Washington Department of Ecology

(Runtime :59)When it comes to tank waste at Hanford in southeast Washington, cleanup has taken longer and cost more than most people ever expected.Now,…

(Runtime 1:01)There is a new plan for cleanup at the contaminated Hanford site.The U.S. Department of Energy, the federal Environmental Protection Agency,…

(Runtime 1:00)A new online tool is helping people see how contamination is moving through plumes underground at Hanford and other U.S. Department of…

A story in plot points: a federal map tracking the latest snowpack shows Oregon awash with royal blue, turquoise and green dots. In Washington state there…

Washington Rep. Steve Tharinger of the 24th district became intimately acquainted with levee setbacks when he discovered the levee protecting his house on the lower Dungeness River was not only not protecting his house, but harming the ecosystem too.“I sold my house and the five acres in a barn we had, so that we'd have more room to move that levee back and give the river more room,” Tharinger said.

A troublesome landfill in Yakima has been on fire for months. Now, there’s a plan in place to smother the underground flames – although no one knows how…

(Runtime 3:34)On a rainy day in January, Nancy Lust was watching a truck unload at the Anderson Landfill, right near her home in Yakima.“So, I get out of…

It was a clear day in Tacoma on January 17, 1993. Commencement Bay was crowded with boats. Families gathered on boat decks and across North Tacoma sidewalks to watch the demolition of what was once the tallest smokestack in the world, the ASARCO smokestack that loomed over Tacoma’s waterfront for nearly 100 years.With the press of a button, a child, supervised by demolition experts, detonated the smokestack. People cheered, bought commemorative sweatshirts and Doug Taylor’s grandfather set off an air horn in celebration, nearly causing his father to topple off their boat.

(Runtime: 1:08) Red splotches on a map highlight former orchard lands in Yakima, all potential areas where soil still could be contaminated with lead and…

(Runtime 1:09)Environmental organizations are making Hanford site information more accessible for underserved communities around the Columbia…