Washington Ecology to write guide to ‘best’ ag practices

The Washington Department of Ecology will develop voluntary “best management practices” for agricultural activities, responding to what federal regulators say is a shortcoming in the state’s plan to protect waterways.  The Environmental Protection Agency last year demanded Ecology undertake the initiative to continue to qualify for federal funding for water-quality projects.  The EPA, along with conservation groups and tribes, accused the state of being too vague about how it will prevent pollution from agriculture. In response, Ecology has hired a Seattle consultant, Ross Strategic, to interview farmers and ranchers to begin identifying ways to prevent pollution.  Ecology officials say they plan to spend several months contacting interested parties and likely won’t get down to actually writing what they are calling a technical guide until early next year.  The officials say the practices described in the guide won’t be mandatory, but following them would shield producers from being fined for an event that caused pollution. That is the benefit the producer would receive for using the guidance, according to an agency spokeswoman.