 |
| Ken
Moody (center) of Environmental Earth Systems
explains innovative technologies for a septic
system on Hood Canal to Michael Rylko (left)
of EPA’s Region 10 offi ce. Rylko
was part of an EPA evaluation group that gave
the Action Team high marks for its work on
Puget Sound. / John McShane, EPA |
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency gave high marks to the Puget Sound Action
Team’s efforts to coordinate conservation and
restoration actions in Puget Sound after conducting
a comprehensive review and site visit.
In 1988, Puget Sound was designated
one of America ’s Estuaries of National Significance,
among 28 such places around the country that make
up the National Estuary Program (NEP). Since then,
the Action Team has coordinated the Puget Sound NEP
under the authority of the federal Clean Water Act
(CWA). The long-term Puget Sound Water Quality
Management Plan and the two-year Puget Sound
Conservation and Recovery Plan are federally
recognized as the official plans for the Puget Sound
NEP.
“(You have) demonstrated your success in
building partnerships to solve water quality problems,
target emerging issues and (be) actively involved
in technology transfer to local communities,” wrote
Suzanne Schwartz, director of the Oceans and Coastal
Protection Division of EPA, in the seven-page report.
The evaluation also commends the
Action Team for “successfully bridging multiple
jurisdictions and authorities to effectively plan
and manage Puget Sound protection and restoration
efforts.”
On a related note, EPA’s Pacific
Northwest Regional Office recently designated Puget
Sound as a Regional Geographic Priority, and agreed
to lead an effort to improve alignment of federal
agencies working on Puget Sound issues with the Puget
Sound NEP’s priorities.
Through the National Estuary Program,
the Action Team received $500,000 in CWA funding
for 2006 to support the efforts to protect and restore
Puget Sound . The Washington Department of Ecology
manages additional NEP funding for Puget Sound .
The EPA evaluation of the Action
Team was issued in late 2005 and is available for
public review.
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