The Washington Department of Ecology issued $437,000 in penalties of $1,000 or more October through December 2018. A detailed list of the violations and resulting penalties is available below.
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 land, air or waters, Ecology enforces state and federal regulations in hopes of changing behavior and deterring future violations.
Penalties for October—December 2018
| County | City | Date Issued | Recipients | Description | Amount | Media contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelan | Wenatchee | 11/26/2018 | Coleman Oil Company of Lewiston, Idaho | A corroded underground pipe at the company’s bulk oil plant in Wenatchee spilled 3,840 gallons of biodiesel into soil, groundwater, and the Columbia River. News release. Company has appealed the penalty. | $189,000 | Sandy Howard 360-407-6990 |
| Clark | Ridgefield | 12/6/2018 | Colf Construction, Inc. | Violated construction stormwater permit at Clover Farm PUD, by allowing a non-permitted pipe to discharge turbid water into Gee Creek, and lacked proper site map. | $2,500 | Ty Keltner 360-255-4405 |
| Clark | Ridgefield | 12/6/2018 | Fortress Enterprises, Inc. | Violated construction stormwater permit at Clover Farm PUD by allowing a non-permitted pipe to discharge turbid water into Gee Creek, and lacked proper site map. | $2,500 | Ty Keltner 360-255-4405 |
| King | Bellevue | 10/10/2018 | Shimmick/ Parsons Joint Venture |
Failed to follow an underground utility protocol for the Sound Transit East Link Extension project. An excavator tore a hole in a flowing culvert on Sept. 6, 2018, soil entered the hole, and muddy water discharged into Mercer Slough. Penalty paid. | $2,000 | Larry Altose 425-649-7009 |
| King | Maple Valley | 10/23/2018 | Hayes Sand & Gravel LLC | Failed to submit four discharge monitoring reports in 2017 and 2018 – required under sand and gravel water quality permit – and did not respond to a May 30, 2018, Notice of Violation for three of the missing reports. Penalty paid. | $1,500 | Larry Altose 425-649-7009 |
| King | Seattle | 10/25/2018 | Doug Russell | Research vessel Rachel Carson spilled 558 gallons of diesel to Portage Bay. | $4,000 | Sandy Howard 360-407-6990 |
| King | Kent | 10/30/2018 | Sunmart 2 | Failed to comply with required measures to prevent leaks from underground storage tanks. | $1,800 | Larry Altose 425-649-7009 |
| King | Kent | 12/11/2018 | Prisha Developers, LLC, Bellevue | Allowed muddy water to discharge from the Valley View construction site into Garrison Creek by failing to stabilize stockpiled soil from erosion and maintain measures to control erosion. Failed to contain and clean up oil spills and prevent exposure of concrete waste to the elements. Violations occurred in March and April 2018. Penalty appealed. | $8,500 | Larry Altose 425-649-7009 |
| King | Des Moines | 12/21/2018 | Craig Parker, Renton | Emptied several buckets of oily water from the bilge of the pleasure vessel Mariana into Puget Sound while moored at Des Moines Marina on Aug. 2, 2018. Failed to report the release of oil into the water and to collect and remove it immediately. | $1,500 | Larry Altose 425-649-7009 |
| Lincoln | Davenport | 10/31/2018 | Davenport Food Mart | Failed to comply with release detection requirements for petroleum fuel distribution. Also failed to report, investigate, and/or clean up a release of regulated substances, and failed to comply with reporting and recordkeeping requirements. | $2,700 | Brook Beeler 509-329-3478 |
| Pend Oreille | Newport | 10/30/2018 | Tyler Turner | On Aug. 12, 2018, South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue responded to illegal burning near Newport. An unattended fire had escaped from a burn barrel. The fire consumed significant amounts of garbage, grass, and brush. | $1,000 | Andrew Wineke 360-407-6932 |
| Pierce | Sumner | 10/24/2018 | Fleischmanns Vinegar | Released a mixture of water, vinegar, bleach, and sodium hydroxide wastewater to the White River, due to a faulty valve. News release. | $20,000 | Ty Keltner 360-255-4405 |
| Skagit | Sedro-Woolley | 11/1/2018 | Trail Road Texaco | Resumed flow to a leaking fuel line, discovered Oct. 24, 2018, without first ensuring that the line would not continue to leak. Leak was contained to a sump. Penalty paid. Company also was ordered to document repairs and test the line before operating the fuel dispenser it serves. | $2,000 | Larry Altose 425-649-7009 |
| Thurston | Lacey | 12/10/2018 | Seasoft SCUBA Gear Inc. | Failed to properly manage dangerous waste by illegally dumping waste containing lead and arsenic down the toilet, into a storm drain and onto the ground, among other hazardous waste management violations. News release. Penalty appealed. |
$197,000 | Dave Bennett 360-407-6149 |
| Whatcom | Lynden | 11/13/2018 | Ferndale Ready Mix & Gravel | Unpermitted discharge of stormwater and process water. | $1,000 | Ty Keltner 360-255-4405 |