Inslee weighs next move on water quality rules

SEATTLE – Gov. Jay Inslee did not get legislation he said was needed to update the state’s water quality standards that are partly tied to how much fish people eat.

Now, he’ll have to decide his next move as federal regulators are preparing to step in and tell Washington what to do in case it fails to finalize a rule by this year.

The state released a draft rule this year that dramatically raised the fish consumption rate to 175 grams a day to protect people who eat about a serving of fish a day. How much fish people eat is part of a complicated formula that determines how clean waters should be. A higher rate theoretically would mean fewer toxic chemicals would be allowed in waters and tougher permitting rules for facilities that discharge pollutants into state waters.

But the governor said the state would not finalize that draft rule until he got approval from lawmakers on companion legislation. Inslee sought a bill that would tackle pollution at its source by giving the Department of Ecology new authority to ban the worst chemicals in products before they foul state waters.

State officials had said the complete package would provide better protection than just the water-quality rule alone. But House Bill 1472 failed to pass during the legislative session that ended last week.