OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Department of Ecology is discussing new regulations for wastewater treatment plants across the state.
The Skagit-Valley Herald reports the new permit would apply to the Anacortes, La Conner, Mount Vernon and dozens of other treatment plants in western Washington.
Ecologists say the regulations would require treatment plants that discharge directly into rivers or marine waters to reduce the amount of nutrients like nitrogen and carbon that they release.
They say these nutrients feed algae growth and deplete oxygen, harming marine life and reducing water quality.