Washington · statute · Wash. Rev. Code ch. 90.48 · 82 active provisions
It is declared to be the public policy of the state of Washington to maintain the highest possible standards to insure the purity of all waters of the state consistent with public health and public enjoyment thereof, the propagation and protection of wild life, birds, game, fish and other aquatic life, and the industri…
Whenever the word "person" is used in this chapter, it shall be construed to include any political subdivision, government agency, municipality, industry, public or private corporation, copartnership, association, firm, individual or any other entity whatsoever.Wherever the words "waters of the state" shall be used in…
The department shall have the jurisdiction to control and prevent the pollution of streams, lakes, rivers, ponds, inland waters, salt waters, water courses, and other surface and underground waters of the state of Washington.
The department shall have the authority to, and shall promulgate, amend, or rescind such rules and regulations as it shall deem necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter, including but not limited to rules and regulations relating to standards of quality for waters of the state and for substances discharged…
The department, with the assistance of the attorney general, is authorized to bring any appropriate action at law or in equity, including action for injunctive relief, in the name of the people of the state of Washington as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter or chapter 90.56 RCW.
The procedural requirements of this chapter shall not apply to any person conducting a remedial action at a facility pursuant to a consent decree, order, or agreed order issued pursuant to chapter 70A.305 RCW, or to the department of ecology when it conducts a remedial action under chapter 70A.305 RCW. The department o…
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any legal requirement under this chapter, including any standard, limitation, rule, or order is superseded and replaced in accordance with the terms and provisions of an environmental excellence program agreement, entered into under chapter 43.21K RCW.
It shall be unlawful for any person to throw, drain, run, or otherwise discharge into any of the waters of this state, or to cause, permit or suffer to be thrown, run, drained, allowed to seep or otherwise discharged into such waters any organic or inorganic matter that shall cause or tend to cause pollution of such wa…
The department or its duly appointed agent shall have the right to enter at all reasonable times in or upon any property, public or private, for the purpose of inspecting and investigating conditions relating to the pollution of or the possible pollution of any of the waters of this state.The department shall have spec…
In carrying out the purposes of this chapter or chapter 90.56 RCW the department shall, in conjunction with either the adoption of rules, consideration of an application for a waste discharge permit or the termination or modification of such permit, or proceedings in adjudicative hearings, have the authority to issue p…
The department shall have the right to request and receive the assistance of any educational institution or state agency when it is deemed necessary by the department to carry out the provisions of this chapter or chapter 90.56 RCW.
(1) Except under subsection (2) of this section, all engineering reports, plans, and specifications for the construction of new sewerage systems, sewage treatment or disposal plants or systems, or for improvements or extensions to existing sewerage systems or sewage treatment or disposal plants, and the proposed method…
The evaluation of any plans submitted under RCW 90.48.110 must include consideration of opportunities for the use of reclaimed water as defined in RCW 90.46.010. Wastewater plans submitted under RCW 90.48.110 must include a statement describing how applicable reclamation and reuse elements will be coordinated as requir…
(1) Whenever, in the opinion of the department, any person shall violate or creates a substantial potential to violate the provisions of this chapter or chapter 90.56 RCW, or fails to control the polluting content of waste discharged or to be discharged into any waters of the state, the department shall notify such per…
Any person found guilty of willfully violating any of the provisions of this chapter or chapter 90.56 RCW, or any final written orders or directive of the department or a court in pursuance thereof is guilty of a gross misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of up to ten thousand dollars an…
(1) Any person who:(a)(i) Violates any of the provisions of this chapter or chapter 90.56 RCW;(ii) Fails to perform any duty imposed by this chapter or chapter 90.56 RCW;(iii) Violates an order or other determination of the department or the director made pursuant to the provisions of this chapter or chapter 90.56 RCW;…
Except as provided in RCW 43.05.060 through 43.05.080 and 43.05.150, every person who:(1) Violates the terms or conditions of a waste discharge permit issued pursuant to RCW 90.48.180 or 90.48.260 through 90.48.262, or(2) Conducts a commercial or industrial operation or other point source discharge operation without a…
This chapter shall not be construed as repealing any of the laws governing the pollution of the waters of the state, but shall be held and construed as ancillary to and supplementing the same and an addition to the laws now in force, except as the same may be in direct conflict herewith.
The department is authorized to cooperate with the federal government and to accept grants of federal funds for carrying out the purposes of this chapter. The department is empowered to make any application or report required by an agency of the federal government as an incident to receiving such grants.
The department is authorized to cooperate with appropriate agencies of neighboring states and neighboring provinces, to enter into contracts, and make contributions toward interstate and state-provincial projects to carry out the purposes of this chapter and chapter 90.56 RCW.
The department of ecology is authorized to make and administer grants to any public bodies for the purpose of aiding in the construction and improvement of water pollution control facilities in conjunction with federal grants authorized pursuant to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
Any person who conducts a commercial or industrial operation of any type which results in the disposal of solid or liquid waste material into the waters of the state, including commercial or industrial operators discharging solid or liquid waste material into sewerage systems operated by municipalities or public entiti…
Any county or any municipal or public corporation operating or proposing to operate a sewerage system, including any system which collects only domestic sewerage, which results in the disposal of waste material into the waters of the state shall procure a permit from the department of ecology before so disposing of suc…
Any city, town or municipal corporation operating a sewerage system including treatment facilities may be granted authority by the department to issue permits for the discharge of wastes to such system provided the department ascertains to its satisfaction that the sewerage system and the inspection and control program…
Applications for permits shall be made on forms prescribed by the department and shall contain the name and address of the applicant, a description of the applicant's operations, the quantity and type of waste material sought to be disposed of, the proposed method of disposal, and any other relevant information deemed…