This page provides information related to hazardous materials and substances for local governments in Washington State, with an emphasis on emergency management. It includes rules and regulations, guidance manuals, examples of local regulations, and other resources.

Regulations Governing Hazardous Materials

• Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act Overview, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • Statute, Regulations and Enforcement
  • Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) Requirements
• Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, Washington State Department of Ecology
• Ch. 38.52 RCW - Emergency Management
• Ch. 70.136 RCW - Hazardous Materials Incidents
• Ch. 118-40 WAC - Hazardous Chemical Emergency Response Planning and Community Right-To-Know Reporting

Hazardous Materials Emergency Resources

• Emergency Management Programs, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Chemical Emergencies, Emergency Management Division, Washington Military Department
• Spills, Washington State Department of Ecology
• Hazardous Materials Emergency Planning Guide 2001, Update (NRT-1), National Response Team, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction, Washington State Department of Ecology
• Managing Hazardous Materials Incidents, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (USHHS), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• National Response System, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Local Emergency Planning Committees

• Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) Local Emergency Planning Requirements, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• WAC 118-40-160 - Local emergency planning committee -- Organization, membership
• Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) Guide, Emergency Management Division, Washington Military Department, 06/2001
• Local Emergency Planning Committees List, Washington State Department of Ecology

Transportation of Hazardous Materials

• Regulations
  • Federal Regulations, U. S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
  • Ch. 46.48 RCW - Transportation of Hazardous Materials
  • RCW 4.24.314 - Person causing hazardous materials incident -- Responsibility for incident clean-up -- Liability
• Hazardous Materials Safety, U. S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
• Transport and Ship Dangerous Waste, Washington State Department of Ecology

Worker Right to Know - Chemicals in the Work Place

• Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Worker Right to Know, Washington Labor & Industries
• Chemical Hazard Communications: Helpful Information for Employers,Washington State Department of Labor, 09/2003

Hazardous Substances in the Community

• Hazardous Chemicals in Your Community, Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction Program, Department of Ecology
• Hazardous Waste Disposal, King County Wastewater Treatment
• Pathways from the Built Environment to Health: Environmental Quality, Clark County Public Health, 12/13/2011 - A literature review that examines the primary challenges to a healthy environment: the presence of toxic contaminants and the depletion of critical resources.
• Taking Action Against Toxic Chemicals, Washington State Department of Ecology
• Toxins and Air Quality, Seattle King County Public Health - Includes fact sheets, guides and reports

Storage and Discharge of Hazardous Substances

The following are a few examples of local nuisance regulations.

• Bellingham Municipal Code Sec. 15.04.040(I) - Prohibited Acts - Toxic or hazardous substances discharged into sanitary sewer system
• Mountlake Terrace Municipal Code Sec. 8.15.040 (E)(2) - Nuisances Prohibited - Toxic substances
• Snoqualmie Municipal Code Sec. 8.16.050 (D) - Storing toxic, hazardous substances
• Twisp Municipal Code Sec. 8.05.010 Conditions constituting a public nuisance (14) Any toxic substance or hazardous waste as defined by federal, state, county, or city ordinance or laws, and as hereinafter amended, which is improperly stored or discharged upon the ground, into the air, or into the water, within the city limits
• Discharge of Hazardous Substances into Sewage Systems
  • Hoquiam Municipal Code Sec. 8.10. 370 - Sewage Collection - Other Substances
  • Vancouver Municipal Code Sec. 14.10.050 - Prohibited Discharge Standards
• Poisons
  • Okanogan County Code Ch. 8.20 - Poisonous Substances
  • Tacoma Municipal Code Ch. 8.40 - Poisons

Pharmaceutical Contaminants in Water

• Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products: An Overview, Pipeline, Winter 2007
• Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) as Environmental Pollutants, Environmental Protection Agency
• Managing Pharmaceutical Waste, Washington State Department of Ecology
• The Mystery Behind PPCPs, by Nikki Stiles, Small Flows Quarterly, Winter 2004
• What's in Our Wastewaters and Where Does it Go?, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
• Unwanted Medicine Return Program, Take Back Your Meds - A group of over 270 health organizations, police, drugstores, local governments, environmental groups, and others in Washington State who support medicine take-back programs to reduce access to highly-addictive drugs, reduce the risk of poisonings, and reduce environmental contamination.