Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Quality Transparency topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Supporters urge passage of Sewage ‘‘Right to Know’’ bill; Ecology flags staffing and implementation needs
Summary
House Bill 16 70 would require public, map-based notifications about untreated sewage discharges and four-hour public notification after reports. Supporters say the measure will help recreationists and tribes; Ecology said implementation requires staffing and clarified local health agencies handle public health advisories.
House Bill 16 70, the Sewage Spill Right-to-Know Act, drew testimony from recreation advocates, environmental groups and state agencies who described difficulties finding timely information about untreated sewage discharges.
Stina Troyer, Blue Water Task Force coordinator and Tacoma resident, said she relies on water-quality information before diving and “want[s] to know whether or not I'm swimming in poo.” Peter Stukwist of the Surfrider Foundation said climate-driven storms are increasing overflow events and urged a multilingual, user-friendly public interface showing spills within the previous 72 hours.
Mindy Roberts of Washington Conservation Action described volunteer research that found 233 spills in five years from 12 dischargers in a limited review; she said spill sizes ranged from under 10 gallons to more than 10 million gallons and that many events occurred in communities she did not expect. “I was stunned when I learned dozens of spills had occurred in my own community,” Roberts said.
Department of Ecology and Puget Sound Partnership witnesses supported transparency but told the committee that Ecology’s current reporting system (PARIS) is not user-friendly. Leslie Conley of Ecology said the agency receives roughly 300 incident reports per year, does not have 24/7 staffing for real-time notifications, and lacks authority to advise whether a beach should be closed; that role belongs to local health jurisdictions and the Department of Health for shellfish closures.
Don Gourley of the Puget Sound Partnership said the data gap makes it difficult for state recovery work and that improved, accessible reporting would help both government agencies and the public. Ecology staff offered technical assistance and recommended clarifying statutory language about fee deposits and exemptions.
The transcript does not show a committee vote on HB 16 70 in the provided excerpt.
