Tire Dust Is Poisoning Coho Salmon

In December of 2020, The Seattle Times reported that in a paper published in Science magazine, researchers have identified an antioxidant chemical used in tire rubber that can cause the deaths of coho salmon, particularly in the Puget Sound region: More specifically, a single chemical, 6PPD-quinone, derived from a preservative that helps tires last longer, […]

Alaska Construction General Permit Available for Review

If your business has coverage under the Alaska Construction General Permit for Discharges from Large and Small Construction Activities, you have an opportunity to review and comment on the proposed final permit that the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will issue to succeed the current permit. The last day to submit feedback to DEC […]

Ecology Releases New Construction Stormwater General Permit

The Washington Department of Ecology has reissued the Construction Stormwater General Permit to take effect on January 1, 2021. The permit authorizes stormwater and approved non-stormwater discharges associated with construction activity. Permit coverage is required for the following: Ongoing construction sites that are covered under the existing permit Construction sites that disturb one acre or […]

EPA Proposes Changes in New MSGP

In March of 2020, the EPA released its final proposed version of the Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) that will replace the 2015 version currently in force. The MSGP authorizes stormwater discharges in areas where the EPA is the permitting authority, e.g., areas not covered by a state general permit. The comment period for the proposed […]

Violations of the Clean Water Act in Washington in 2019

Over the past several years, regulatory authorities and nonprofits have increased their watch over stormwater compliance. Freer Consulting routinely monitors records for the state of Washington from the Region 10 office of the Environmental Protection Agency for Notices of Intent (NOI) to Sue under the Clean Water Act. In 2019, the EPA received 21 NOIs […]

King County Stormwater Violations Trend

This year, a new permit for Industrial Stormwater General Permit (ISGP) for the state of Washington went into effect. Now is a great time to look at how permit holders in King County did over the 2015-2019 period regarding stormwater violations. Data was collected from the Department of Ecology looking at all industrial stormwater violations […]

Remote Stormwater Regulatory Compliance

In this time of social distancing due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s challenging to comply with regulatory requirements due to disruptions in business operations or lowered staff availability. Despite these challenges, there isn’t a legal mechanism that relieves businesses of their duty of regulatory compliance. The pandemic and efforts to fight it continue, yet rain […]

Changes to the Washington ISGP: Are You in Compliance?

The new Industrial Stormwater General Permit (ISGP) for the state of Washington went into effect on January 1, 2020 and contains many changes from the 2015 permit that affect both current permittees and businesses that were previously not covered by the permit. Major changes include: When applying for coverage, applicants must identify their industrial category […]

The Clean Water Act and Citizen Litigation

Here in the Pacific Northwest, it’s easy to take our abundance of water for granted. Our region is fortunate to have numerous streams, rivers, and lakes that we depend upon for drinking water, for recreation, and for ecological sustainability. In recent years, greater attention has been paid to understanding the impact that stormwater runoff has […]

EPA Proposes Rollback of Clean Water Act Regulation

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a change in definition of “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act (CWA). The move represents a long running argument between interested parties and how broad the definition should be. The definition hinges on what “navigable waters” means. A prior rule change in 2015 was […]