January 20, 2004

Environmental Watch: Ecology seeks comment on state waters

OLYMPIA -- The state Department of Ecology is accepting public comments on the largest assessment ever of Washington's waters.

Ecology assessments identify polluted waters and set priorities to improve water quality, according to the department. In the assessment, Ecology placed more than half of 1998's 2,362 polluted-water listings into other categories. Nineteen percent of the 1998 listings are no longer polluted, according to the assessment, but the assessment includes 320 new listings.

Ecology will submit a final list to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Ecology will hold workshops on the assessment Feb. 3 in Spokane, Feb. 4 in Yakima, Feb. 10 in Everett, Feb. 11 in Longview, and Feb. 12 in Lacey. Submit comments by March 15. For details visit http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/303d/2002/2002-index.html.

Anchor Environmental adds staff

SEATTLE -- The environmental science and engineering firm Anchor Environmental hired Mike Sallis and Chad Durand in its Seattle office.

Sallis, who has 10 years of experience in environmental planning and permitting, will work on permitting, shoreline management and salmonid protection. Durand, who has 11 years of experience in environmental permitting and Endangered Species Act compliance, will focus on permitting, fish passage and habitat enhancement.

Environmental law workshop Feb. 19

SEATTLE -- Representatives of Stoel Rives, Davis Wright Tremaine, Preston Gates & Ellis, Bricklin Newman Dold, Parametrix, the Washington State Office of the Attorney General and other environmental and legal groups will speak at the "Environmental Litigation Tool Kit" at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel Feb. 19.

The Law Seminars International event is called "Substantive Workshop on Procedural and Evidentiary Aspects of Environmental Litigation" and will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For registration, tuition and topic details visit http://www.lawseminars.com or call (206) 621-1938.

Environmental health lecture Jan. 27

SEATTLE -- John Peterson "Pete" Myers, founder and CEO of Environmental Health Sciences, will discuss the links between human and environmental health Jan. 27 at the Seattle Art Museum at 100 University St.

During "A New View on Toxic Chemicals and How They Impact Our Health" from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Myers will discuss conceptual chances in scientific thinking, including new research on the impact of toxic chemical exposure on unborn children.

The lecture is part of a three-part series funded by the Seattle Biotechnology Legacy Foundation and organized by the Institute for Children's Environmental Health. The other two are "Pollution Gets Personal: Tracking Toxic Chemicals in Our Bodies" on Feb. 17 and "Breast Cancer: Are Environmental Toxins a Major Factor?" on March 10. Attendance is $10 per lecture, or $25 for all three. For details call (360) 331-7904 or visit http://www.iceh.org.

Snohomish County to prepare hazard plan

EVERETT -- Snohomish County cities and agencies are preparing an All Natural Hazards Plan to identify hazards and define ways to reduce them.

The plan includes Arlington, Darrington, Gold Bar, Index, Marysville, Monroe, Mukilteo, Snohomish, Stanwood, Sultan and unincorporated Snohomish County. The county will hold meetings on the plan 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 27 at the Arlington Boys and Girls Club and 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 29 at the city of Monroe Fire Station.

Topics will include Federal Emergency Management Agency flood insurance and community rating system programs, home elevation and buyout options for flood-damaged properties, and the Skykomish River Flood plan. For details call DJ Sessner, Snohomish County Surface Water Management, at (425) 388-3464.

Thornton Creek habitat work proposed

SEATTLE -- Seattle Public Schools will issue a draft State Environmental Policy Act checklist describing the possible environmental impacts of enhancing vegetation on a 170-foot section of the south branch of Thornton Creek near Nathan Hale High School.

The pilot project would include removing and replacing blackberry bushes and other invasive plants along the stream buffer east of 30th Avenue Northeast. The draft is available at the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence at 2445 Third Ave. S. or in the main office of Nathan Hale High School. It can be reviewed at http://www.seattleschools.org/area/facilities/SchoolProjects/HaleLink.xml.

Restoration is scheduled to start in mid-2004. Submit comments by Feb. 11 to Ron English, Environmental Officer, Seattle School District No. 1, P.S. Box 34165, MS 32-151, Seattle, WA 98124-1165.

DDES starts preferred consultant roster

SEATTLE -- A new King County Department of Development and Environmental Services program lets residential permit customers choose critical-areas consultants from a list of preferred stream, geotechnical and wetland consultants.

The DDES Web site, http://www.metrokc.gov/ddes, offers application materials and describes criteria necessary to be listed in the Preferred Consultant Program. For details call Steve Bottheim, Critical Areas Supervisor, at (206) 296-7144.

Brownfields luncheon Feb. 4

SEATTLE -- Representatives of Ecoss, the Washington Public Ports Association and the cities of Tacoma and Tukwila will speak from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 4 at "Brownfields 2004: Opportunities in the Puget Sound Area" at McCormick & Schmick's Harborside on Lake Union.

The Northwest Environmental Business Council Olympic chapter event will be held at 1200 Westlake Ave. Presenters will discuss brownfield spending for the Puget Sound area. Attendance is $30 for NEBC members and $45 for nonmembers. For details call (888) 609-6322 or visit http://www.nebc.org.

Canada tells EPA to back off

SPOKANE (AP) -- Canada contends the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cannot force the owners of a British Columbia smelter to pay for studying the pollution it discharged into the Columbia River.

Teck Cominco Ltd. and the EPA are battling over heavy-metals pollution flowing into the Columbia and ending up in Lake Roosevelt in Washington. The smelter has dumped as estimated 10 million to 20 million tons of waste slag into the river.

In a letter last week the Canadian ambassador asked the U.S. State Department to not require Teck Cominco to pay for the studies, said Dave Croxton, manager of the EPA's Superfund projects in the Northwest.

The Spokesman-Review obtained a copy of the letter, which also said EPA should work with the company on a "mutually acceptable" cleanup plan.