• Remobilization of Persistent Chemicals:
  • Floodwaters disturb riverbed sediments, releasing persistent organic pollutants (POPs)—chemicals long banned for their links to cancer, birth defects, and chronic illness.
  • These contaminants can spread across fields, grazing lands, and urban areas, creating new pathways into the food supply (e.g., milk and meat).
• Wastewater Treatment Overflows:
  • Flooding can cause wastewater treatment systems to overflow, discharging pathogens, microbes, and untreated sewage into rivers, lakes, and floodplains.
• Floodplain Challenges:
  • While floodplains are vital for absorbing excess water and protecting cities, they often include agricultural lands, where livestock can ingest contaminated grasses after flood events.

• Post-Flood Contamination Risks: Utilities may face increased treatment challenges from remobilized contaminants and microbial loading.
• Infrastructure Resilience: Flooding highlights the importance of flood-proofing treatment plants and pumping stations to minimize overflows.
• Cross-Sector Coordination: Managing these risks requires integrating flood control policies with chemical management and land use planning.

• Integrating chemical contamination risks into flood planning,
• Coordinating with agriculture and land use agencies on floodplain management, and
• Advocating for federal and state funding to bolster wastewater and stormwater system resilience.

• These amendments aim to keep current state PFAS protections in place until the new EPA federal standards become effective.
• The Board is also considering whether to align state action levels (SALs) with the new EPA standards before the federal effective date.
• Additional editorial updates to definitions in WAC 246-290-010 and WAC 246-290-025 are being explored to improve consistency between state and federal rules.

• Five comments were received on the draft rule changes:
  • Two supported keeping current SALs until the federal rule takes effect.
  • One supported the rules but expressed concern about adopting provisions.
  • Two suggested clarifying rule language.

• The Board will conduct a cost survey to assess expected costs to consumers and businesses.
• This survey will inform required analyses, including a significant analysis and a Small Business Economic Impact Statement (SBEIS).

• Shay Bauman – shay.bauman@sboh.wa.gov
• Zehra Siddiqui – zehra.siddiqui@doh.wa.gov
• Mike Means – mike.means@doh.wa.gov

• State declaration (April 8, expanded June 5): Triggered when water supply is <75% of normal and there is undue hardship for people or the environment. Enables emergency drought relief grants for Tribes and eligible public entities (but not individual farmers).
• Federal designation: Triggered by U.S. Drought Monitor thresholds (D3/D4 or extended D2 conditions during the growing season). Makes farmers eligible for federal emergency loans.

• Rapid decline: June was the third driest and 10th hottest June on record statewide, with just 23% of normal precipitation.
• Eastern Washington hardest hit:
  • Franklin & Grant Counties: Driest June on record (0.00 inches precipitation).
  • Adams County: Only 0.01 inches of rain.
  • Spokane, Garfield, Walla Walla & Whitman Counties: All reported their driest Junes on record.
• Snowpack: Significantly below normal, with early melt-out in multiple regions (e.g., Corral Pass melted 31 days early).
• Soil moisture: Severe deficits, particularly in the Lower Yakima Basin.

• Ecology Update – Jon Kenning will provide Water Quality Program updates and engagement opportunities.
• Office of Drinking Water Restructure – Holly Meyers will share organizational changes and priorities.
• Open Roundtable Discussion – Exchange updates, challenges, and collaborative solutions.

• Shaping Technical Guidance – Sampling strategies, analytical methods (e.g., EPA Method 1633A), and monitoring frequency protocols.
• Defining Standards – Helping establish thresholds and actionable levels for PFAS in biosolids.
• Balancing Stakeholder Interests – Aligning agricultural needs, public health concerns, and wastewater utility operations.
• Framing Next Steps – Ecology's interpretation of PFAS test data and the path toward the 2029 report and future policy recommendations.

Manager's Meeting

August 6, 2025 @9:30AM
Location: Virtual Zoom

August 12, 2025 @10:00AM
Location: Virtual Zoom

August 12, 2025 @6:00PM
Location: In-Person, Bob's Burgers & Brew

August 13, 2025 @1:00PM
Location: Virtual Zoom

August 14, 2025 @10:00AM
Location: Virtual Zoom

August 18, 2025 @7:30PM
Location: Virtual Zoom

August 20, 2025 @10:30AM
Location: Hybrid Zoom / In-Person
Alderwood Water & Wastewater District

Conference & Training Committee

August 21, 2025 @10:00AM
Location: Virtual Zoom

Board of Directors Meeting

August 25, 2025 @10:30AM
Location: Hybrid at WASWD Office

Section I & II Meeting

August 28, 2025 @6:00PM
Location: Virtual Zoom

NEW - WASWD Webinar: From Legislation to Action: Understanding Washington's New PFAS Testing Requirements
Presented by the Department of Ecology, Free. Zoom Link

This session will help wastewater districts understand what to expect from the near-term implementation of PFAS-related legislation—particularly regulatory requirements and operational implications. Emily will share an update on the work of the Biosolids Advisory Committee.

Virtual Workshop: Using Technologies and AI to Address Clean Water Challenges
Presented by the NACWA, $450 - $800. Registration Link

This two-day virtual workshop will focus on the transformative role of AI in driving workforce efficiency, improving water quality and strengthening operations. With strong momentum at the federal level—from both Congress and the Administration—around promoting cutting-edge technologies, this workshop will provide a timely opportunity for utility leaders to learn from peers and explore emerging tools and strategies.

The workshop is designed to promote peer learning and sector-wide collaboration. It will be especially valuable for utility leaders looking to modernize systems, improve efficiency, or explore how AI can support day-to-day operations.

Review & Prep for Wastewater Operator Level 3 &  4 Certification Exam Workshop - In-Person
Presented by Professional Training Association, $610. Registration Link

This In-Person workshop will explain what to expect from the exam, provide you with tips on “test taking”, and help you identify areas you may want to focus on during your additional exam prep activities.

Math Review & Exam Prep for Operator Level 3 & 4 - In-Person Workshop
Presented by Professional Training Association, $510. Registration Link

This is perfect for operators who understand the principles of water and wastewater math and are interested in obtaining their Wastewater Treatment Operator level 3 or 4 certificate. In this workshop you will learn not to just plug numbers into formulas but what the formulas actually mean and how to apply them.

2025 Western Washington Short School Trade Show
Presented by PNWS- AWWA, $325. Registration Link

This course reinforces information covered in the ICS-100 through ICS-300 courses, and discusses several new topics, including Area Command, and modifications to the standard ICS organizational structure that might be helpful during Complex Incidents.