Hot Topics in Washington
Learn about some of EPA's priority work in Washington.
Lower Yakima Valley groundwater - Nitrate contamination is a concern throughout the Lower Yakima Valley. This page contains important information if you are on a residential or private drinking water well in Yakima County.
Funding for Puget Sound recovery - Since 2010, Congress has appropriated over $350 million in Clean Water Act funds for Puget Sound.
Columbia River Basin Restoration Program - Congress established the Columbia River Basin Restoration Program in 2016. It was the first legislation to officially designate the national importance of restoring the Columbia River Basin, one of our nation’s largest watersheds.
Tribal programs - EPA's Region 10 office serves 271 federally recognized Tribes, including 29 Tribes in Washington.
Upper Columbia River Superfund Site - Historic discharges of wastes and emissions from smelter operations have contaminated portions of the Upper Columbia River. EPA listed the site on the Superfund cleanup list on December 13, 2024.
Spokane River PCB TMDLs - EPA has established Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) – often referred to as a "pollution budget" – to reduce the amount of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, in the Spokane and Little Spokane Rivers in Washington.
Salish Sea Ecosystem Report - The Health of the Salish Sea Ecosystem Report is a collaboration between the U.S. EPA and Environment and Climate Change Canada to report to the public on the health of our shared ecosystem.
Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund site (Seattle) - The Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund site is a five mile segment of Seattle’s only river, the Duwamish. The waterway has served as Seattle’s major industrial corridor since the early 1900s. This has caused sediments in the river bottom to be contaminated with toxic chemicals.
Hanford Superfund site (Richland) - The Hanford site is 586-square-miles and was created in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons. The U.S. Department of Energy, EPA, and the Washington Department of Energy signed a federal facility agreement in 1989 and continue to work together on cleanup.