Environmental Assessment Division (Contaminants)

The UCFWO’s Environmental Assessment Division (EAD) works cooperatively with other government agencies and the public in eastern Washington and northern Idaho to carry out the mission of the National Environmental Contaminants Program to:

As with other human activities, the use and disposal of toxic substances can have unintended consequences such as:

• pesticides can inadvertently harm non-target species, and repeated exposure increases pesticide resistance in target organisms;
• species declines, and contribute to the listing of new threatened or endangered species;
• releases of new chemicals into the environment without knowing the long term consequences can have a profound impact on natural resources;
• pollutants can cause indirect effects to fish and wildlife by diminishing the food supplies on which depend;
• uptake of toxic chemicals through the food web can result in direct mortality and reduced reproduction causing population declines;
• increase sensitivity of fish and wildlife species making them more susceptible to disease or predation.

Additionally, factors associated with climate change could cause some contaminant problems to increase, such as more intense storms may increase spills from ships or pipelines, and increasing sea levels may enhance erosion of landfills/dumps. Fish and wildlife serve as indicators of our environment’s health and ultimately, our own health.

By working cooperatively with other Service programs and our partners the EAD focuses first on the prevention of contamination to the environment; then identifying and removing threats of pre-existing and ongoing environmental contamination; and restoration of natural resources injured by contaminants, or the clean-up of contaminated sites.

To facilitate a more efficient and effective working relationship with other Service programs, and our partners, the EAD has identified lead staff biologists for specific geographic areas of responsibility. There are currently four areas of responsibility identified as Branches within the EAD.

Environmental contaminant biologists working within these Branches play an important role by providing technical assistance to, and support of, other Service programs such as: National Wildlife Refuges, Migratory Bird Management, Endangered Species and Recovery, Fisheries Programs, and Habitat Conservation activities. Many large-scale projects require a great deal of time and resources. Current on-going projects in each of these areas are discussed below.

Upper Columbia River Branch

Elevated levels of cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, zinc, dioxins, and furans have been documented over the years in the Upper Columbia River from Grand Coulee Dam to the U.S.-Canada border. Many of these contaminants are from Canadian sources and U.S. sources along the Columbia River and its tributaries. In August 1999, the Colville Confederated Tribes petitioned the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct an assessment at the Upper Columbia River.

Many contributing factors are of concern for the lack of recruitment (addition of individuals via natural reproduction) into the wild Kootenai River white sturgeon population. The evaluation of effects of potential chemical exposures to white sturgeon in the Kootenai River is necessary to support ongoing recovery efforts, and is identified as a research need in the Recovery Plan for the Kootenai River Population of White Sturgeon. In 2007, laboratory studies were conducted to evaluate potential effects to the white sturgeon from chlorine and copper in the Kootenai and Columbia Rivers, as well as three herbicides proposed for control of Eurasian watermilfoil in the Kootenai River.

Mid-Columbia/Snake River Branch

Potential Human Health Concerns Associated with Consumption of Fish at the Columbia and Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuges within the Mid-Columbia River Refuges Complex

The Columbia Basin Irrigation Project (CBP), managed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BR), was started in the early 1930’s in an effort to provide irrigation water to the fertile but arid lands of the Columbia River basin in Central Washington. ). Two waterbodies that are part of the Mid-Columbia River Refuges Complex are at the terminal end of the CBP drainage system as it empties into the Columbia River. To determine if concentrations of organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, metals, and radionuclides are at levels that may pose a health threat to humans the UCFWO and the Mid Columbia River NWR Complex have identified the need to analyze fish from these NWR waterbodies. The study will: 1) identify the population of fishers who catch and eat fish from waterbodies currently open to the public, 2) obtain information regarding fishing activities at the waterbody for the target population, and should the need exist, 3) determine the fish consumption practices for the target population. Direct management actions resulting from this investigation may include a fish consumption warning for humans.

Spokane River Basin

The EAD has been involved in several long term projects evaluating the impacts to fish, wildlife, and their habitats from historic mining activities in the Coeur d’Alene Basin. Activities include: monitoring of the status and trends of the ecology within the basin, providing technical assistance to EPA and state and local entities on cleanup planning and design for the benefit of fish, wildlife and their habitats, providing technical assistance to governmental (including other UCFWO programs), non-governmental and the public on contamination and restoration issues, evaluating local sites for potential restoration actions and participating on and providing support to the Coeur d’Alene Basin Natural Resource Trustee Council.

Hanford Reach

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is directing one of the largest environmental cleanup actions in history at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation (Hanford Site). Concurrent with cleanup activities, the Natural Resource Trustees have initiated the first phases of a Natural Resource Damage Assessment. The EAD will provide technical assistance to the Service, DOE, and other Federal Agencies on environmental cleanup activities at the Hanford Site including, but not limited to: ecological risk assessment, on and off-site mitigation, research proposals, research interpretation, and proposed activities.

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