Puget Sound water quality deteriorates with heavy rains

the latest news on Puget Sound water quality:

"Not that many would chose to swim this time of year, but the Washington Department of Ecology (DOE) cautions against it...."

Seattle Times: "Runoff turns Elliott Bay into murky stew"

and

KPLU News: "Stormwater runoff: A flood of crud" by Liam Moriarty

TALKING TRASH - January 27th

From electronics to groceries to holiday gifts, excess packaging is not just annoying—it hurts your wallet AND the environment. What can we do about it? Come hear from a panel of local innovators working to curb packaging waste and then share your own experience and ideas for policies on waste reduction in Seattle.

This will be the first in a series of discussions co-sponsored by Pacific Science Center and Seattle City Council that gather community input on different aspects of the City Council’s priority issue of carbon neutrality.

Educational activities provided by Pacific Science Center’s Science On Wheels for children ages 5 and up whose caregivers attend the forum. Registration required for kids’ activities. Light dinner and refreshments provided for forum attendees.

When: Thursday, January 27, 6 – 8:30 p.m.
Info fair at 6 p.m., forum begins at 6:30 p.m.

Where: NewHolly Gathering Hall,
NewHolly Campus Family Building,
7054 32nd Avenue South, Seattle

How to register: This event is FREE but space is limited. Reserve your spot by registering today at pacificsciencecenter.org or (206)443-2896.

Request interpretation: esther.handy@seattle.gov or (206) 684-8800

Featured speakers: Manager of corporate sustainability, Costco
Dominic Muren, Lecturer in Industrial Design, University of Washington
Small local business representative

Systemic Failures in Risk Management by BP, Halliburton, and Transocean

"The immediate causes of the Macondo well blowout can be traced to a series of identifiable mistakes made by BP, Halliburton, and Transocean that reveal such systematic failures in risk management that they place in doubt the safety culture of the entire industry." - excerpt from the new report by the bipartisan National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Spill and Offshore Drilling. Read the just-released report.

Preparing For A Large Oil Spill In Washington State:
A coalition of stakeholder groups comprised of local elected officials, shellfish growers, fishermen, recreation, conservation, and tourism interests, are working to advance policy changes focused on strengthening Washington State's oil spill preparedness, prevention and response program to make sure we have enough spill equipment and personnel ready to respond to a major spill in our waters. In addition, the campaign seeks to fully fund the state's oil spill program which is currently woefully underfunded.

Several policy changes are needed to ensure that Washington is well prepared for a major spill, including:

• Improve funding for the Department’s Oil Spill Program, which is currently running a multi-million dollar deficit.

• Strengthen requirements for stockpiling appropriate spills response equipment in Washington to ensure that we have equipment on hand to respond in rough seas, fast currents, darkness and fog, and other challenging environments. Ensure that we are ready for a large spill in Puget Sound and the Pacific coast.

• Expand spill response “drill” program to test assumptions made in our spill response plans and to better train responders.

• Train, equip, and drill commercial fishermen for oils spill response to increase the region’s response capacities.

Water... in the news and a priority for Washington

"Stormwater is a top legislative priority for Washington environmental groups, and the emphasis is reflected in the 2011 Clean Water Jobs Act they will promote in Olympia this session. Mo McBroom, policy director for the Washington Environmental Council, articulates the need for investments in infrastructure to deal with stormwater runoff. A bonus is substantial job creation.”

See full column
Basic Survival: water supply and quality
Lance Dickie / Seattle Times editorial columnist

If you're interested in policy, don't miss:
Environmental Priorities Coalition Legislative Workshop
When: Saturday, January 8th, 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Where: Seattle Pacific University, Gwinn Room
Cost: $20 with lunch, $10 without lunch, and $10 for students with lunch
Who: You and hundreds of other people who also care about the environment

Day Without A Bag

Celebrate Day Without A Bag with Surfrider Foundation, the Bag Monster and Zero Waste Seattle.

Day Without A Bag is raising awareness and initiating a small change in our behavior that will help reduce plastic waste in our oceans. Join Surfrider Foundation, the Bag Monster and Zero Waste Seattle in giving up single-use disposable bags while shopping this Thursday.

Need a bag? Surfrider Foundation, the Bag Monster, Seattle City Councilmember Mike O'Brien and the Zero Waste Coalition will be passing out free reusable bags in Seattle.

Bag Monster handing out free bags
Thursday, December 16th, 12-1PM
Westlake Plaza 400 Pine St (between 4th Ave & Westlake Ave)

The simple action of using a reusable bag while shopping will help eliminate debris on our streets and in our ocean and save taxpayer dollars. Learn more about the environmental harms of single-use plastic bags by visiting www.riseaboveplastics.org.

Surfrider Foundation Notches 150 Coastal Victories

A coastal victory is a decision made in favor of the coastal and ocean environment that results in a positive conservation outcome, improves coastal access, or both.

A Victory is also one of many ways in which Surfrider Foundation measures our success. In 2005, we set an ambitious goal to attain 150 coastal victories by the end of 2010. Today, we are excited to announce that on December 1st, we achieved this milestone when the Obama administration announced that it would ban new offshore drilling in the continental United States for the next seven years.

learn more: http://oceanswavesbeaches.surfrider.org/

Announcing the 2011 Environmental Priorities

The Environmental Priorities Coalition believes that we can have a strong economy that provides everyone with the opportunity to prosper and a clean, healthy, and safe environment for ourselves and our children. This year, the Environmental Priorities Coalition has chosen four priority proposals to support during Washington State's legislative session that achieve these goals.

The 2011 Priorities are:

Budget Solutions for Our Environment
Coal Free Future for Washington
Reducing Phosphorous Pollution
Working for Clean Water

The 2011 Priorities will help ensure clean water, create new jobs, reduce threats to our families’ health from the poisons emitted by our state’s single largest polluter, and strike a balance that even in hard times will protect our public health, economic future, and quality of life in Washington.

For more information about the 2011 Priorities, please visit the Priorities Coalition website.