In 1997, Ecology also issued a new permit to the Town of Albion that limits ammonia discharges to the river. Ecology granted a grace period to show that these limits could be met without additional upgrades to treatment unit operations. The permit requires Albion to monitor its discharge weekly, to evaluate whether the TMDL goals are being met. In 1998, EPA also established a TMDL for ammonia which will place limits on the discharges from Moscow, Idaho, to meet Washington state standards at the border. TMDLs also require monitoring to test and assure their effectiveness.
Ecology conducts routine monitoring of several water quality constituents in the river at Pullman.
Data show that water quality standards are being met for ammonia, which is good news for human health and aquatic life. Since the permit was issued and the upgrade to the Pullman wastewater treatment facility was completed, the ammonia concentration in the river at this location has dropped to below the detection limit. These data show that the upgrade was effective in surpassing the TMDL goal.