Washington State Department of Ecology
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ecology.wa.gov
Washington State Department of Ecology
@ecology.wa.gov
Official Washington state Department of Ecology account. Protecting, preserving and enhancing Washington's environment for current and future generations. ecology.wa.gov
Last Thursday we responded to a sinking tugboat off the Kitsap Peninsula. No, not the Dominion tugboat which sunk earlier last month – this was another vessel, the Mollusk. The 64-ft tugboat lost engine power, broke free of its anchor & started breaking apart against the Kingston Marina breakwater.
November 10, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Beach closure alert! ⚠️ A no-contact advisory was issued by the Kitsap Public Health District for the northern portion of Dyes Inlet in Kitsap County due to a sewage spill. Please avoid contact with the water in this area until Nov. 10. Visit ecology.wa.gov/beach to stay up to date on beach closures.
November 6, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Reposted by Washington State Department of Ecology
Another historic first @ Hanford! Last week, our team was on site when the first containers of vitrified low-activity waste were transported to the Integrated Disposal Facility, an engineered landfill permitted by our agency. These containers will soon be the first to be permanently disposed of!
November 5, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Washington is standing together with our fellow @usclimate.bsky.social states — & together, we are resilient, determined, and undaunted. The result is real progress. Learn more at bit.ly/Alliance-Annual-Report-2025
Less pollution, more economic growth, & clean, affordable energy. That’s what @usclimate.bsky.social states are delivering.

No matter the obstacles, we are pressing forward.

Learn more ➡️ usclimatealliance.org/press-releas...
November 3, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Clean air ain't small potatoes! Just ask Lamb Weston, a facility in Quincy who involved us early in the process of replacing their outdated potato boilers. The outcome? Lower permitting costs for the company – and cleaner air for the people of Quincy. Read more: ecology.wa.gov/blog/october...
November 3, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Reposted by Washington State Department of Ecology
There are +1,400 species of bats on Earth. They can be found on every continent other than Antarctica & use echolocation to get food. They're the only mammals who can fly! Some species of bats are found @ the Hanford Site. These include the brown bat, western myotis, & Yuma myotis. #ScenicSpotlight
October 29, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Surface water restrictions in the Yakima Basin end tomorrow, Oct. 31. The restrictions are over, but the area is still in an unprecedented third year of drought with historically low reservoir storage, and will likely enter a fourth year of drought in 2026.
Water restrictions lifted for Yakima Basin on Oct. 31
Water restrictions placed Oct. 6 for surface water diversions in the Yakima Basin will end on Oct. 31.
ecology.wa.gov
October 30, 2025 at 8:41 PM
If you’re still looking for a Halloween costume, this is your sign. 🌠 While the city of Gotham has a batMAN, our moody Olympic coast has the bat STAR. With spooky season in full swing, we thought it was time to shine a spotlight on this coastal critter. Read the blog: ecology.wa.gov/blog/october...
October 30, 2025 at 4:12 PM
We know the recent storm left a lot of branches, leaves and other yard waste all over... but burning wet wood = smoke, soot, and sad fires. Don't burn it – let it dry out first! Check out other options for getting rid of yard waste: ecology.wa.gov/air-climate/...
October 29, 2025 at 5:30 PM
New air monitors are live! Our monitoring team recently installed air monitors in Mabton and Granger. This work was made possible by funding from the Climate Commitment Act. Check out real-time, localized data from these new monitors on the WA Air Quality Map: airqualitymap.ecology.wa.gov
October 23, 2025 at 8:12 PM
A formerly threatened wetland in Nisqually State Park is getting a much-needed facelift now that the old Eatonville landfill is getting cleaned up. More than 1,430 truckloads of contaminated soil and waste have been removed from the old landfill site since earlier this year.
October 22, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Don’t miss your chance to shape the future of clean, affordable transportation policy in Washington! Our first ZEVergreen public meeting is on October 27 at 9:00 a.m., and seats are filling up fast. Register online now: waecy-wa-gov.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
October 21, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Washington's wildfire smoke season started slow, but ramped up when lightning strikes sparked more fires in August. Late-season fires put unhealthy air quality totals above 2024 & 2023 – the 6th highest since 2012. Read our smoke season wrap-up from the WA Smoke Blog: ecology.wa.gov/blog/october...
October 17, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Washington is doubling down on clean, affordable transportation 🚛⚡

Despite federal pushback, we’re keeping our clean truck rules current and accelerating zero-emission investments. Why? Because protecting public health and advancing climate progress isn’t optional.

ecology.wa.gov/about-us/who...
Washington continues moving forward on clean trucks
The Washington Department of Ecology has adopted changes to vehicle emission standards known as Advanced Clean Trucks and Heavy-Duty Low NOx Omnibus.
ecology.wa.gov
October 16, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Reposted by Washington State Department of Ecology
It’s difficult to overstate how important this milestone is in the Hanford cleanup effort. Thousands of Washingtonians worked for decades to bring us to this moment. They deserve recognition for this achievement.
Vitrification at the Low-Activity Waste Facility is now underway! This is historic. We’re extremely grateful & proud of all our staff that have been a key component in making this possible. This is a cause for celebration & our continued commitment to ensuring cleanup is accomplished.
October 16, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Reposted by Washington State Department of Ecology
Vitrification at the Low-Activity Waste Facility is now underway! This is historic. We’re extremely grateful & proud of all our staff that have been a key component in making this possible. This is a cause for celebration & our continued commitment to ensuring cleanup is accomplished.
October 16, 2025 at 12:30 AM
We're responding to a mineral oil spill on the Spokane River between Argonne and Felts Field. Preliminary information suggests 35 gallons of non-PCB mineral oil entered the river following a failure of an oil/water heat exchanger at Inland Empire Paper.
October 10, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Healthy living starts at home 🏠 Children's environmental health is about making sure that the places where kids live, play, and learn are safe and healthy.
October 9, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Cleaning up an oil spill requires an immense amount of organized work and resources. To take a deeper look into that process, we wrote about the response & cleanup for the oil and diesel spill in Indian Creek in August – one of the biggest oil spill incidents of 2025. ecology.wa.gov/blog/october...
Inside the effort to save Indian Creek
<p>On the morning of July 18, a dual-tanker truck carrying thousands of gallons of gasoline and diesel left the roadway on U.S. Highway 101 and overturned into Indian Creek.&nbsp;</p>
ecology.wa.gov
October 9, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Reposted by Washington State Department of Ecology
Thank you TVW for the opportunity to discuss the work we're doing at @ecology.wa.gov to protect Washington's environment on “Inside Olympia.” Washington continues to lead the way on climate, environment and science – and state leadership has never been more important.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Trump Policies Undermine Washington’s Climate Goals, Ecology Chief Says
Air Date: October 2, 2025 Paul W. Taylor, TVW
substack.com
October 8, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Happy October & Flood Awareness Month! Join us with @emd.wa.gov @oicwa.bsky.social & @wadnr.bsky.social this month to learn what flood tricks to look out for and some treats to help you be prepared. Check out our blog about flooding in WA & how to get flood risk maps: ecology.wa.gov/blog/october...
October 7, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Reposted by Washington State Department of Ecology
A year ago, ten state agencies, including Commerce, joined together to launch the Climate Resilience Strategy, a unified plan led by @ecology.wa.gov to strengthen communities across the state.

Today, Ecology released the first progress report.

Read the report:
apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications...
September 30, 2025 at 10:54 PM
A year ago, ten state agencies led by Ecology formed a cohesive strategy to build resilience and strengthen adaptation to climate change. Now, they’re reporting progress. Read how we’re responding to build resilience and adapt: ecology.wa.gov/blog/septemb...
Strategy in action
<p>Ecology releases the first progress report for Washington&#39;s Climate Resilience Strategy, which highlights achievements and next steps for facing the impacts of climate change.</p>
ecology.wa.gov
September 30, 2025 at 10:25 PM
We're responding to a 30-foot sunken vessel near the Port Townsend ferry terminal. A person who was on the vessel is receiving medical attention for an injury. We're working with the port and fire dept. to anchor the vessel and place absorbent materials around the vessel and along the shoreline.
September 28, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Reposted by Washington State Department of Ecology
Proud to stand with @usclimate.bsky.social at #ClimateWeekNYC and deliver on a powerful promise: when states lead, the nation moves.
September 24, 2025 at 5:56 PM