Feds adopt Washington water rules to protect fish-eaters from pollution

Federal regulators have finalized water-quality rules for Washington state tied partly to how much fish people eat, approving many aspects of the state’s plan but also setting some stricter limits on some pollutants.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s action Tuesday comes years after contentious debate over how clean the state’s rivers and bays need to be so people can safely eat fish from those waters.

The EPA agreed with Washington on several factors used to regulate pollutants, including raising the fish-consumption rate to 175 grams a day, which would protect people who eat about a half-pound fillet daily.

But the federal agency set tougher rules than the state proposed for about 144 of the 200 chemicals, including methyl mercury and cancer-causing PCBs.

State Ecology Director Maia Bellon said she’s disappointed the “state’s approach wasn’t accepted in its entirety.” She said the state worked hard to balance protecting human health and helping businesses and local governments comply.

Others, including the state’s tribes, had pushed for stronger standards to protect subsistence fishermen and others who eat a high proportion of fish.

“There are still tribes out there who believe that it’s not enough, but we believe it’s more realistic than the previous number,” said Angela Chung, an EPA water quality manager.

Previous standards, adopted in 1992, were intended to protect people who ate a Ritz-cracker sized portion of fish daily from increased cancer risks. Many Washington residents consume higher levels of fish, Chung said.

Business groups and industrial dischargers expressed concerns during the public process about the higher cost of meeting more stringent water quality rules. The new standards will be adopted gradually into permits for industries that discharge treated wastewater, Chung said.

Staff writer Becky Kramer contributed to this report.