The Washington Department of Ecology issued $36,400 in penalties of $1,000 or more from July through September 2022.
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 July-September 2022
| County | City | Date issued | Recipient | Description | Amount | Media contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clark | Ridgefield | 07/07/2022 | Drew Rotschy | Erosion led to dirty construction stormwater filling an onsite stormwater pond. The water was then pumped from the pond to a vegetated area that ran offsite and impacted a nearby tributary of Gee Creek. | $ 3,000 | Jeff Zenk 360-280-3704 |
| Cowlitz | Longview | 07/14/2022 | Nippon Dynawave | The Nippon Dynawave paper mill had three permit limit violations at their sanitary treatment plant in November 2020. There was an additional limit violation at the treatment plant in June 2021. | $4,000 | Jeff Zenk 360-280-3704 |
| King | Seattle | 09/16/2022 | U. S. Seafoods Corp., Lake Washington Ship Canal |
The fishing vessel Alaska Chieftain was being pulled from the water into the yard at Pacific Fishermen Shipyard. When the bow of the Alaska Chieftain broke the water’s surface, waste oil began releasing out of a hole in the hull at the bow, resulting in the release of oil to Washington state waters. |
$2,000 |
Ty Keltner 360-515-6868 |
| King | Kent | 09/26/2022 | USF Reddaway, Inc. | In 2019, Reddaway was required to install a stormwater treatment system after stormwater samples from their property found elevated levels of metals and turbidity. The deadline for installing the system was August 2021, but a July 2022 inspection found that the system had not been installed. |
$ 9,000 |
Scarlet Tang 206-920-2600 |
| King | Seattle | 09/06/2022 | Cascade Drilling NW, Inc. | Cascade Drilling NW had multiple drilling rigs operating on a worksite, but there was only one licensed individual on site. The state requires one licensed operator per drilling rig. |
$7,500 |
Scarlet Tang 206-920-2600 |
| Pierce | Tacoma | 07/22/2022 | Eagles Nest; Tyler Forbes | On July 10, 2021, the Eagles Nest, a pleasure craft, sunk at the Tyee Marina. Based on the size of sheen and lack of recoverable oil, Ecology calculated 3 to 11 gallons of gasoline mixed with some lube oil leaked from the vessel. |
$2,400 |
Ty Keltner 360-515-6868 |
| Whatcom | Lynden | 07/26/2022 | Premier Packing | On March 24, 2022, fish processor Premier Packing discharged fish skin and bones to the sanitary sewer system, which was caught in the influent screen for the City of Lynden’s wastewater treatment plant. This is the sixth time since 2017 that Premier Packing has failed to screen fish tissue from their wastewater as required. Preventing fish tissue from entering the Lynden sewer system helps to keep the wastewater treatment plant running smoothly. |
$7,000 |
Scarlet Tang 206-920-2600 |
| Clark | Seattle | 04/22/2022 | Tom Germain | On Nov. 13, 2021, mis-aligned valves led to the discharge of 127 gallons of diesel fuel from the vessel Zuma to the Salmon Bay area of the Lake Washington Ship Canal. |
$1,500 |
Ty Keltner 360-515-6868 |
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