SIMPLE ACTIONS THAT WILL CHANGE THE WORLD. THIS IS ABOUT PEOPLE POWER!!!!Detergent ban starts here July 1
For more information or to download the cards go to www.ecy.wa.gov and click on “Clean water — phosphorus.”`
For more information or to download the cards go to www.ecy.wa.gov and click on “Clean water — phosphorus.”`
STORY TOLD BY:::::ISABELLE DILLS // BELLINGHAM HERALD
The dishwashing detergent aisle won’t look the same after July 1.
Detergent products, including major brands such as Electrasol and Cascade, will be removed from the shelves as part of a countywide ban making it illegal to sell or distribute dishwashing detergents containing more than 0.5 percent phosphorus.
The ban is directed toward residential use, and does not affect commercial or industrial use, state Department of Ecology spokeswoman Katie Skipper said. The ban will take effect statewide in 2010, but Whatcom and Spokane counties have been singled out to begin the ban this year.
A number of water bodies in Whatcom County, including Lake Whatcom and the Nooksack River, are considered impaired because oxygen levels are below state water quality standards, Skipper said.
Part of the pollution problem is caused by the phosphorus in waste water, Skipper said.
Phosphorus feeds algae blooms, and when algae die, their decay uses up oxygen, choking lakes and streams, suffocating salmon and other aquatic life, Skipper said.
Phosphorus can leak into water bodies through industry and wastewater treatment plants, storm-water runoff or even through faulty septic systems, Skipper said.
Skipper said this ban is about individual responsibility, reducing phosphorus on a house-byhouse level. She did not know if the ban would ever be directed toward commercial or industrial use.
In the meantime, local stores are preparing to provide lowphosphorus detergents for their customers.
The dishwashing detergent aisle won’t look the same after July 1.
Detergent products, including major brands such as Electrasol and Cascade, will be removed from the shelves as part of a countywide ban making it illegal to sell or distribute dishwashing detergents containing more than 0.5 percent phosphorus.
The ban is directed toward residential use, and does not affect commercial or industrial use, state Department of Ecology spokeswoman Katie Skipper said. The ban will take effect statewide in 2010, but Whatcom and Spokane counties have been singled out to begin the ban this year.
A number of water bodies in Whatcom County, including Lake Whatcom and the Nooksack River, are considered impaired because oxygen levels are below state water quality standards, Skipper said.
Part of the pollution problem is caused by the phosphorus in waste water, Skipper said.
Phosphorus feeds algae blooms, and when algae die, their decay uses up oxygen, choking lakes and streams, suffocating salmon and other aquatic life, Skipper said.
Phosphorus can leak into water bodies through industry and wastewater treatment plants, storm-water runoff or even through faulty septic systems, Skipper said.
Skipper said this ban is about individual responsibility, reducing phosphorus on a house-byhouse level. She did not know if the ban would ever be directed toward commercial or industrial use.
In the meantime, local stores are preparing to provide lowphosphorus detergents for their customers.
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