More Protection for Des Moines Creek
As Ecology Accepts City's Action Request

Des Moines Creek and its East Tributary are slated to receive much higher protection against pollution as the result of action in early June by the Department of Ecology to add both streams to the Department's list of water bodies that need special protection because of ongoing, intractable violations of state water quality standards, as provided by sec. 303 (d) (5) of the federal Clean Water Act.

The City of Des Moines made the formal request in March 2004, at the urging of the Regional Commission on Airport Affairs, with technical support provided by RCAA & its consultants. The streams are now listed for four different “parameters”: copper, zinc, dissolved oxygen, and fecal coliform bacteria. During 2004, Ecology considered requests for listings for water bodies all across the State, as part of a required periodic re-assessment.

The next step is for Ecology to send its revised list to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for that agency's review & approval. Thereafter, Ecology will work on plans for a thorough study of the four pollutants in the creeks. This will determine how much pollution is permissible & who is responsible for it. Next will come programs to reduce the pollution to permissible limits.

Attorney Rick Poulin, who assisted in preparing the City's request, said that these listings “were made on the strength of the five-year study conducted by the City of Des Moines” through its consultants, Herrerra Environmental.

Unfortunately, parallel requests by the City of Normandy Park and RCAA for a (d)(5) listing of Miller/Walker Creeks were not accepted, in large part because of the absence of reliable long-term studies. Instead, Ecology listed Miller Creek in the category of “waters of concern”, for possible excessive levels of dissolved oxygen, copper, & zinc. Sea-Tac Airport is believed to be the largest contributor of these pollutants to the Miller/Walker system (as well as Des Moines Creek), & the Airport is under a mandate to conduct a comprehensive study of water quality including those streams. The results of this study may add weight to the next requests for 303 (d) (5) listings for Miller & Walker Creeks.

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