
New Map Shows Hotspots Of Environmental Health Hazards For Washington Neighborhoods
Read On
A new online tool by the University of Washington and others maps environmental justice in the state.
The Environmental Health Disparities Map ranks neighborhoods from 1 to 10. Ten is coded in red, meaning a higher environmental risk while 1, being the lowest, is coded in blue. On that map, Yakima County is a big, red blemish.
It’s one of eight hotspots around the state with concentrated environmental pollution. Other areas include South Seattle/Tacoma, Vancouver and Spokane.
The mapping project is two years in the making, through a collaboration with UW, the Washington State Department of Health, the Washington State Department of Ecology, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, and a coalition of community organizations called Front and Centered.
The math of the rankings works by looking at the pollution burden and multiplying it by the population demographics. Pollution burden refers to factors like diesel emissions and waste water discharge, among others. Demographics of the area looks at things like low-birth rates, poverty and race.
For Yakima, the biggest concerns are proximity to Superfund sites and hazardous waste facilities, as well as a higher level of homes with lead paint exposure. Pesticides and large animal operations can also negatively impact the air and water quality. Because Yakima County has a greater number of Latino, Native, and low-income populations, all this spells trouble for the health of local residents and where they live relative to polluted areas.
“Our Valley is like a bowl and everything sits at the bottom. And we’re at the bottom,” explains Gracie Partida from Sunnyside.
Partida worked with the Latino Community Fund to connect to rural families who were being impacted by environmental issues. On the road, she heard stories of families who didn’t know how to test their well water, others whose children struggled with asthma.
She adds, “I’m glad the evidence is getting out there, that there’s a map to showcase what’s going on. It didn’t surprise me but I think it needs to surprise other people so they can pay attention to [the inequities].”
In an email, the Yakima Health District says it will be reviewing the mapping tool.
Related Stories:

Washington State Regulators Deny Key Permit To Kalama Methanol Refinery
The Washington Department of Ecology defended its denial by saying the refinery, which would convert fracked natural gas into methanol to be shipped to Asia, would emit vast amounts of greenhouse gases. If built, it would be among the top 10 greenhouse gas emitters in the state. Continue Reading Washington State Regulators Deny Key Permit To Kalama Methanol Refinery

Timber Tax Cuts Cost Rural Northwest Towns Billions. Polluted Water Drove Up The Price
In rainy Oregon, communities tap a network of streams and creeks to supply millions of residents with cold, clean water. The problem is that the land surrounding drinking water streams is, in many cases, owned not by the towns or the residents who drink the water, but by private timber companies that are now logging more intensively than ever, cutting trees on a more rapid cycle and spraying herbicides to kill other plants that compete with replanted seedlings for sunlight. Continue Reading Timber Tax Cuts Cost Rural Northwest Towns Billions. Polluted Water Drove Up The Price

It Wasn’t Just The Pandemic: Oil’s Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Year
Set aside the pandemic. Ignore the collapse in demand. Forget about the time oil prices went negative. Look at everything else that happened this year, and — Well. Oil still had a pretty terrible year. Continue Reading It Wasn’t Just The Pandemic: Oil’s Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Year