Resources – Page 2 – Edmonds Environmental Council

Press Release – Olympic View Water and Sewer District Issues Intent to Sue Edmonds School District Over PFAS Pollution at Madrona School

For Immediate Release:
April 28, 2025

Media Contact:
Bob Danson, General Manager
Cell: (425) 530-5595

Citizen Suit Alleges Violations of Safe Drinking Water Act and WashingtonvState’s Non-Endangerment Standard for Underground Injection Control Wells

Edmonds, WA –Olympic View Water and Sewer District (OVWSD) has issued a Notice of Intent to Sue to the Edmonds School District to protect the drinking water aquifer that is threatened by PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) pollution at the Madrona School. This legal action cites violations of environmental laws and follows the school district’s inaction in addressing the pollution.

Stormwater & residential pollution

Department of Ecology

One of the main pollution sources from urban and suburban communities is stormwater. Stormwater is rain and snow melt that flows over rooftops, streets, landscaping, and parking lots that can pick up and carry pollution into nearby waterways. Stormwater is not always treated even when it flows into street drains and can be a leading threat to water quality. Due to the significant rain and snow across the state, Washington has become a leader in stormwater management.

PFAS Information

Olympic View Water & Sewer District

What is PER- and POLY-FLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES (PFAS)?

Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances or “PFAS” has become an issue of public health concern in numerous contexts recently including in public drinking water supplies. PFAS are a large family of chemicals in use since the 1950s to make a wide variety of stain-resistant, water-resistant, and non-stick consumer products, including food packaging, outdoor clothing, and non-stick pans. PFAS have also been used in certain types of firefighting foams utilized by the U.S. military, local fire departments, and airports.

What is 6PPD-quinone?

Environmental protection Agency
November 26, 2024

Vehicle tires contain the chemical known as 6PPD to prevent tires from breaking down due to reactions with ozone and other reactive oxygen species in the air. When 6PPD reacts with ozone in the air, it forms 6PPD-quinone. Tires wear down through contact with roads, releasing particles into the environment. When it rains, stormwater from hard surfaces like parking lots and streets washes these particles into streams and other water bodies. As a result, 6PPD-quinone may be present and aquatic organisms can be exposed to it.

PFAS Explained

Environmental Protection Agency
Updated October 3, 2024

EPA is committed to providing meaningful, understandable, and actionable information on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – known as PFAS – to the American public. The information provided here is intended to explain some of the important background information needed to understand the details of specific actions EPA takes to address PFAS, and other emerging events related to PFAS.

What EPA Has Learned So Far

Edmonds Stream Inventory and Assessment

July 29, 2002
Pentec Environmental

The attached report was prepared for the City of Edmonds to establish baseline information on stream conditions in order to support work toward meeting National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit and ESA requirements. This report covers all of the appropriate significant streams under the City’s jurisdiction.

King County detects PFAS in wastewater, fertilizer program

May 3, 2025
By Conrad Swanson
Seattle Times climate reporter

1 of 2 | Wastewater is treated at King County’s South Treatment Plant in Renton in January. The plant was one of three in the county that tested for “forever chemicals.” (Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times)
2 of 2 | After waste is treated and much of the water is removed, the solid material is collected for further processing at King County’s South Treatment Plant. The material can be turned into fertilizer for the state’s… (Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times)

Link to Seattle Times article

Juvenile salmonids traverse coastal meta-nurseries that connect rivers via the sea

Stuart H Munsch1*, Todd R Bennett2, Jimmy Faukner3, Madison J Halloran4, Karrie M Hanson2, Martin C Liermann2, Michael L McHenry 5, John R McMillan6, Raymond E Moses5, Bob Pagliuco7, George R Pess2, Katherine R Stonecypher4, and Darren M Ward4

Baby salmon head out to sea. Then they do something unexpected, new research shows

April 30, 2025
By Lynda V. Mapes
Seattle Times environment reporter

Link to Seattle Times article

Coho salmon smolts are collected in a fish trap as researchers assess local salmon populations in an Olympic Peninsula stream. (Karrie Hanson)

Scientists discover ‘potential breakthrough’ in protecting salmon from urban killer

March 28, 2025 at 6:00 am

By Amanda Zhou
Seattle Times staff reporter

For decades, toxic tire dust has choked coho salmon before they can spawn in their natal streams. Now, King County scientists say they have made a “potential breakthrough” in how to save them.

Western Washington University student researchers split a sample of treated stormwater into smaller amounts for analysis. (Courtesy of Curtis Hinman)

Link to Seattle Time article

The truth about American drinking water: Report shows widespread presence of hazardous chemicals

February 25, 2025
Beth Greenfield

Link to full Fortune article:
https://fortune.com/well/2025/02/26/drinking-water-hazardous-chemicals

Your tap water might not be safe to drink, according to new data. – Getty Images

Between the ongoing controversy around fluoridated water and the recent discovery of a chemical in our water systems that may or may not be toxic, the safety of American drinking water is murky, to say the least.

Washington Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Ask DC For Marine Mammal Act Modifications

By Andy Walgamott
Northwest Sportsman
February 4, 2025

A bipartisan group of Washington legislators has filed a bill in Olympia asking Congress and the Trump Administration to modify the Marine Mammal Protection Act to allow lethal removals of sea lions and harbor seals and other actions in more of the state to save ESA-listed Chinook and other salmon populations.

A HARBOR SEAL SWIMS IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER. (ODFW)

The E.P.A. Promotes Toxic Fertilizer. 3M Told It of Risks Years Ago.

The agency obtained research from 3M in 2003 revealing that sewage sludge, the raw material for the fertilizer, carried toxic “forever chemicals.”

The author reviewed thousands of pages of decades-old documents to report this article.

By Hiroko Tabuchi
Dec. 27, 2024

David Lewis, a former E.P.A. microbiologist, issued early warnings.Credit...Will Crooks for The New York Times — David Lewis, a former E.P.A. microbiologist, issued early warnings.Credit…Will Crooks for The New York Times

In early 2000, scientists at 3M, the chemicals giant, made a startling discovery: High levels of PFAS, the virtually indestructible “forever chemicals” used in nonstick pans, stain-resistant carpets and many other products were turning up in the nation’s sewage.

Why are so many Coho salmon dying? The answer might be in your tires

By Camila Domonoske, Jessica Yung, Rebecca Ramirez
November 20, 2024

For decades, Coho salmon were turning up dead in urban streams the Pacific Northwest. The salmon would stop swimming straight, and then die before they had a chance to spawn. Researchers worried that unless they figured out the cause, the species would eventually go extinct.

From tires to nail polish, we’re studying a new round of consumer products with toxic chemicals

Draft report open for formal public comment

by Cathy Hamilton-Wissmer
November 1, 2024

In May 2024, our Safer Products for Washington team identified a new set of toxic chemicals in everyday consumer products. That’s important because it gives us an opportunity to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals and prevent their release into the environment. We want your feedback on the products we’ve identified as significant sources of these toxic chemicals.

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