washington department of ecology

Ecology said this survey is part of an ongoing effort to build drought resilience in the region and address the environmental, social and economic impacts that may occur because of drought conditions.

If you own land, or you’re thinking about buying, water rights are an important detail to know.  Whether you're trying to understand them, trying to get them, or trying to find them, water rights are complicated.  But to help land owners, or would be landowners, the Washington Department of Ecology has unveiled a new, interactive Water Resources Web Map.  DOE says this new map w...

According to the state Department of Ecology, drought conditions continue in central Washington and may be developing in the northern and even western parts of the state.  And the recent Water Supply Availability Committee meeting indicated existing drought conditions are likely to persist through the summer, and in some areas, conditions may worsen. T...

Last month, the Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board ordered state officials to rewrite pollution discharge permit regulations for concentrated animal feeding operations, better known as CAFOs.  The order was issued after a challenge from environmental groups that complained that previous regulations violated state and federal law.  The com...

For the 3rd year in a row, the Washington Department of Ecology has declared a drought emergency in central Washington.  Ecology noted in Tuesday’s announcement that back-to-back droughts in 2023 and 2024 took their toll on Upper Yakima, Lower Yakima and Naches watersheds, causing significant deficits in precipitation and soil moisture.   The De...

For now, at least, the Washington Department of Ecology will not expend any more energy trying to prop up S.B. 5174.

Legislation ensuring fuels used for agricultural purposes are exempt from the Climate Commitment Act has been introduced in the Washington House.  Moses Lake Representative Tom Dent, sponsor of House Bill 1912, said the legislation will fix the mistakes made when CCA passed four years ago.   “That is t...

There are a host of issues the Washington farming community is watching very closely this legislative session.  One that sparks some of the strongest emotions has to do with the Climate Commitment Act.  Despite being told the farming community would be exempt from the CCA, the Department of Ecology has yet to implement a system in which farmers and growers get what they were promised.   Jon DeVane

Last week, legislation was introduced in the Washington House Environment and Energy Committee that would monitor methane emissions in dairy and beef cattle.  House Bill 1630, introduced by Olympia area Democrat Representative Lisa Parshley, states if Ecology finds an operation produces sufficient methane, they would likely need to come under the Climate Commitment Act as covered entities.   “You'

Legislation introduced in the Washington House Environment and Energy Committee looks to monitor methane emissions in dairy and beef cattle.  House Bill 1630 would require dairy farms and feed lots to report annually to the state Department of Ecology with the total metric tons of methane emitted the preceding calendar year.  The proposal...