Leadership and Success in Reducing Toxics in the Columbia River Basin Environmental Law Education Center Water Quality

1. Leadership and Success in Reducing Toxics in the Columbia River Basin Environmental Law Education Center Water Quality and Toxics Conference March 11, 2011 Mary Lou Soscia U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

2. Today’s Conversation • Update on Columbia River Basin Toxics Reduction Work • Leadership and Success in Toxics Reduction

4. Toxics Are A Contemporary Issue Mother Goose and Grimm – Feb. 14, 2006

5. Pollution Prevention is the Key to Reduce Toxics INSIDEPhotos» News» Sports» Living» Travel» Entertainment Site Tools

8. Columbia River Basin Toxics Reduction Action Plan – 61 Actions 5 Initiatives • Increase public understanding & political commitment • Increase toxic reduction actions • Increase monitoring to identify sources • Develop research program • Develop data management system 2 Tiers • Existing re$ource$ • New re$ource$

9. Key Partners • Federal, State and Local Govts • Columbia River Tribal Governments • Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership • NW Power and Conservation Council • Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission • Agriculture – farmers, SWCDs, NRCS • Industry - Pulp and Paper (NWPPA), Nike, Toyota, Longview Fiber • Municipal Dischargers (ACWA) • NGOs - Columbia Riverkeeper, Oregon Environmental Council, Salmon Safe • Watershed Councils

10. Examples of Actions • Increase public understanding & political commitment • Continue Working Group • Establish Executive level collaboration & affect national dialogue • Increase toxic reduction actions • More leadership needed on pollution prevention and green chemistry • Collection programs – pharmaceuticals, pesticides, mercury • Agriculture programs – sediment reduction, Integrated Pest Management, Pesticide stewardship partnerships

11. More Actions • Increase monitoring to identify sources • Identify contaminants of concern for priority focus • Identify sources of contamination & establish toxics reduction efforts which includes effectiveness monitoring • Develop research program • Convene scientists to develop Columbia River research plan • Conduct research based on research plan priorities • Develop data management system • Create data stewardship program hosted and managed by a single entity

12. Toxics Reduction Success Stories • State Regulatory Tools (e.g, TMDLs, WQSs, & NPDES) • Federal & State Cleanups (e.g., Portland Harbor, Hanford, Lake Roosevelt, & Bradford Island) • Improved farming practices (e.g, BMPs; Pesticide Stewardship Partnerships) • State and local governments action – 2007 WA PBDE ban; 2009 OR Deca-PBDE ban; Hg reduction; medication take-back programs • Oregon & Nevada are reducing industrial mercury emissions (e.g, Boardman plant and Nevada gold mines)

13. Agricultural Leaders • Walla Walla Pesticide Stewardship Partnership – 70% reduction in chlorpyrifos – less toxic pesticides, vegetated buffers and spray calibration • Yakima River Basin – partners including Rosa-Sunnyside Irrigation District reached 20 year goal in 5 years - WA DOH removed DDT fish advisory in 2009 • Pesticide Collection events – in OR, WA, and ID – not costly and we continue to collect legacy pesticides • Blue Mountain Cider – Dan Brown • Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

15. Acute WQ Criterion = 0.083 ppb Chronic WQ Criterion = 0.041 ppb

17. Salmon Safe – Promoting Sustainable Agriculture • Providing market-incentive, collaborative approach to farmers t protect water quality and wild salmon using a “whole farm approach” http://www.salmonsafe.org • Use land management standards for: • Integrated Pest Management • Irrigation Water Use and Reductions • Riparian and Wetland Management • Erosion and Sediment Control • Over 60,000 acres of agricultural land has been certified, joined by corporate and collegiate campuses and municipal parks

18. Gayle Goschie – Salem, OR • More than 100 years of family hops growing • First Certified Sustainable Hop Farm • Low trellis hop growing and organic

19. Mike Omeg – Omeg Orchards – The Dalles, OR • High precision, highly ecologically functioning system • Pesticide Management • Weather technology

20. Ted Casteel, Bethel Heights Vineyard • One of first Salmon Safe certified farms in 1996 • Leader on OR wine industry Low Input Viticulture and Enology Program – LIVE – limiting pesticides, fertilizer, water, chemical, fuels, etc

21. NORPAC Cooperative • Grower owned cooperative – 250 family owned farms • Growers worked with OSU and Food Alliance to develop IPM, water conservation and wildlife management • Growers reduced use of carbaryl (Sevin brand – one of 6 NOAA spray buffer pesticides) by 75% on 10,000 acres over a 2 year period

22. Hood River Dee Flat Project • 2009 – 24 growers for codling moth pheremone mating disruption, application of high efficacy pesticides, volunteer trees discouraged • Systematic monitoring • 1218 acres - pear and apple - (99.5%) were not treated with AZM or phosmet

23. NIKE - International Leadership in Toxics Reduction • NIKE has been working since the mid 90s to integrate sustainability goals into the design and manufacture of their products • NIKE has developedCorporate Responsibility that has product meet strict global environmental standards – all footwear by 2011 and all products by 2020 • Particular focus has been toxics – have had challenges with suppliers – overcome those to be successful

24. NIKE • Focus on carcinogens, acute hazards, chronic hazards, and endrocine disruptors • Organic cotton, recycled polyester, leather, PVCs and phthalates • Consider Chemistry - Environmentally Preferred Rubber – 90% reduction in toxics – created with benign processing methods and vegetable oils – 80% of footwear meeting this standard • Developed a tool – Considered Index – to advance industry wide adoption of best practices in sustainable design • GreenXchange – non-profit to share

25. Port of Vancouver • Treat 99% of stormwater before it reaches the Columbia River, using best management practices such as: • bio-retention system, • retention pond • hydronamic seperators • bio-swales • Developed Clean Water Challenge for port clients

28. Toxics Reduction Challenge • Take professional and personal responsibilityto reduce toxics • Take 2 of the 61 actions – one personal and one professional • We are planning an annual report in September – please report back your successes and accomplishments to me - Soscia.marylou@epa.gov