Washington State Department of Ecology

Findings from the 2025 report on overburdened communities highly impacted by air pollution

Lower wildfire activity and changing traffic patterns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic reduced air pollution in sensitive ...
Washington State Department of Ecology

How restoring an estuary will help restore a crucial part of the past

Many locals have never seen the dense Olympia area exist without Capitol Lake at its center; they don’t know that the mouth ...
Washington State Department of Ecology

Best Achievable Protection: Technical Manuals Workshop

This rulemaking will update both chapters to consider recommendations from the 2025 Best Achievable Protection (BAP) workgroups. To learn more about this rulemaking and recommendations from the 2025 ...
agr.wa.gov

NextCycle WA helps sustainable businesses access entrepreneurial and financial support

Washington’s NextCycle program is kicking off its fourth cohort supporting innovative ideas that strengthen the state’s circular economy. From campus-based composting systems and regenerative ...
agr.wa.gov

Washington water supply update

The drought declared in April and expanded in June continues with no end in sight. A group of state and federal water supply experts — the Water Supply Availability Committee — says there’s not enough ...
agr.wa.gov

SHARP dashboard tracks contaminated site ratings

There are about 6,500 contaminated sites in Washington that need cleanup or are being cleaned up. They range from small gasoline spills on dirt to complex mixes of different chemicals impacting soil, ...
agr.wa.gov

Building coastal climate change resilience

Roadway flooding in the coastal city of Westport. Photo courtesy of City of Westport. In 2023, we launched an innovative approach to help Washington’s coastal communities and Tribes build their ...
agr.wa.gov

First transfer of radioactive capsules complete at Hanford Site

The first batch of highly radioactive capsules has been successfully moved from underwater pools to safer, long-term dry storage at the Hanford Site. This initial transfer marks a major milestone in ...
agr.wa.gov

New rules would make it easier for small landowners to benefit from Washington’s carbon offsets program

Today, the Washington Department of Ecology proposed changes to the rules that govern forestry offset projects under the state’s Cap-and-Invest Program. The changes would make it easier for small ...
agr.wa.gov

Hanford cleanup gets record $3.2 billion budget

On Thursday, Congress approved a record budget for cleanup for the Hanford Site in Washington state, one of the world’s most contaminated and complex nuclear cleanup projects. “The federal government ...
agr.wa.gov

Calling all kids! Help Ecology design a clean water coloring book

This Earth Day, we are hosting a coloring book design contest for kids across Washington. Students will learn about how to help prevent pollution and design coloring book pages with this in mind. This ...