Good morning,
We are delighted to announce that our speaker on February 26, 2015, Tradition’s Cafe 6 pm Social 300 5th Ave SW Speaker at 6:30 pm Olympia, WA LWVTC GENERAL MEETING TOPIC: TOPIC: Presented By: League of Women Voters of Thurston CountyWater Quality / Fish Consumption (Fish consumption rates, a value that is directly tied to water quality) SPEAKER: SPEAKER: Senator John McCoy (38th District Senator and Tulalip tribal member) 26th will be Senator John McCoy. Senator McCoy, who represents the 38th District and is a Tulalip tribal member, will be giving us a presentation on fish consumption rates, a value that is directly tied to water quality.
Over the past year, there has been a major initiative, led by our state’s tribes, to increase ‘fish consumption rates’ which would raise our water quality standards by requiring local governments and businesses to have more stringent discharge systems. A cleaner discharge means a decrease of pollutants in our waters, and in turn lessens the amount of toxins that we ingest when we eat fish. Our current standard is the lowest in the nation. The new standard will be set by the Department of Ecology. The current fish consumption rate is about a quarter of an ounce of fish per day. Everyone recognizes that average people, and high fish consumers, such as our state’s tribes, eat much more than ¼ of an ounce of fish per day.
Last year, at the urging of the tribes, stakeholders and the Department of Ecology started negotiating a new rate. Local governments and businesses are concerned about the financial impact of having to install better technology in their discharge systems. Tribes and environmental groups remain apprehensive that the new proposed standards still allow too many toxins in the water, affecting fish and leaving too many carcinogens for human consumption. Come and hear Senator McCoy explain why fish consumption is the measure used to establish pollution controls and discharge rates, the current state of discussions, and why this measure is so crucial to our state’s tribes and environmental groups.
I have attached a flyer for your convenience. Please join us at 6 pm on February 26th at Traditions.
Dawn Brooks Gibbs
Water Quality / Fish Consumption (Fish consumption rates, a value that is directly tied to water quality)
SPEAKER: Senator John McCoy (38th District Senator and Tulalip tribal member)
Make No Bones About It 