It's down to the States
As federal environmental and health responses crumble, Washington State understands the assignment
Substack informs me that this is my 100th post on the platform. Thanks to all of you who read them and keep me coming back to write more!
Here's an update on the federal- and state-supported projects I'm involved in. There are some green shoots.
Testing and clean-up of PFAS
Washington Department of Ecology is developing a plan to test private wells for PFAS. Casey Sixkiller, the new Ecology Director, came from EPA Region 10. From a profile of Sixkiller in the Seattle Times, this about EPA's help with PFAS contamination from Spokane International Airport:
The EPA has no jurisdiction over private wells, but Sixkiller and his team worked with Ecology to provide testing for West Plains community members, including processing the tests at the EPA’s lab near Port Orchard. State agencies offered temporary solutions like water filters, or access to bottled water, while a longer-term plan was drawn up.
It was an effective project that put together Ecology and the EPA in a new way of working together, said John Hancock, a community advocate.
WA Ecology director responds to federal rollbacks | The Seattle Times
Meanwhile, the former Director of Ecology, Laura Watson, is back at the State Attorney General's office as Deputy to AG Nick Brown, while former AG Bob Ferguson, who sued the first Trump administration 97 times, is now Governor. These are good people in the right places.
Senate Bill 5033 requires Ecology to establish sampling or testing of biosolids (the solids from sewage treatment plants) for PFAS chemicals. It has passed the State Senate and is working its way through the House. A friend at Department of Health tells me:
"DOH supports this bill. Given that federal progress and resources may collapse on this issue, state needs to get a pathway in place to test for and address PFAS in biosolids."
The Department of Health is still recruiting for a Health Secretary and is weathering budget cuts but is standing tall.
Last year in Stone, meet water, I wrote of my frustration at the lack of clear answers from the Navy on plans and a timetable for following the EPA MCL Implementation Memo to address PFAS contamination in drinking water around Naval Air Station Whidbey facilities. I've since learned from a community member that the Navy has recently, in compliance with that memo, installed point-of-use filters (under-sink reverse osmosis units in this case) for members of a small community water system which tested above the proposed MCLs, and will drill a new community well in the fall.
A few weeks ago, one of my evasive Navy correspondents and I found ourselves on a panel together at a leadership workshop and so met in person for the first time. I was able to thank her for replying to my emails, even if she couldn't answer my questions! She's fighting to keep her team together, the group that is doing all this important work:
"Still here. We weathered the first round of attack ok. I didn’t lose any probationary employees, but we are preparing for a Reduction in Force (RIF) in the next 2 months. Fun times!"
However, their travel cards have been suspended, so a planned April open house is now in question.
A supporting group at DoD still has staff:
"Rolling with the tide…still standing…remaining flexible…it’s Monday…LOL! We’re hanging in there. Hope you are well and had a good weekend. Thank you for thinking of us!!!"
Although state and county are cooperatively involved, they have no jurisdiction on pollution coming from a federal property. I hope the feds can stay involved and that progress continues.
Water System Consolidation
I've written about the water system consolidation project I'm involved in in "You might want to move your wells" and in A Gray Tsunami. Assuming this project happens, it will be funded by low-cost loans from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), an EPA program whose operation and management is delegated down to the states.
We've since learned that, while funding has been received at the state level for the 2025-2026 biennium, there's no guarantee that money will be available beyond that. Consequently, we're racing to do the planning and engineering needed to get our loan application in before November 2026 when the funding turns into a pumpkin.
We're hampered by a travel ban and shortage of staff in key positions at the Department of Health, and slowed down by Ecology water right rules and processes that are not always helpful. Nevertheless, State staff at Ecology, Health, and Department of Commerce's Small Communities Initiative have repeatedly gone above and beyond to help us keep this project on track. Once again, I'm thankful that I live here.
Climate Change and Sea Level Rise
Here too, Washington State agencies are taking a leading role, although so much more needs to be done. This year these issues are attracting my attention in several places at once.
Department of Health has released for public comment a Draft Climate Resilience Element and Workbook for water systems plans. Although not required for water systems under 1,000 connections, it's a useful tool for smaller systems too, especially those, like mine, with significant climate risks. I'll be commenting accordingly.
The water system plan climate resilience element complements a similar element required by Department of Commerce for county and city Comprehensive Plan updates. I'm serving on the county's Climate Policy Action Team. Commerce also supervises the Shoreline Master Program and the counties' Shoreline Management Programs (both, confusingly, abbreviated as SMP). My county's most recent SMP update, which I was involved in back in 2020, is now with Ecology for review and public comment.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Department of Natural Resources jointly run the Habitat Strategic Initiative for the Puget Sound Partnership charged with putting in place strategies that improve the health of the rivers, forests, shorelines, estuaries, kelp, and eelgrass that make up Puget Sound using funding from the EPA's National Estuary program, so far still intact. In that context, I've been giving input on the Healthy Shorelines topic, again highly susceptible to climate change.
A feature of all these Washington State agencies is their transparency and openness to public comment, and the relative ease with which concerned citizens can make their voices heard.
As I develop and submit public comments over the next few weeks, I'll be coming back here to share those with you, especially on the topics of sea level rise, storms, and shoreline armoring.
Please let us know in comments how your state is stepping up to fill the void left by the retreat of the Federal government.
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Thank you, John. I read an article recently by a Turkish activist focusing on the unique state/federal split in the U.S. that might change outcomes in various areas, and reading this detailed focus on what your own state is doing gave me heart.
I’m heartened, John, to read your post today. Not heartened, of course, by the collapse of Federal programs as a result of the present “leadership” of this country. When you speak of your involvement at the local and state level, I’m more than a little thankful for the SKAs you bring to bear. There’s a lot of emphasis, for good reason, on resistance to changes at the Federal level. Action, which you outlined today, also requires emphasis.