Effective January 18, 2007, Washington State has issued new stormwater regulations. Separate sets of regulations were issued simultaneously for the eastern and western portions of the state. The separate permits for Eastern and Western Washington are tailored to match the unique characteristics of each side of the state.

Billy Frank Jr., chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission said, “The state’s new stormwater regulations are important to protect Puget Sound, and are long overdue. Polluted runoff is a big problem, and in fact, the permit requirements should be even stronger. We need more monitoring to know what’s in the stormwater, where it’s coming from, and how it’s affecting Puget Sound. All new development in the region should be required to use the best stormwater management practices available. As we seek to balance growth in region, while also trying to clean up Puget Sound, this is a good step in the right direction.”

“While the east side of Washington is drier, polluted runoff that runs into storm drains is a problem in any urban setting,” explained Jay Manning, director of the Washington Department of Ecology. “Even with less precipitation, stormwater pollutes Eastern Washington waters with toxic metals, oil, PCBs and pesticides just as it does in Western Washington.”

Manning added, “These permits alone will not fix the pollution problems from urban runoff, but they are a big step in the right direction.”

The Eastern Washington cities covered under the Eastern Washington Phase II municipal stormwater permit are

• Asotin,
• Clarkston,
• East Wenatchee,
• Ellensburg,
• Kennewick,
• Liberty Lake,
• Millwood,
• Moses Lake,
• Pasco,
• Pullman,
• Richland,
• Selah,
• Spokane,
• Spokane Valley,
• Sunnyside,
• Union Gap,
• Walla Walla,
• Wenatchee,
• West Richland and
• Yakima.

The counties are Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Franklin, Spokane, Walla Walla and Yakima.The Western Washington cities covered under the western permit are

• Aberdeen,
• Algona,
• Anacortes,
• Arlington,
• Auburn,
• Bainbridge Island,
• Battle Ground,
• Bellevue,
• Bellingham,
• Black Diamond,
• Bonney Lake,
• Bothell,
• Bremerton,
• Brier,
• Buckley,
• Burien,
• Burlington,
• Camas,
• Centralia,
• Clyde Hill,
• Covington,
• Des Moines,
• DuPont,
• Duvall,
• Edgewood,
• Edmonds,
• Enumclaw,
• Everett,
• Federal Way,
• Ferndale,
• Fife,
• Fircrest,
• Gig Harbor,
• Granite Falls,
• Issaquah,
• Kelso,
• Kenmore,
• Kent,
• Kirkland,
• Lacey,
• Lake Forest Park,
• Lake Stevens,
• Lakewood,
• Longview,
• Lynnwood,
• Maple Valley,
• Marysville,
• Medina,
• Mercer Island,
• Mill Creek,
• Milton,
• Monroe,
• Mount Vernon,
• Mountlake Terrace,
• Mukilteo,
• Newcastle,
• Normandy Park,
• Oak Harbor,
• Olympia,
• Orting,
• Pacific,
• Port Angeles,
• Port Orchard,
• Poulsbo,
• Puyallup,
• Redmond,
• Renton,
• Sammamish,
• SeaTac,
• Sedro-Woolley,
• Shoreline,
• Snohomish,
• Steilacoom,
• Sumner,
• Tukwila,
• Tumwater,
• University Place,
• Vancouver,
• Washougal,
• Woodinville,
• Yarrow Point.

The counties are  Cowlitz, Kitsap, Skagit, Thurston, and Whatcom.Additionally, the department of Ecology has re-issued the Phase I municipal stormwater permit. The permit covers the state’s most populated areas in Clark, King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties, as well as Seattle and Tacoma.

Manning said Gov. Gregoire’s proposed budget seeks funding for cities and counties to start implementing stormwater permit requirements. The Governor’s budget includes more than $26 million for stormwater, of which $9 million is earmarked specifically to help local governments comply with the new phase II stormwater requirements.

In addition, the Department of Ecology is holding informational workshops across the state in March to help city and county officials begin learning about the permit requirements. Information about the workshops and permits can be found online at: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/stormwater/municipal/index.html.

Manning said, “I am confident that these permits will result in the kind of real environmental progress that can best be implemented by the local governments.”