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Puget Sound Sewage Treatment Plants Need to Modernize
The Problem
Puget Sound sewage treatment lags behind much of the country and is causing massive algae blooms, low levels of dissolved oxygen that suffocate aquatic species, increases in Puget Sound jellyfish populations, and changes in the Puget Sound food web. The Washington Department of Ecology has been studying the effects of nitrogen pollution discharged by Puget Sound sewage treatment plants for many years but it has failed to take action and clean up the problem. Now it’s proposing to issue a Puget Sound Nutrient General Permit that would apply to all Puget Sound sewage treatment plants permit that will violate the Clean Water Act and fail to clean up Puget Sound.
Put simply, it’s well past time for Ecology to make Puget Sound sewage treatment plants switch from the 100 year-old treatment technology most of them are using. It’s time for facilities to start using modern sewage treatment that removes both nitrogen and toxics, including the pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and other chemicals that are harming Chinook salmon health and Puget Sound orcas.
How NWEA is Making a Difference
• NWEA has sued the Department of Ecology to demand that it follow state law that requires modern sewage treatment known as AKART, it stands for All Known, Available and Reasonable Treatment.
• NWEA has petitioned the Department of Ecology to develop a formal clean-up plan for Puget Sound nitrogen pollution, since denied.
• NWEA has submitted detailed comments to Ecology on proposed individual permits for sewage treatment plants.
What You Can Do
• Sign up for NWEA Action Alerts
• Sign up for Ecology emails
• Connect your friends and family to the issue via social media
• Become a member of NWEA—with or without a financial contribution
Washington and federal agencies will propose significant actions over the coming year—actions that are guaranteed to fall well short of protecting Puget Sound. These agencies invite public comment, creating an opportunity for you to add your voice to the demand for change. Too often, agency actions are shaped to benefit special interests, not the public interest. That needs to stop. A growing population and climate change bring even more urgency to the longstanding need for strong regulatory actions to protect Puget Sound, its marine life, and its beaches. Here are some key opportunities to be heard:
Action Needed Now!
Washington Ecology: Mandate Modern Sewage Treatment for Puget Sound
After 20 years plus of foot–dragging, Ecology plans to allow 58 sewage treatment plants to keep discharging at current levels instead of making them reduce the amount of pollution they dump in Puget Sound.
In other words, Washington is not following the law and not protecting Puget Sound. Join with us to stop Washington’s business-as-usual approach to Puget Sound and help save the Chinook salmon and Puget Sound’s resident orcas.
Victory for Puget Sound
EPA Must Act on Toxics, Court Orders
