By Karen Robes Meeks
An Agreed Order has been reached between the Port of Olympia and the Washington State Department of Ecology over the industrial stormwater permit that covers the port’s Marine Terminal.
The order gives the port a specific timeline to propose and implement a range of possible system modifications designed to ensure the facility can consistently meet Chemical Oxidation Demand (COD) permit benchmarks into the future.
“The Port of Olympia is committed to sound environmental stewardship,” said Port Executive Director Sam Gibboney. “I appreciate Ecology’s cooperation in clarifying our mutual expectations and look forward to working together to achieve our shared goal of protecting the water quality of Budd Inlet.”
In 2015, a failed system component in the then-newly operational Port Marine Terminal stormwater treatment facility led to a release of hydrogen peroxide. The system returned to operations in 2016 and have since been working to make corrective action requirements.