7/29 Shrew, WQ rules, free Lolita, Wyland's orcas, Bears Ears, sewage spill, Roundup

Shrew [Wikipedia]

Masked shrew Sorex cinereus
The cinereous shrew or masked shrew is a small shrew found in Alaska, Canada and the northern United States. This is the most widely distributed shrew in North America, where it is also known as the common shrew. (Wikipedia)

EPA's move to ease state water quality rules welcomed by pulp industry
In what industry officials are calling good news for local pulp and paper mills, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency signed a proposal Tuesday to roll back “unattainable” water quality standards. Also known as the fish consumption rule, Washington’s clean water rule is intended to protect the health of people and fish and to manage pollution caused by industries and municipalities. The State Department of Ecology adopted the standards in 2016 after a four-year public process. However, the EPA disapproved of 143 standards and imposed stricter rules in their place. But in May, EPA reversed its disapproval of Ecology’s original standards. And on Tuesday the agency announced plans to start a public process to remove its own health and safety criteria from the state’s water rule. Mallory Gruben reports. (Daily News)

Lummi Nation could sue under repatriation act to free captive orca in Miami
In a new effort to release the last surviving southern resident orca in captivity, two Lummi Nation tribal members have notified a Miami theme park they will sue if the whale is not released and repatriated to her home waters within 90 days. The Miami Seaquarium, which has held the orca in captivity since August 1970, declined to comment on the notice of intent to sue. Lolita, also known as Tokitae, was recently renamed Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut by the tribe for the village at Penn Cove in Puget Sound where she was captured. She still performs twice daily for food for paying customers at the Seaquarium where she lives in the smallest tank of any orca in North America. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)

Wyland's 'The Orcas of Puget Sound' mural unveiled at The Edgewater
Renowned artist Robert Wyland's newest mural, "The Orcas of Puget Sound," was unveiled Friday at Pier 67 at The Edgewater. The artist, known for his large outdoor murals featuring sea life, began painting the mural earlier this week and wants to bring attention to the endangered orcas. The piece features the orca J-Pod. (KOMO)

Environmentalists and tribal leaders slam Bears Ears Monument plan allowing off-road vehicles
The U.S. government has decided to allow off-road vehicles access to archaeologically sensitive land at a Utah national monument that houses sacred tribal sites under a plan announced Friday. The Bureau of Land Management's plan for the Bears Ears National Monument says that certain historic sites most at risk will be off limits, but the agency chose an alternative that closes about 42 square miles to off-road vehicles. That's far less than a different option that would have closed nearly 184 square miles. The plan was met by immediate criticism from environmental and tribal organizations, who say it will leave sensitive lands and sites vulnerable to damage. (CBS)

West Point raw sewage discharge details emerge
The King County Wastewater Treatment Division has submitted its overflow report to the Washington Department of Ecology, which provides more detail about a July 19 power outage at the West Point Treatment Plant that resulted in the bypassing of millions of gallons of stormwater and sewage into Puget Sound. Seattle City Light reports a storm event early that morning caused a surge and resulting fire to break out on a power pole for the Canal Street substation. The pole broke off and struck additional power lines, cutting power to more than 10,000 City Light customers, including the West Point Treatment Plant in Magnolia. This caused equipment at the plant, including an intermediate pump station and an effluent pump station, to go offline. The report states the plant was taking in around 300 million gallons per day. An emergency bypass gate opened for 27 minutes due to high wastewater levels in the raw sewage pumps and influent control structure. King County reports about 80 percent of the discharge into Puget Sound was stormwater while the other 20 percent was sewage. A standby effluent pump station did activate, according to the report, “only to fall offline due to high vibration. Staff are investigating the cause of the vibration trip.” Brandon Macz reports. (Queen Anne News)

Judge cuts $2 billion award for couple with cancer to $86.7 million in Roundup lawsuit
A judge slashed 95 percent off the $2 billion awarded a California couple who developed cancer after using Roundup weed-killer. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Winifred Y. Smith on Thursday cut the couple’s damages to $86.7 million on the basis that the judgment handed down by an Oakland jury in May had vastly exceeded legal precedent. It’s the third time in less than a year that Bayer AG has had a jury award significantly reduced in a lawsuit alleging the world’s most widely used herbicide causes cancer. The German pharmaceutical and life sciences giant is appealing, or plans to appeal, all verdicts. Taylor Telford reports. (Washington Post)



Now, your tug weather--

West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  241 AM PDT Mon Jul 29 2019   
TODAY  W wind to 10 kt becoming NW 10 to 20 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the  afternoon. W swell 4 ft at 7 seconds. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 4 ft at 7 seconds.




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