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INNOVATIVE AGREEMENT IN WASHINGTON STATE TO CUT COSTS, BOOST WATER QUALITY; PROJECT WILL SERVE AS MODEL FOR SHIPYARDS NATIONWIDE

Release Date: 09/29/2000
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2000

INNOVATIVE AGREEMENT IN WASHINGTON STATE TO CUT COSTS, BOOST WATER QUALITY; PROJECT WILL SERVE AS MODEL FOR SHIPYARDS NATIONWIDE

On Sept. 25, EPA signed a Project XL agreement with the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) in Bremerton, Wash., to test an innovative management strategy for protecting and improving the Sinclair Inlet surface waters adjacent to the shipyard. In this XL project, the shipyard is proposing a two phase pilot to demonstrate the use of innovative ecological risk assessment tools as a part of a more protective strategy for managing pollution in Sinclair Inlet, and to assess whether this approach could be used in all naval shipyards. During Phase I, PSNS will attempt to identify areas of overlapping data collection, determine areas where data should be collected and assess the kinds of pollution affecting health of the inlet. Superior environmental protection will be measured by changes in water quality, sediment quality, biological health and biodiversity in the inlet ecosystem. Although, PSNS is not requesting regulatory flexibility during phase one of this XL project, PSNS may request flexibility during the second phase to implement an alternative strategy for protecting water quality. This innovative strategy could lead to a water pollution trading program that could maximize water quality benefits and minimize costs.

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