Hot topics in Washington

Learn about some of EPA's priority work in Washington.

Lower Yakima Valley groundwater

Nitrate contamination is a concern throughout the Lower Yakima Valley. EPA is urging well testing if you live in an area north of Granger, Washington. Visit the web page referenced below or call EPA at 206-676-4250 for more information.

Puget Sound

A group of Southern Resident Killer Whales in the Salish Sea. Photo credit: NOAA Fisheries.

Since 2010, Congress has appropriated over $350 million in Clean Water Act funds for Puget Sound.

The Health of the Salish Sea Ecosystem Report is a collaboration between the U.S. EPA and Environment and Climate Change Canada to report to the public on the health of our shared marine ecosystem, which includes Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Columbia River

Congress established the Columbia River Basin Restoration Program in 2016. It was the first legislation to officially designate the national importance of restoring the Columbia River Basin, one of our nation’s largest watersheds.

Spokane River PCBs

EPA has established Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) – or a "pollution budget" – to reduce the amount of PCBs in the Spokane and Little Spokane Rivers in Washington.

Transboundary mining pollution

Eight organizations will receive $1,749,700 through EPA’s Transboundary Watershed Grant Program to monitor and reduce transboundary mining pollution in U.S.-British Columbia transboundary watersheds, including the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

Read EPA's grant announcement.

Superfund

Lower Duwamish Waterway

The Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund site is a five mile segment of Seattle’s only river, the Duwamish. The waterway has served as Seattle’s major industrial corridor since the early 1900s, which has caused sediments in the river bottom to be contaminated with toxic chemicals.

Hanford

The Hanford site is 586-square-miles and was created in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons. The U.S. Department of Energy, EPA, and the Washington Department of Energy signed a federal facility agreement in 1989 and continue to work together on cleanup.

Upper Columbia River

Historic discharges of wastes and emissions from smelter operations have contaminated portions of the Upper Columbia River. EPA listed the site on the Superfund cleanup list in 2024.

Find more Superfund sites in Washington.

Tribal programs

EPA's Region 10 office serves 271 federally recognized Tribes, including 29 Tribes in Washington.

EPA in Washington

Contact Us about EPA in Washington
Contact Us about EPA in Washington to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on December 31, 2025