Nobody wants to swim in poop. Duh. No matter where you swim, water gets in your mouth. Or on tiny hands that then go into mouths.
But how do you know whether or not the water at the beach you plan to visit this summer is safe — that is, whether or not the water has recently been contaminated by sewage?
A new Washington sewage spill reporting law will help families stay informed about the dozens of sewage spills that occur in Washington each year.
The law requires the Washington State Department of Ecology to create a public website where families can find vital information about sewage spills that exceed acceptable safe levels firsthand. The site, which will be up and running by June 2026, will report not only the location of spills but also:
- Whether a spill was intentional or accidental
- The estimated volumes and rates of a spill
- The level of treatment of the contamination
- The date and time of the incident
- All geographic areas impacted by the spill
- Steps taken to contain a spill
The Washington sewage spill reporting law aims to address a sticky issue, according to then-Rep. Victoria Hunt (D-Issaquah), who sponsored the measure.
“Sewage discharges are currently required to be reported to [the Department of] Ecology. This is making sure that the public is also aware of sewage bills,” Hunt said during a House committee hearing earlier this year. “The information is there, but it’s not easily accessible, and it’s not accessible in a timely manner to our communities.
“All of this information must already be reported by wastewater treatment operators; however, getting the information to the public in a timely manner is sometimes difficult,” Hunt added. Hunt was elevated to the Senate last week following the death of Senator Bill Ramos.
“All across our beautiful state, our communities enjoy our waters, whether it be boating or swimming or fishing, and at the same time, we have hundreds of sewage spills each year in our state,” she said. “Many of these sewage spills aren’t known to the communities that are affected, which means the public doesn’t know about their exposure to pollution and environmental harms. This benefits all of our health.”
Sean Dixon, Soundkeeper and executive director at Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, voiced his organization’s support during a later Senate committee hearing on the sewage public reporting measure.
Dixon called information easily accessible to the public “the best disinfectant for this sewage problem.”
With the law in place, “Our communities can make all the better choices that they need on how to use their waterways,” he said. “Our health agencies can better protect us from pathogens, and families can make safer decisions about where to go for a day in the park.”
