Department of Ecology News Release - Feb. 24, 2020

Environmental penalties for fourth quarter 2019

OLYMPIA –

The Washington Department of Ecology issued $2,148,900 in penalties of $1,000 or more October through December 2019. A detailed list of the violations and resulting penalties are listed below.

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

In some cases, the penalty amount may be reduced as the result of a settlement or court ruling. 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 through December 2019

County	City	Date issued	Recipient	Description	Amount	Contact
Clallam	Port Angeles	11/15/2019	Troy Cole	One gallon of diesel spilled from the cargo vessel Green Crystal to Port Angeles Harbor.	$1,200	Jeff Zenk 360-407-6239
Clark	Vancouver	12/7/2019	Snappy’s Gas and Groceries	Failure to comply with requirements that prevent and detect underground fuel storage tank leaks.	$1,200	Jeff Zenk 360-407-6239
Douglas	East Wenatchee	12/23/2019	PNW Property Ventures LLC	Burned prohibited materials in violation of their agricultural burn permit, including demolition debris from a structure. Prohibited material included plastics, insulation, asphalt roofing materials, rubber hoses, appliances, painted lumber and household garbage.	$8,500	Joye Redfield-Wilder 509-575-2610
Franklin	Pasco	10/11/2019	Pacific Northwest Solutions, LLC	Failed to complete a required source test on their portable reactor as required in their Compliance Order.	$5,000	Ryan Lancaster 509-329-3509
Grant	Soap Lake	11/1/2019	David Ewing	Burned prohibited materials in an unattended outdoor fire, prompting emergency response. This is the fourth occurrence of an illegal burn at this property.	$3,000	Ryan Lancaster 509-329-3509
Jefferson	Port Townsend	12/20/2019	Port Townsend Paper	From Oct. 21 through Oct. 23, 2019, Port Townsend Paper Corporation spilled about 165,000 gallons of partially treated process wastewater from a leak coming from the 36-inch outfall line.	$4,000	Jeff Zenk 360-407-6239
Jefferson	Port Hadlock	10/3/2019	Star Marine Incorporated	Penalty was issued for unpermitted sandblasting and descaling that took place on a barge located in the water in Port Hadlock.	$4,000	Jeff Zenk 360-407-6239
King	Bellevue	12/5/2019	Tiki Car Wash	Failed to comply with regulations to prevent and detect leaks from underground storage tanks.	$1,000	Larry Altose 425-649-7009
King	Seattle	10/8/2019	Mark Alwert	A deckhand accidently engaged a pump that discharged 20 gallons of oily bilge water from the fishing vessel Katherine into Salmon Bay at Fishermen’s Terminal on Sept. 13, 2018, and failed to report or clean up the spill.	$1,000	Larry Altose 425-649-7009
King	Seattle	11/5/2019	King County Wastewater Treatment Division	Violated state water quality permit conditions that regulate combined sewer overflows from parts of the county’s sewer collection system. Penalty paid (half to Ecology, half to EPA). News release	$105,500	Larry Altose 425-649-7009
Okanogan	Brewster	11/22/2019	Gebbers Farms Inc.	Conducted agricultural burning during an Ecology Stage1 burn ban, which prohibits all outdoor burning, including agricultural, to protect air quality.	$2,500	Joye Redfield-Wilder 509-575-2610
Pierce	Puyallup	12/14/2019	Circle K Store 5505 BP Oil	Site only had 3 of 12 months of Continuous Statistical Leak Detection reports. Regular monthly reporting helps detect leaking fuel tanks.	$1,000	Jeff Zenk 360-407-6239
Pierce	Sumner	12/20/2019	Sonoco Products Co	Water samples from the outfall tested above the state limit for fecal coliform.	$4,000	Jeff Zenk 360-407-6239
Pierce	Tacoma	10/7/2019	Stericycle-Tacoma, doing business as Burlington Environmental LLC	The company mismanaged hazardous waste, leading to a significant fire on July 5, 2018, and a smaller fire Nov. 22, 2018. An August 2018 compliance inspection found the company failed to safely store hazardous wastes, separate incompatible wastes, and adequately train its staff. News release	$1,956,000	Andy Wineke 360-407-6932
Pierce	Tacoma	12/2/2019	George Russell Jr. and Jaimie Venters	A sheen reported throughout Commencement Bay was linked to a 308-gallon oil spill from the yacht Shadowfax.	$4,000	Jeff Zenk 360-407-6239
Skagit	Anacortes	11/12/2019	Marine Servicenter	Allowed polluted stormwater to flow into Fidalgo Bay by failing to implement best practices as required by the boatyard general permit. News release	$30,000	Larry Altose 425-649-7009
Thurston	Yelm	11/8/2019	Mike Wood Rock Pit	Has been operating without a permit since 2016.	$2,000	Jeff Zenk 360-407-6239
Thurston	Tumwater	10/29/2019	Tumwater Falls Hatchery Redevelopment	A contractor working on the hatchery redevelopment project violated Construction Stormwater General Permit conditions by not properly sampling, not updating their Pollution Prevention Plan, and not following best management practices during a storm.	$1,000	Jeff Zenk 360-407-6239
Whatcom	Blaine	10/4/2019	BP Cherry Point Refinery	Dangerous waste containers had incomplete labels; improper management of universal wastes; and missing inspection logs.	$8,000	Larry Altose 425-649-7009
Yakima	Yakima	11/6/2019	American Medical Response Yakima	Improperly disposed of dangerous waste, including pharmaceuticals, down a drain that led to the public wastewater treatment plant. In addition, disposed dangerous waste mixed with biomedical waste to the garbage. Penalty paid.	$6,000	Joye Redfield-Wilder 509-575-2610

Contact information

Jeff Zenk

Communications manager

jzen461@ecy.wa.gov

360-407-6239

Twitter: ecologywa

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Environmental penalties for fourth quarter 2019

Penalties for October through December 2019

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