Washington State Department of Ecology

Department of Ecology
Agency overview
Formed1970
HeadquartersLacey, Washington
Employeesapprox. 1600
Annual budget$459 million
Agency executive
  • Laura Watson, Director
Websiteecology.wa.gov

The Washington State Department of Ecology (sometimes referred to simply as "Ecology") is the state of Washington's environmental regulatory agency. Created in February 1970, it was the first environmental regulation agency in the U.S. predating the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by several months.[1]

The department administers laws and regulations pertaining to the areas of water quality, water rights and water resources, shoreline management, toxics clean-up, nuclear waste, hazardous waste, and air quality. It also conducts monitoring and scientific assessments.

  1. ^ Blecha, Peter (February 1, 2011). "Washington State Department of Ecology is authorized on February 12, 1970". HistoryLink. Retrieved July 21, 2020.