Clean water: Puget Sound spills must stop
Re: “Operator error sends wastewater into Puget Sound,” (TNT, 12/3).
It is disheartening but predictable to see raw sewage pouring into the Puget Sound after another wastewater infrastructure failure last week at a treatment plant near Discovery Park in Seattle.
Unfortunately, these aren’t isolated events. Sewage overflows contaminate our water in Washington and across the country too often. This is unacceptable.
Like many, I recreate on the Puget Sound to get a break from life’s worries. Whether our water has sewage in it shouldn’t be one of them.
Fortunately, this pollution is preventable. As Environment Washington’s new report “A Path to Cleaner Water” states, water infrastructure works. If we invest in sewage systems and natural infrastructure to trap stormwater, we can prevent pollution from contaminating our waterways going forward.
Earlier this year, the U.S. House earmarked $11 billion in additional funding for clean water and drinking water infrastructure. But the Senate budget package unveiled in November included no increase.
Washington Sen. Patty Murray serves on the Appropriations Committee. Hopefully, she can convince her colleagues to support this funding to protect Puget Sound and all Washington waterways.
Pamela Clough, Steilacoom
(Clough is acting director of Environment Washington)
This story was originally published December 12, 2020 at 10:36 AM with the headline "Clean water: Puget Sound spills must stop."