Submitted by the Washington Department of Ecology.

Thanks to a major update to state water quality regulations, the state’s waters are enjoying new protections. The updates protect aquatic life, such as fish and invertebrates, from the effects of toxic chemicals in the water.

The Washington Department of Ecology developed these changes to the state criteria for toxicants in aquatic life based on current science and new research, new methodologies and modeling tools, and recommendations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and tribal governments.

Once the new criteria are approved by the EPA, Ecology will use them to identify contaminated waters and develop remediation plans. Ecology will also use the approved criteria when updating water quality permits for facilities that discharge these chemicals.

“By using innovative methods and new science, we can better protect salmon, shellfish and all aquatic life from the toxic chemicals they are exposed to every day,” said Vince McGowan, water quality program manager at Ecology. “The new limits are tailored to Washington’s unique environment and the species we need to protect.”

With this regulation, Washington has set limits for 42 chemicals. These include limits for marine and freshwater, as well as limits to protect aquatic life from immediate (acute) effects such as death and long-term (chronic) effects such as changes in growth and reproduction.

Known toxicants already included in Washington’s standards, such as arsenic, copper, nickel, silver and zinc, have been updated to better protect aquatic life. New to Washington’s aquatic life criteria are PFOA and PFOS (part of the PFAS chemical group), aluminum and 6PPD-quinone.

Washington is the first state in the U.S. to set a numerical freshwater limit for 6PPD-quinone, a chemical produced from the breakdown of car tires that has been shown to be highly toxic to some salmon and trout, including coho salmon and steelhead. The new limit will allow the state to make progress in regulating the amount of 6PPD-quinone that enters the water.

The new PFOA and PFOS criteria are based on EPA’s current draft national criteria for aquatic life. Ecology has determined, based on public feedback, that setting these limits now will better protect Washington waters than waiting for EPA to finalize the national criteria.

Ecology received detailed comments on the proposed changes. This feedback and the agency’s responses are summarized in the executive summary, which can be viewed at https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/summarypages/2410032.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery.