Drafter
Clerk 7/19/2007
Title
A MOTION requesting the King County executive and department of natural resources and parks assess and report on public education activities recommended to be coordinated with the state Department of Ecology and local jurisdictions to implement state-issued phase I and phase II stormwater permits.
Body
WHEREAS, the United States Congress passed the 1972 Clean Water Act to set a national standard protecting all the nation's waters, and
WHEREAS, polluted stormwater from runoff is a major threat to Puget Sound and to the state's and King County's urban waters, and
WHEREAS, municipal stormwater permits are required by the federal Clean Water Act and are delegated to states to administer, and the state of Washington has just issued phase I and phase II permits to King County and its cities, and
WHEREAS, public outreach and education are a key components of the efforts at the state and local level to manage and control the point sources of pollution that may come from domestic, commercial and industrial functions and facilities, and
WHEREAS, efforts to educate the general public regarding activities as simple as car washing, disposal of household waste and landscaping to inform them of best management practices can provide significant benefits particularly when multiplied over the number of households in King County, and
WHEREAS, best management practices related to car washing are already known and have been shown to be effective in reducing the pollution and harmful surfactants affecting human, plant, fish and other species as they are released to local streams, lakes and other waterways via stormwater, and
WHEREAS, the activities and means to coordinate such messages regarding use of commercial car washing facilities, washing cars on gravel, grass or other permeable surfaces and utilizing car wash kits and block off storm drains during car wash events have been shown to be practical and beneficial;
NOW, THEREFORE...
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