In 2016 we reported that although there were a huge number of pollution violations in the Hangman Creek watershed, no progress was being made. In fact, in eastern Washington State, some 129 violation letters were sent, resulting in only one pollution problem being fixed. Compared to the rest of the state, Ecology’s Eastern Region seemed to be reluctant to use enforcement to correct non-point pollution problems (see figure below), despite promises to do so in the Hangman Creek TMDL (cleanup plan).
Non-point source pollution enforcement 2013-2016. Ecology’s Eastern Office has been reluctant to enforce pollution violations. However, things are changing for the better.
Click on the photo to read the report
This regulatory inaction, combined with the extreme water quality issues and severely altered state of the watershed, led us to sue the EPA, who approved the TMDL. We settled with EPA, leading to a a number of actions by the Department of Ecology in the Hangman watershed. In general, we wanted Ecology to use all of their tools available to cleanup the watershed. These tasks are outlined in the Washington Department of Ecology Hangman Settlement Agreement 2019 Annual Report:
“The settlement outlines specific tasks that demonstrate progress towards addressing nonpoint source pollution, as well as mechanisms to track progress over the course of the 10-year agreement. These tasks include a comprehensive riparian assessment, annual documentation of pollution entering the stream, tracking pollution correction measures and documenting the effectiveness of those measures.”
Today we are happy to report substantial progress towards cleaning up the Hangman Creek watershed. Not only are the above actions well underway, in one short year, a number of pollution problems have been fixed, or are underway (see table below).
Action in 2019 from the Department of Ecology in the Hangman wateshed.
We are delighted at the progress made in the watershed, but more is needed. The continued attention by the Department of Ecology is one aspect of the work required to cleanup one of the dirtiest creeks in Washington State. Large scale restoration, such as that on the Coeur d’Alene Reservation, complements the work required by our settlement.