Environmental Contaminants

This program was established to investigate and evaluate contaminant issues/incidents in eastern Washington and northern Idaho, addressing issues related to Clean Water Act (Sect. 7), refuges (Environmental Site Assessments, special investigations), hazardous material response, pesticide issues, amphibian malformations on National Wildlife Refuges (NWR), and other special studies.

An example of the work being done by our contaminants specialists was the fish sampling at the Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuge/Hanford Reach National Monument. The sampling was done to investigate whether irrigation drainwater has caused, or has the potential to cause, significant harm to human health, fish and wildlife.

For further information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Contaminants Program, go to http://contaminants.fws.gov.