Department of Ecology News Release - January 29, 2016

Environmental penalties for fourth quarter 2015

OLYMPIA  – 

The Washington Department of Ecology issued $341,015.41 penalties of $1,000 or more for the October through December in 2015.

Ecology works with thousands of businesses and individuals to help them comply with state laws. Penalties are issued in cases where non-compliance continues after Ecology has provided technical assistance or warnings, or for particularly serious violations.

The money owed from penalties may be reduced from the issued amount due to settlement or court rulings. Funds collected go to the state’s general fund or to dedicated pollution prevention accounts.

Ecology strives to protect, preserve and enhance Washington’s environment and promote wise management for current and future generations. When someone pollutes Washington’s air, land or waters, Ecology enforces state and federal regulations in hopes of changing behavior and deterring future violations.

Penalties for October - December 2015

County City Date Issued Recipients Description Amount Media contact
Benton Kennewick 12/30/15 Circle K Stores Inc., Sun Mart #11 Failed to maintain spill protection equipment related to gas station operations. Also failed to comply with reporting and recordkeeping, and corrosion protection requirements. $1,000 Joye Redfield-Wilder
509-575-2610
Clark Camas 10/15/15 Sharp Electronics Failed to correctly monitor wastewater discharges. $1,000 Chase Gallagher
360-407-6239
Clark Camas 12/18/15 Georgia Pacific Consumer Products Emissions exceeded parameters for particulate and hazardous air pollutants. $2,500 Chase Gallagher
360-407-6239
Clark Vancouver 10/5/15 JT Marine Inc. Failed to monitor stormwater discharges at dry dock. $3,161.44 Chase Gallagher
360-407-6239
Clark Vancouver 10/5/15 Pacific Coast Shredding Failed to monitor treated stormwater as required by permit. $3,297.32 Chase Gallagher
360-407-6239
Columbia Dayton 11/30/15 Warren Orchards Irrigated 100-acre orchard after being ordered to stop during drought. Penalty under appeal. 
 
$73,530 Brook Beeler
509-329-3478
Cowlitz Longview 11/4/15 Weyerhaeuser Co. Longview

Violated air quality emissions permit for opacity on Aug. 30, 2015, for hog fuel boiler No. 11.

$3,500 Chase Gallagher
360-407-6239
Grant Moses Lake 11/2/15 Rick Raymond Illegally disposed construction debris and lumber by burning and burned during a Grant County burn ban. Penalty paid. $1,000 Brook Beeler
509-329-3478
Grant Royal City 11/2/15 Golden West Farms Employee illegally disposed construction debris and burned during a Grant County burn ban. Penalty under appeal. $7,500 Brook Beeler
509-329-3478
Grant Moses Lake 11/2/15 SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers LLC Facility failed to disclose use of portable ovens during permitting that released toxic air pollution. Penalty paid. $3,000 Brook Beeler
509-329-3478
Grant Warden 12/1/15 Pacific Coast Canola Failed to build facility as permitted, omitting enclosure over loading area. Allowed excess particle pollution into the air. Penalty paid. $3,000 Brook Beeler
509-329-3478
Grays Harbor Hoquiam 11/15/15 Hoquiam Plywood Co. Allowed polluted water discharges to the Hoquium River; failed to cover or contain chemical or petroleum products or take corrective actions to maintain best management practices for stormwater. $2,500 Chase Gallagher
360-407-6239
Grays Harbor Aberdeen 10/30/15 Kiewit General, Infrastructure West Co. Destroyed 15 resource protection wells at the WSDOT State Route 520 Pontoon Casting Facility. Penalty appealed.  $90,000 Chase Gallagher
360-407-6239
King Kent 9/23/15 Western Metal Art and Sign Disregarded an order to properly manage and dispose of potentially hazardous waste at vacated leased property. 
 
$10,000 Larry Altose
425-649-7009
King Seattle 10/9/15 Waste Management National Services Allowed contaminated soil to spill to the ground from large shipping sacks at a facility along the Duwamish Waterway, among other violations of industrial stormwater general permit requirements in 2014 2015. Penalty paid. 
 
$14,000 Larry Altose
425-649-7009
Kittitas Ellensburg 12/14/15 The Grove - Campus Crest at Ellensburg LLC; Charlotte, NC Residents of apartment complex burned illegal materials during a state fire safety burn ban on July 17, 2014, and again on July 26, 2014, including a couch. $6,524.34 Joye Redfield-Wilder
509-575-2610
Pacific Tokeland 10/6/15 Custom Seafood Services, Inc. Violated wastewater permit discharge limits to Willapa Bay $9,502.20 Chase Gallagher
360-407-6239
Pierce Tacoma 10/6/15 Milgard Windows Failed to implement mandatory best management practices for stormwater. $2,000 Chase Gallagher
360-407-6239
Pierce Sumner 12/29/15 Michelson Knapp Land Venture Multiple violations of the construction stormwater general permit to prevent, control and treat stormwater runoff. $34,000 Chase Gallagher
360-407-6239
Pierce Tacoma 11/30/15 Tacoma Silver Cloud Inn LCC Failed to fulfill monitoring and reporting requirements for cooling water discharges $5,000 Chase Gallagher
360-407-6239
Snohomish Arlington 11/9/15 National Foods Committed 15 violations of water quality permit from Nov. 2013 to Oct. 2015: for monitoring and reporting, and for limits for discharges of total suspended solids and biochemical oxygen demand. $9,000 Larry Altose
425-649-7009
Thurston Olympia 11/19/15 Schock & Co. Lorenz Schock Operated without a construction stormwater general permit and polluted surface waters of the state at Stonewell Lodge and Cottages development. Penalty appealed. $2,000 Chase Gallagher
360-407-6239
Walla Walla Wallula 12/14/15 Simplot Feeders Failed to manage air pollution. Allowed small particles into the air, including dust and dried manure. Penalty under appeal.  $50,000 Brook Beeler
509-329-3478
Walla Walla Wallula 12/14/15 Tidy Truck Wash Inc. Pumped wastewater from washing cattle-hauling trucks to the ground rather than hauling to a permitted land application site. $3,000 Brook Beeler
509-329-3478
Whatcom Bellingham 11/25/15 Fishing Vessel Fate Hunter Discharged an undetermined volume of lube oil and diesel fuel into Bellingham Bay on April 3, 2015, causing a heavy sheen in the I & J Channel. Also assessed $460.63 in state response costs. $1,000 Krista Kenner
360-715-5205

###

Addendum: Missing from 2015 third quarter penalty report

County City Date Issued Recipients Description Amount Media contact
Orange Co., CA Brea, CA 9/22/15 ViewSonic Corp. Failed to meet financial obligations of the recycling plan for the Electronic Product Recycling Program. Settled for $500. All fees paid.  $10,000 Andy Wineke
360-407-6149

Contact information

Joye Redfield-Wilder
Communications manager
509-575-2610