Dept. of Ecology to host water webinars

SOAP LAKE - According to a city of Soap Lake press release, the Department of Ecology is inviting the public to two upcoming webinars about rulemaking and to consider designating Soap Lake and three rivers as an outstanding resource water.

An outstanding resource water is a subset of high quality waters under Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.

The DOE’s website states that the webinar will go over Washington’s water quality standards and outstanding resource water policy, a brief introduction of each nominated water body and rulemaking schedule and public involvement opportunities.

The website goes on to explain that an outstanding resource water has the highest level of protection assigned to a water body, under the Tier III Antidegradation rule in DOE’s water quality standards, WAC 173-201A-330. This means a water body adopted into rule as an outstanding resource water will be protected from degradation after the water has been formally designated.

The release states the Soap Lake Conservancy and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation submitted the Soap Lake nomination to the DOE. The webinar is an informational session and the goal is to provide some general information and listen to questions and comments.

Webinar info:

Nov. 16 at 5:30 p.m.

https://bit.ly/3WA4MFU

Nov. 17 at 1:30 p.m.

https://bit.ly/3NL61Ou