The Washington Department of Ecology issued $273,090 in penalties of $1,000 or more from October through December 2022. A detailed list of the violations and resulting penalties is 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 October-December 2022
| County | City | Date issued | Recipient | Description | Amount | Media Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelan | Leavenworth | 10/31/2022 | Bison Transport | On Nov. 12, 2020, a Bison Transport truck crashed through a guard rail, went down an embankment, and landed on its passenger side in the Wenatchee River. The accident caused the truck’s fuel and refrigeration tanks to breach, releasing 124 gallons of diesel fuel to the Wenatchee River, and another 40 gallons to soil along the riverbank and roadway. | $2,500 | Ty Kelter 360-515-6868 |
| Douglas | Rock Island | 10/24/2022 | Bremmer Construction | Prohibited materials including tires, metal and demolition debris were burned in an outdoor fire on March 9, 2022, on an empty parcel in Douglas County. The county assessor lists D & M Developments RVR2 INC as the owner of the parcels, and David and Margaret Bremmer as the owners of the company. | $9,000 | Emily Tasaka 509-571-0352 |
| Franklin | Pasco | 11/08/2022 | Barajas Auto Body; Salvador Barajas | Barajas Auto Body, LLC has been operating an automobile body paint booth and spray-in bed liner booth without a permit. This is an ongoing violation since Jan. 7, 2020, when Barajas Auto Body, LLC occupied a new auto body repair shop without a permit. | $22,000 | Stephanie May 509-202-5674 |
| Jefferson | Port Townsend | 12/12/2022 | Port Townsend Paper | On July 6, 2022, emissions measured from PTPC’s recovery furnace exceeded the particulate matter limit required under their air quality permit. The company believes that the root cause of the exceedance was discovered and corrected on July 7, 2022. Emissions measured on Aug. 25, 2022, indicated that PTPC was back in compliance with the emission limit. News release | $56,250 | Jeff Zenk 360-280-3704 |
| King | Seattle | 10/17/2022 | Emerald Galvanizing | On Aug. 12, 2021, Emerald Galvanizing discovered liquid sulfuric acid leaking out of a hazardous waste storage container as the container was being loaded for transport by a service provider. To avoid impacts to their on-site stormwater system, they agreed to have the service provider move the container across the street to a public right-of-way, which was near an encampment of people without permanent housing, as well as the popular Burke-Gilman Trail. The leaking container was left there overnight, where it was publicly accessible. In addition, Emerald Galvanizing failed to report the spill that occurred on their site for 43 days, instead of immediately as required. | $7,340 | Scarlet Tang 206-920-2600 |
| King | Kenmore | 12/02/2022 | Craig Cleveland | On Jan. 1, 2021, the 25-foot pleasure craft Popcorn partially sank at a private dock, causing an unrecoverable gasoline sheen. An estimated 20 gallons of gasoline were spilled to the Sammamish River. | $1,000 | Ty Kelter 360-515-6868 |
| Kitsap | Bremerton | 12/01/2022 | Kitsap Reclamation and Materials | During four inspections between Dec. 2020 and Oct. 2021, Ecology and Kitsap County inspectors documented sediment being tracked out of Kitsap Reclamation and Materials’ sand and gravel mine, which was a violation of their water quality permit. In addition, stormwater from the site was causing high turbidity in an adjacent unnamed creek, which flows into Sinclair Inlet. High turbidity can be harmful to fish and other aquatic life. | $9,000 | Scarlet Tang 206-920-2600 |
| Kitsap | Bremerton | 12/02/2022 | Royal Moore | On Aug. 6, 2021, Ecology learned that the vessel SeaRay sunk along the shore of Lions Park in Bremerton. Ecology observed sheening and estimated between three and nine gallons of lube oil, with some gasoline, spilled to Port Washington Narrows. | $3,600 | Ty Kelter 360-515-6868 |
| Okanogan | Tonasket | 11/15/2022 | Guru Arjan LLC c/o Devraj Singh; Tonasket Exxon 613 | Penalty issued for failing to perform compliance-required three-year testing to prevent spills. The tests examine potential overfilling and the ability of spill buckets to contain overflows. The corrosion protection system was also incorrectly monitored. | $1,400 | Emily Tasaka 509-571-0352 |
| Pierce | Tacoma | 10/04/2022 | Edward Burk; Kris Iverson | Penalty issued for failure to notify Ecology of a release of hazardous waste that occurred between Aug. 12 and 13, 2021, from a roll-off box that was being transported from Seattle to Tacoma. News release | $37,000 | Jeff Zenk 360-280-3704 |
| Pierce | Tacoma | 12/12/2022 | WestRock Tacoma | During a performance test on April 17, 2022, WestRock received test results indicating that it failed to sufficiently reduce the amount of hazardous air pollutants contained in the wastewater streams to meet levels set in the company’s air quality permit. The penalty is in settlement negotiations. News release | $52,500 | Jeff Zenk 360-280-3704 |
| Pierce | Tacoma | 12/13/2022 | Olympic Tug and Barge Inc | On Feb. 7, 2021, the tank barge Shauna Kay transited from Vancouver, B.C., to Commencement Bay. While docking on Feb. 8, 2021, it was discovered that an unknown amount of high-sulfur fuel oil had splashed out of cargo tanks during the voyage via open tank sample ports. An oil sheen from this spill was observed in Commencement Bay. News release | $38,500 | Ty Kelter 360-515-6868 |
| Skagit | Anacortes | 10/20/2022 | Tesoro Refining & Marketing Company | On April 26, 2022, Ecology staff inspected the Tesoro facility and found that part of the system to treat wastewater from the refining process was not being properly maintained. The secondary clarifier, which helps solids to settle out of the water, was in disrepair, allowing wastewater to flow through without full treatment. When suspended solids aren’t removed from discharge, they can cause turbidity issues in the water bodies that receive the discharge. Turbidity can harm fish and aquatic life. | $2,000 | Scarlet Tang 206-920-2600 |
| Snohomish | Everett | 10/25/2022 | City of Everett | On June 5, 2022, there was a failure of the city’s wastewater disinfection system, resulting in approximately 9.9 million gallons of incompletely treated wastewater released to the Snohomish River. News release | $13,000 | Scarlet Tang 206-920-2600 |
| Snohomish | Everett | 12/02/2022 | Rob Teeter | On April 13, 2022, Ecology received a report that a 50-foot wooden boat was sinking and actively sheening diesel fuel in Steamboat Slough. | $1,800 | Ty Kelter 360-515-6868 |