Drought declared statewide
Drought Response – Washington State Department of Ecology Including Island County Statewide drought declared April 16, 2024, limited exceptions for Seattle, Everett and Tacoma metro areas. With winter’s snowstorms largely behind us, our state’s low snowpack and forecasts for a dry and warm spring and summer have spurred the Department of Ecology to declare a drought emergency for most of Washington. Ecology is making up to $4.5 million available in drought response grants to qualifying public entities to respond to impacts from the current drought conditions. Continue reading Drought declared statewide
Small Drinking Water Systems Webinar Series
Small Drinking Water Systems Webinar Series | US EPA Small Drinking Water Systems Webinar Series (epa.gov) – flyer April 30, 2024 from 2 to 3 p.m. ET Continue reading Small Drinking Water Systems Webinar Series
‘Water is more valuable than oil’: the corporation cashing in on America’s drought
In an unprecedented deal, a private company purchased land in a tiny Arizona town – and sold its water rights to a suburb 200 miles away. Local residents fear the agreement has ‘opened Pandora’s box’ Continue reading ‘Water is more valuable than oil’: the corporation cashing in on America’s drought
National limit for PFAS in drinking water affects all public wells in WA
National limit for PFAS in drinking water affects all public wells in WA | The Seattle Times The Environmental Protection Agency announced the first national drinking water standard for so-called “forever chemicals” Wednesday that will require testing of thousands of … Continue reading National limit for PFAS in drinking water affects all public wells in WA
Rate hike proposed for Cascadia Water customers
Rate hike proposed for Cascadia Water customers | South Whidbey Record Cascadia Water notified customers that increased rates will reflect additional revenue of $1,788,793 “The majority of our water systems were installed around the ‘70s, so the aging infrastructure is needing to be replaced, which is a huge cost in today’s day and age,” Lehman said. “The base rate is a set rate, but the tiered rate structure helps to promote water conservation, which helps to sustain this precious natural resource.” Continue reading Rate hike proposed for Cascadia Water customers
US appeals court kills ban on plastic containers contaminated with PFAS
US appeals court kills ban on plastic containers contaminated with PFAS | US news | The Guardian “The court did not dispute EPA’s underlying decision that this is a danger to human health, what they did was say it’s not a new use, which I think is wrong … but this case isn’t over by any stretch,” said Kyla Bennett, a former EPA official now with the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer) non-profit, which has intervened in legal proceedings. Continue reading US appeals court kills ban on plastic containers contaminated with PFAS
As WA tackles PFAS pollution, some worry about ‘piecemeal’ approach
State-mandated testing revealed a San Juan Island community was drinking toxic water. But who is responsible for paying for a new water source? The question is one public officials are grappling with as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are found in … Continue reading As WA tackles PFAS pollution, some worry about ‘piecemeal’ approach
Warnings of a “wave of lawsuits” as PFAS exemption debated
Representatives of US water and waste systems told US lawmakers this week that hundreds of such operations across the nation could face unintended and overwhelming liabilities unless they are exempted from a proposal that would designate two types of per- … Continue reading Warnings of a “wave of lawsuits” as PFAS exemption debated
The dangers of PFAS
Even well-meaning officials often provide inadequate or misleading information, putting communities at higher risk. When the simple blue-and-white postcard arrived in January 2023, Sarah Ferris missed it. The mailer, sent by the city of Vancouver, Washington, told 270,000 municipal water users … Continue reading The dangers of PFAS
Funding for PFAS
A letter to Ecology John Lovie posted on an effort led by Toxic-Free Future to put focus on addressing concerns over a lack of funding and coordination which have limited Department of Ecology’s efforts to help communities impacted by PFAS … Continue reading Funding for PFAS