The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it has issued a final rule to reestablish federal water pollution standards for the State of Washington.
"For many of us in Washington, and for the Tribal communities with whom we share geography, eating fish from Puget Sound and our streams and rivers is part of our daily lives," says Washington Governor Jay Inslee. "These fish must be safe for our families to eat. By reinstating the rule repealed by the prior administration, EPA honors our shared commitment to protect and preserve clean water now and for generations to come."
In 2016, the Trump administration had rolled back protective water quality standards established by EPA. Now the agency says that, as a result of that rollback, water quality standards being implemented in Washington were inadequate to human health.
The agency announced that it is finalizing limits for 72 different pollutants in Washington waters based on the comparatively large amount of fish and shellfish consumed by people in the state. These stricter limits will better protect Tribal fish consumers as well as all Washingtonians.
The full final rule is available here.
“Under the Clean Water Act, EPA has taken significant action to ensure our precious waters are safe for all to enjoy,” says EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This final rule utilizes the latest scientific knowledge and brings us one step closer to delivering safe swimmable, fishable bodies of water that the people of Washington deserve.”
Under the Clean Water Act, states, or EPA when necessary, set limits (called “human health criteria”) for pollutants in water bodies that pose risks to human health through the consumption of locally caught fish and shellfish.
