The Washington Department of Ecology issued $742,800 in penalties of $1,000 or more from April through June 2021. This includes a $501,000 fine to owners of the Electron Hydropower Dam for water quality violations on the Puyallup River. Details on the violations are listed in the table 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 April-June 2021
| County | City | Date issued | Recipient | Description | Amount | Media contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clallam | Port Angeles | 5/11/2021 | McKinley Paper Company | A failure of the main pump station caused the release of approximately 2,000 gallons of untreated wastewater to a lagoon adjacent to the facility. | $1,000 | Jeff Zenk, 360-280-3704 |
| Clark | La Center | 4/19/2021 | Matt Hamilton Highland Terrace Subdivision |
Dirty construction stormwater entered a roadside drainage ditch discharging into a tributary of the East Fork Lewis River. | $3,000 | Jeff Zenk, 360-280-3704 |
| Franklin | Moses Lake | 6/14/2021 | Pacific Northwest Solutions LLC; of Pasco | Operated a mobile ammonium phosphate fertilizer reactor without an air quality permit as required, at an unpermitted location near Moses Lake in March 2021. An investigation found that the reactor produced a total of 650 tons of ammonium polyphosphate liquid fertilizer over three days. News release | $25,500 | Andy Wineke, 360-791-1939 |
| Grant | Quincy | 5/10/2021 | Dodson Road Orchards, LLC; Jessica Barrera | Caused air pollution and burned without an Agricultural Burn Pile Permit. | $2,500 | Andy Wineke, 360-791-1939 |
| Grays Harbor | Cosmopolis | 5/4/2021 | Cosmo Specialty Fibers Inc | Discharged wastewater that was not properly treatedly to an incorrect outfall resulting in closure of downstream shellfish beds. | $8,000 | Jeff Zenk, 360-280-3704 |
| King | Des Moines | 4/26/2021 | Midway Sewer District | A pump station malfunction resulted in the release of 1.2 million gallons of raw sewage into McSorley Creek and Puget Sound. The incident occurred from Sept 10-14, 2020, and led to a temporary closure of Saltwater State Park. Penalty paid. News release |
$21,000 | Larry Altose, 206-920-2600 |
| King | Des moines | 4/26/2021 | Award Construction, Inc. and Trenchless Construction LLC | From Oct.13-14, 2021, an estimated 125,000 gallons of raw sewage was released from a damaged sewer line and a broken bypass line during construction, for the Midway Sewer District. Untreated wastewater entered nearby homes and the stormwater ditch which discharges to McSorely Creek, which flows to Saltwater State Park and Puget Sound. Penalty paid. | $2,000 | Larry Altose, 206-920-2600 |
| King | Snoqualmie River | 6/29/2021 | Ace Hardware Corp Moxee | Ace Hardware truck was traveling in inclement weather on Interstate 90. It was speeding and did not have chains on, as required. It slid into the shoulder and jacknifed, rupturing one of its fuel tanks. It spilled 120 gallons of diesel into a ditch, stormwater system, and the Snoqualamie River. News release | $28,000 | Ty Keltner, 360-515-6868 |
| Kitsap | Port Orchard | 4/30/2021 | Sebring Marine Services LLC | Approximately 779 gallons of diesel fuel and hydraulic oil spilled into Sinclair Inlet when the tugboat Meagan M sank on July 29, 2019, while moored at the Port Orchard Railway Marina. Separately, the party was billed $1,578 for the state’s oversight costs, and ordered to pay a $20,115.94 assessment for natural resources damage. | $5,500 | Ty Keltner, 360-515-6868 |
| Kittitas | Cle Elum | 6/14/2021 | Kuney Construction of Spokane | Kuney Construction illegally discharged sediment and high pH wastewater to the Cle Elum River on three separate dates, violating water quality laws. They also failed to follow their Construction Stormwater General Permit while working on an Interstate 90 bridge deck project. News release. | $43,000 | Joye Redfield-Wilder, 509-961-6277 |
| Kittitas | Cle Elum | 6/14/2021 | KLB construction Inc of Mukilteo | Subcontractor discharged turbid water to the Cle Elum River in violation of water quality laws while working a transportation bridge deck project on Interstate 90. New release | $10,000 | Joye Redfield-Wilder, 509-961-6277 |
| Mason | Port of Allyn | 5/21/2021 | Forrest Hoffman | A pleasure craft sank in North Bay on Jan.10, 2020, spilling 5-gallons of gasoline to Puget Sound. Department of Natural Resources Derelict Vessel Program removed the vessel in June 2020. | $1,600 | Jeff Zenk, 360-280-3704 |
| Pend Oreille | Newport | 4/22/2021 | George Martin | Burned prohibited materials that caused air pollution. | $1,000 | Andy Wineke, 360-791-1939 |
| Pierce | Graham | 4/1/2021 | Pierce County Recycling 304th Landfill | Landfill leachate and process wastewater was discharged, violating both the facility’s Industrial and Construction Stormwater General Permits. Leachate is the liquid formed when waste breaks down in the landfill and water filters through that waste. This liquid is highly toxic and can pollute the land, ground water, and water ways. | $6,000 | Jeff Zenk, 360-280-3704 |
| Pierce | Tacoma | 6/4/2021 | Tyee Marina | An estimated 26.5 gallons of hydraulic fluid, lubricating oil, and diesel fuel were spilled into Commencement Bay due to poor location of a crane barge owned by Tyee Marina during low tide. | $1,200 | Jeff Zenk, 360-280-3704 |
| Pierce | Orting | 4/29/2021 | Washington Rock Quarries King Creek Pit | Failed to implement best management practices to protect water quality as required after receiving a corrective action report and also failed to comply with Sand and Gravel General Permit conditions. | $2,000 | Jeff Zenk, 360-280-3704 |
| Pierce | Tacoma | 6/1/2021 | WestRock Tacoma | WestRock Tacoma exceeded its 5-day limits for BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) from Feb. 23-26, 2021, in violation of its wastewater discharge permit. The decay of organic matter in water is measured as biochemical or chemical oxygen demand. | $8,000 | Jeff Zenk, 360-280-3704 |
| Pierce | Orting | 6/8/2021 | Electron Hydro LLC Intake | Plastic sports turf and crumb rubber used on a bypass channel of the Electron Hydro Dam polluted the Puyallup River in late July 2020. Material from the in-stream construction site broke way, with pieces of the turf found up to 21 miles downstream. The turf and its crumb rubber padding material are toxic when ingested by fish and other aquatic life. News release | $501,000 | Jeff Zenk, 360-280-3704 |
| Skamania | Underwood | 4/23/2021 | Westwood Forestry | Oil and diesel spilled to Mill Creek when the brake on a Westwood Forestry dump truck failed, causing it to go off road and crash down a steep slope next to the creek. | $2,000 | Joye Redfield-Wilder, 509-961-6277 |
| Snohomish | Mukilteo | 5/17/2021 | Applied Aero Systems LLC | Failed to meet industrial wastewater discharge limits for toxic metals and other pollutants, and failed to properly monitor and report wastewater discharges in 2019 through July 2020. Also, missed deadlines in a 2019 order to correct previous violations that date from 2016. Penalty appealed. News release. | $70,500 | Larry Altose, 206-920-2600 |
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. See more about compliance and enforcement.
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.