Governing for Results 2 - Washington State Digital Archives

Department of EcologySpill response staff clean up costsWhen Department of Ecology spill response staff received an emergencyresponse call, they went to the scene, assessed the situation and called in acontractor to contain and dispose of the hazardous substances. They remainedon the scene in oversight capacity.Spill response staff from Ecology's Southwest Regional Office determined theagency could decrease contractor costs by using trained Ecology staff. Staffsnow assess the nature of the emergency response call, clean up and transportthe hazardous substances to proper disposal locations.Results★ 67 percent reduction of statewide cleanup costs redirected $126,000 in 1997toward training, emergency response equipment and funding an increasingnumber of incidences.★ Spill response budget is better able to handle the increasing number of calls— up from 153 in 1996 to 202 in 1997.★ Shorter response and cleanup time.★ Healthier environment.Team members: Eric Heinitz, Jim Oberlander, Brett Manning, Mike Osweiler,Ron Holcomb, Gloria Bernhardt, Kathy Armstrong, Jim Sachet, Jerry Thielen,Roger Sesna, Bob Warren, Miriam Duerr, and Doug Stolz.CONTACT: Dee Ragsdale (360) 407-69867