September 27, 2005

Environmental Watch: Prezant Associates adds staff

SEATTLE — Industrial hygienist Martin Rose has joined the consulting department of Seattle-based Prezant Associates. Rose has 12 years of experience consulting on environmental and occupational health and safety issues.

Prezant identifies ways to minimize industrial health and safety risks. The company has done projects at Safeco Field and Fort Lewis, as well as single-family homes. Clients include FEMA, Washington State Department of Ecology and King County Department of Natural Resources.

Prezant recently moved its office to 1730 Minor Ave., Suite 900, in the Metropolitan Park East Tower in Seattle. Contact numbers remain the same. Telephone is (206) 281-8858, fax is (206) 281-8922.

Two Skillings to give water quality talk

LACEY — Skillings-Connolly founding principal Thomas E. Skillings and his son Patrick E. Skillings will give a talk in Tacoma today at the annual conference of the Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association. The younger Skillings is a staff scientist and wetland biologist.

The two will present research findings from a water quality study at the city of Yelm's Cochrane Park.

In 1999, Skillings-Connolly designed a wastewater treatment facility and four acres of wetlands.

Their research found water quality has changed as a result of recharging groundwater with reclaimed water from constructed wetlands. Some solids and chlorides were totally dissolved, but biological contaminants increased.

Skillings-Connolly is based in Lacey, and does water reclamation and reuse work.

Green Design Slam tomorrow in Seattle

SEATTLE — The Seattle chapter of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild will hold its annual "10 x 10 x 10 Green Design Slam" Wednesday at the Environmental Home Center, 4121 First Ave. S., Seattle. It begins at 6:30 p.m.

Ten architects and builders will each get 10 minutes to show 10 slides of green building projects. Cost is $10. Proceeds support the Guild's new Web site development. The updated site will be launched later this fall. For more information, call Carol O'Dahl at (206) 315-1965.

Seattle schools OK new pesticide rules

SEATTLE — The board of Seattle Public Schools has unanimously approved a new pest management policy.

Board President Brita Butler-Wall said the policy focuses on preventing exposure to toxic chemicals such as pesticides. Some pesticides will likely continue to be used, but new products will be picked based on a new set of criteria. The goal is to use non-chemical methods to control pests.

State law requires school districts to provide notification about pesticide use, which includes informing people before each pesticide application. An advisory committee recommended providing more information about the use of pesticides and a new management policy. That committee included staff members, parents, experts and representatives of health and environmental nonprofits.

Port of Portland gets $3M for security

PORTLAND — Marine facilities in the Portland area will get more than $3 million in grants from the Department of Homeland Security.

The Port of Portland will get $2.7 million for security enhancements at its marine terminals. Kinder Morgan will get $302,865 for work its Portland marine terminals.

Funding comes from a round of grants under the DHS Port Security Grant Program. The Port of Portland received $510,000 in an earlier round of funding.

Group buys water right to help fish

OLYMPIA — Taneum Canal Co. recently agreed to sell its winter-conveyance water right for $817,316, to a partnership of local water-right holders, Washington Water Trust, the Yakama Nation, and state and federal agencies.

Farmers and cattlemen in Kittitas County have agreed to the deal, which is designed to allow more water to flow in Taneum Creek and the Yakima River during the winter to help spawning steelhead and bull trout.

State Department of Fish and Wildlife officials say there is insufficient water during the winter months for egg incubation, rearing and upstream migration. Creek flows often drop too low to support healthy fish stocks, they say.

The Washington Department of Ecology contributed $516,999, Columbia Basin Water Transactions Program $285,316, and Yakama Nation $15,000. Other partners included the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Washington Water Trust, a nonprofit that works to restore stream flows in state river systems.

Taneum had been using its water right for more than a century. The canal company worked with the partners for more than three years to arrange the deal. Ranchers and farmers will use money from the sale to drill wells to get water in the winter.