Ban on sale of phosphate-containing dishwasher detergent in effect statewide July 1

Starting in July 2010, Spokane and Whatcom counties won’t be the only counties in Washington state to require the sale of low phosphate automatic dishwashing detergents for residential use. The new law goes into effect for all of Washington and15 other states on July 1. In an ongoing effort to improve water quality in our lakes, rivers, streams, and marine waters, Washington will stop the distribution and sale of dishwasher detergents that contain more than 0.5 percent phosphorus. Because soaps designed for washing dishes by hand are already phosphorus-free, the new requirement affects only soaps used in automatic dishwashers. The Washington Legislature passed the law in 2006 and it went into effect in Spokane and Whatcom counties in July 2008. The Legislature and Gov. Chris Gregoire chose to impose the restrictions in Spokane and Whatcom counties in 2008 because of environmental conditions that demanded immediate action. The Spokane River violates the state and federal standards for phosphorus and the community is working to get a plan completed that will be a “road map” toward a cleaner river. The new limits on phosphorus in dishwasher detergent are an extension of phosphorus limits already in place for laundry detergent. By reducing phosphorus in our everyday household products, we can reduce nutrient pollution. Excess phosphorus acts as a fertilizer to algae and other aquatic plants in fresh water. When these plants and organisms die, their decay uses up oxygen, suffocating our fish and other aquatic life. The Soap and Detergent Association promises to deliver low and no-phosphate dishwasher soaps to all of the the 16 states by July 1. “When the bill was first introduced, our vision was to get a jump on reducing phosphorus in any way we could,” said State Representative Timm Ormsby, D-Spokane, who co-sponsored the legislation. “We couldn’t put the entire burden of that pollution problem on wastewater treatment plants. This way we’re all part of the solution.” Stormwater runoff, septic tanks and wastewater treatment plants send phosphorus into our water from detergents and other products such as fertilizers. In places where household waste water is sent to wastewater treatment plants, the treatment process removes much of the phosphorus but they can’t remove all of it before it reaches our rivers, lakes and streams. Some experts have estimated that dishwasher detergent accounts for 10 to 12 percent of the phosphorus in wastewater. Testing at Spokane’s Riverside Park Water Reclamation facility in 2009 indicated a 14 percent reduction in the amount of phosphorus going to the plant for treatment. Generally, most data at this point is unreliable since many people still used old supplies of detergents with phosphates well after July 2008. Also, many stated they travelled to Idaho to get detergent that could not be sold in Spokane County. The other 15 states joining Washington in the move away from phosphate-laden detergents July 1, 2010 are Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.