Detail of Draft Fish Consumption Rule ReleasedBy Washington State Department of Ecology
Consistent with Governor Jay Inslee's July 9 directive, the State Department of Ecology is making details of the preliminary draft rule available for early review. "This meets the clear directive from the governor that we update our clean water standards to protect the health of all Washingtonians, our environment and our economy," said Ecology Director Maia Bellon. "Those most affected have been anxious to see the details, and now they can get a preview of the complete proposal." The new preliminary draft rule proposes standards for how clean our water needs to be, and would control pollution limits for businesses and municipalities that discharge waste water. The rule contains a unique provision that no standard would allow more pollution than today's standard, except arsenic that occurs naturally. Seventy percent of the standards would enhance protection by requiring cleaner water. The water quality standards are initially calculated using a complex set of equations with many inputs - including fish consumption rate, cancer risk rates, average body mass for people, and bioconcentration factors for each chemical. Ecology's preliminary draft rule would increase the fish consumption rate from 6.5 grams a day (about one serving a month) to 175 grams a day (about one serving a day) to better reflect current data and protect Washingtonians who eat a lot of fish. Ecology expects to issue a formal draft rule in January 2015 and will invite public comments. This proposal is directly tied to a broader toxics-reduction package Gov. Inslee will propose to the 2015 Legislature, which will address larger pollution challenges that the Clean Water Act alone cannot solve. Details about the preliminary draft rule can be found on Ecology's website at www.ecy.wa.gov/toxics/fish.html
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Washingtonians get a chance to preview proposed water quality standards for toxic chemicals that include new fish consumption rates.