable compost and could reduce by 66 percent the volume of garbage and sewage sludge buried at the landfill.

Jim McNelly, a Minnesota composting expert, helped design the $300,000 system. His company has pioneered in-vessel composting in larger towns. He said the Haines project could be groundbreaking, serving as an example for other small communities.

Solar, sustainable events planned

SEATTLE -- The following events are scheduled:

• Solar Washington will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday in Arlington at the Daughters of the Pioneers Museum. Designer Jack Sturgeon will lead a tour of the energy-efficient building and discuss its solar-heating systems. The building will be on this year's National Tour of Solar Buildings. For more information, telephone (360) 435-7289.

• Seattle City Councilman Nick Licata will moderate a debate between author Michael Shuman and Seattle Times business writer and editor Bruce Ramsey on whether it's better to foster global trade or a local economy at 7 p.m. May 28 at Antioch University Seattle, 2326 Sixth Ave. For information, telephone Debra Alderman (206) 268-4906. The event is sponsored by Antioch's Center for Creative Change and the Seattle chapter of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, or BALLE.

• The Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, BALLE, will hold its first national conference May 30 - June 1 at Portland State University. Information is at www.livingeconomies.org. The conference will be in conjunction with the Sustainability Forum May 29-31 in Portland. More than 1,000 representatives from business, nonprofits and government agencies are expected. Topics include water conservation, toxic pollution and sustainable development. To register or to find out about display opportunities, see www.sustainablenorthwest.org.

Environmental Watch: Aspect adds two staff members

SEATTLE -- In response to what the company says is a growing need for environmental data management services, Aspect Consulting has hired two staff members.

Gayle Thompson is a new associate specializing in relational database design, implementation and management. Her expertise is developing database interfaces to GIS mapping, CAD and other graphing tools.

Ian Rashkin has joined the company as an information management specialist. His technical background includes SQL Server programming and development of Web-based data sharing tools.

Aspect Consulting, an environmental consulting firm with offices in Seattle and Bainbridge Island, provides earth science and engineering services, with expertise in water resources and groundwater hydrology, contaminant assessment and environmental restoration, and geotechnical and geological engineering.

Geotech specialist joins AMEC

KIRKLAND -- Timothy Huntting, P.E., has been added to AMEC's Earth & Environmental office in Kirkland as a senior project engineer. He has more than 20 years' experience in geotechnical engineering.

Huntting has conducted foundation design and site development projects for government agencies and private developers. Projects have included freeways, roads, stormwater and wastewater treatment plants, and buildings. He has done surface evaluations, deep excavations, geologic interpretations, laboratory testing and slope-stability analyses.

AMEC operates 90 Earth & Environmental offices in North America that specialize in environmental, geotechnical, water resources and materials engineering.

Portland shop may qualify for Superfund

PORTLAND (AP) -- Authorities have closed a Portland metal-plating shop, saying it posed an extreme threat to its employees, the environment and neighboring industries.

Columbia American Plating was shut down with little warning Friday afternoon, the day after a Fire Bureau hazardous-materials inspector discovered numerous violations at the industrial shop, including open containers of cyanide, hundreds of barrels containing dangerous or suspicious chemicals, and massive electrical problems.

Fifteen employees, all uninjured, are out of a job after the closure.

General manager Larry Anson said he probably would sell instead of reopen because he didn't have enough money to pay for the cleanup. He said he also expected to receive a sizable fine.

Authorities said a cleanup could take months, and the property probably would qualify as a federal Superfund site, which would trigger federal aid to help cover costs.

$46M Foss Waterway contract up for vote

TACOMA -- The Tacoma City Council is scheduled to vote on a $46.2 million purchase resolution with Manson Construction today to continue the Superfund cleanup of the Thea Foss Waterway.

Council members will consider a resolution to hire the Seattle firm to construct a sediment disposal site in the St. Paul Waterway, dredge and/or cap contaminated sediments, and construct habitat mitigation projects. If the council approves the contract, Manson will start construction this summer and finish in December 2005, according to a news release from the city.

Tacoma's Wastewater Management will pay $26 million of the cleanup costs, the city will pay $6.5 million and the Foss Waterway Development Authority will pay $2.2 million. Other parties deemed responsible for the contamination will pay the remaining $11.5 million.

Alaska Senate wants more roads

JUNEAU, Alaska -- The state Senate is backing a plan by Gov. Frank Murkowski to build roads to foster oil, timber and mining development.

The Anchorage Daily News reports Senate budget leaders want to give the governor $10 million in state funds to explore the potential of building roads in areas from the flat tundra of the North Slope to the mountainous rain forest of the panhandle. It is nearly half the $21 million state general fund spending increase the Senate Finance Committee has proposed over the current year for the capital budget for state infrastructure projects.

The $10 million is to start preliminary work on four or five potential road projects, said John MacKinnon, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. The money will go to finding routes and starting the permit process, he said.

The state capital budget must go to the full Senate for a vote, then to the House. It calls for $131 million in state general fund spending and more than $1 billion in federal spending on a range of road, airport, water/sewer and port/harbor projects.

Habitat home will be Built Green

OLYMPIA -- A South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity project in Olympia is being constructed according to Built Green specifications.

Built Green is a residential program of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, though it serves other areas. The program promotes environmentally intelligent practices and products.

The Olympia project, for instance, is using HomePlate Siding. Boise Building Solutions makes the siding from post-commercial recycled wood materials.

Cascade Conservancy awards honor 5

SEATTLE -- The Cascade Land Conservancy will honor five individuals and organizations today at its annual Conservation Awards Breakfast.

Winners are King County Executive Ron Sims; West Seattle High School's Environmental Science Academy for the Hamilton Viewpoint restoration project; the Denny Creek Neighborhood Alliance's fish ladder team for a fish passage project; Skip Rowley and Rowley Enterprises of Issaquah for the Tibbetts Creek Greenway Project; and Oly/Intracorp for the Talus development in Issaquah.

BEST awards breakfast sold out

SEATTLE -- The Business and Industry Resource Venture's second-annual BEST Awards ceremony will be at 8 a.m. Thursday at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center, 2211 Alaskan Way.

BEST stands for Businesses for an Environmentally Sustainable Tomorrow, and the awards go to notable achievements in waste prevention and recycling, water and energy conservation, stormwater pollution prevention and sustainable building.

All tickets to the breakfast have been sold.