Washington sets state limits on toxic chemicals in waters to protect aquatic life

Washington Department of Ecology said there are now State limits for toxic chemicals in water including PFAS and 6PPD-Quinone.

DOE said the new limits are to protect aquatic life like fish and invertebrates from the effects of toxic chemicals.

The change comes after new science and research with new methods and modeling tools. Recommendations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Tribal Governments were taken into consideration as well.

According to the DOE, the EPA still needs to approve the new criteria. The DOE will use it to find polluted waters and create a plan to clean them up. DOE said it will also use the approved criteria when updating water quality permits for facilities using those chemicals.

“By using innovative methods and new scientific studies we can better protect salmon, shellfish and all aquatic life from the toxic chemicals they face every day,” said Vince McGowan, Ecology’s Water Quality program manager. “The new limits are customized to Washington’s unique environment and the species we need to protect.”

When including this new limit, Washington has limits for 42 chemicals for both marine and fresh water.

" Well-known toxics already in Washington’s standards such as arsenic, copper, nickel, silver, and zinc were updated to better protect aquatic life." The Doe said, " New additions to Washington’s aquatic life criteria include PFOA and PFOS (part of the PFAS chemical group), aluminum, and 6PPD-quinone."

According to the DOE, Washington is the first state nationwide to set a numeric, freshwater limit for 6PPD-Quinone, a chemical that comes from vehicle tears breaking down. Research has shown this chemical is highly toxic to some salmon and trout including coho salmon and steelhead.

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