Corrected 8/22/16 [3:00 PM]
This summary was corrected to reflect three additional penalties issued in the second quarter, changing the total to $272,530. The penalty listed for the Grays Harbor facility in Cosmopolis was also corrected to reflect the correct owner, Cosmo Specialty Fiber, Inc.
The Washington Department of Ecology issued $272,530 in penalties of $1,000 or more April through June in 2016. A detailed list of the violations and resulting penalties is available 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 air, land or waters, Ecology enforces state and federal regulations in hopes of changing behavior and deterring future violations.
Penalties for April - June 2016
| County | City | Date Issued | Recipients | Description | Amount | Media contact |
| Chelan | Wenatchee | 6/24/16 | NRC Environmental Services, Inc. and Northwest Wholesale, Inc. | Mishandled and improperly stored hazardous waste. News release. | $39,330 | Joye Redfield-Wilder, 509-575-2610 |
| Chelan | Leavenworth | 5/10/16 | Hillside Excavating | Violated water quality regulations by contracting a bulkhead without permits. News release. | $20,000 | Joye Redfield-Wilder, 509-575-2610 |
| Clallam | Port Angeles | 05/26/16 | Lincoln Industrial Corp. | Failed to sample stormwater runoff under compliance agreement. | $2,000 | Dave Bennett, 360-407-6239 |
| Columbia | Starbuck | 06/17/16 | Cheryl Fagalde | Burned prohibited materials. | $1,100 | Brook Beeler, 509-329-3478 |
| Franklin | Mesa | 05/16/16 | Nathaniel Koehn and Marvin Shollenberger | Burned apple boxes and other prohibited materials. Penalty paid. | $2,500 | Brook Beeler, 509-329-3478 |
| Grant | Royal City | 06/14/16 | B&G Farms, Farrah Wardenar | Burned prohibited materials including metal, plastic and lumber. Penalty appealed. | $5,000 | Brook Beeler, 509-329-3478 |
| Grant | Quincy | 05/16/16 | Larry Schaapman | Burned prohibited materials including demolition debris. Penalty paid. | $4,000 | Brook Beeler, 509-329-3478 |
| Grant | Warden | 05/16/16 | John Mathews | Burned prohibited materials. | $1,000 | Brook Beeler, 509-329-3478 |
| Grant | Royal City | 05/17/16 | Black Hawk Orchards | Burned prohibited materials and left burn pile unattended. Penalty paid. | $2,000 | Brook Beeler, 509-329-3478 |
| Grant | Warden | 05/17/16 | Elfren Martinez | Burned prohibited materials. Penalty paid. | $1,500 | Brook Beeler, 509-329-3478 |
| Grant | Quincy | 06/14/16 | Camilo Avalos | Burned prohibited materials. Penalty appealed. | $1,000 | Brook Beeler, 509-329-3478 |
| Grant | Quincy | 06/21/16 | Halme Construction & Quincy Columbia Irrigation District. | Burned prohibited materials. Penalty appealed. | $2,500 | Brook Beeler, 509-329-3478 |
| Grays Harbor | Cosmopolis | 06/09/16 | Cosmo Specialty Fiber, Inc. | Discharged excessive levels of suspended solids and failed to meet oxygen demand in stormwater, violating water quality permit | $7,000 | Dave Bennett, 360-407-6239 |
| King | Seattle | 06/28/16 | Puget Sound Coatings Machinists, Inc. | Violated dangerous waste laws including improper containment and labeling. News Release. Penalty to be paid over 2 years. | $80,000 | Larry Altose, 425-649-7009 |
| King | Seattle | 05/27/16 | Brusco Tug and Barrge | Tug Ocean Eagle spilled 20 gal. of diesel fuel into Lake Union while being loaded into a dry dock at Foss Maritime Shipyard on March 21, 2016. Failed to report the spill. Penalty paid. | $1,100 | Larry Altose, 425-649-7009 |
| King | Kent | 04/14/16 | GrandView Apartments, LLC, Bellevue | Allowed muddy stormwater discharges from a construction site at 3900 Veterans Drive by failing to take or maintain various required pollution control measures. Penalty paid. | $7,000 | Larry Altose, 425-649-7009 |
| King | Seattle | 04/20/16 | Randy Corn, Camano Island | 32-ft. recreational vessel Invincible released approx. 15 gal. of gasoline into Lake Washington after sinking at Spinnaker Bay Marina on Oct. 17, 2015. | $1,000 | Larry Altose, 425-649-7009 |
| King | Seattle | 5/10/2016 | Seattle Tunnel Partners | Discharged about 1,000 metric tons of clean soil, excavated for the Wash. Dept. of Transportation State Route 99 tunnel project, into Elliott Bay when a barge listed to one side on Jan. 12, 2016. Penalty paid. Also ordered to take various actions to ensure proper oversight of barge loading operations. | $4,000 | Larry Altose, 425-649-7009 |
| Kitsap | Port Orchard | 05/27/16 | Khalis Transport Inc., Surrey BC | Spilled 50 gallons of diesel fuel to a wetland and Burley Creek on March 17, 2016, when a truck rolled down an embankment along State Route 16 at SE Mullenix Road. Failed to report the spill. | $1,500 | Larry Altose, 360-649-7009 |
| Kitsap | Port Orchard | 04/25/16 | Mike Paul Contsruction | Failed to prevent muddy water from polluting nearby creeks and marine waters. News Release. Under appeal. | $53,000 | Larry Altose, 360-649-7009 |
| Lewis | Winlock | 06/29/16 | Winlock Wood Products, Olympic Trading | Heated water mixed with food grade oil during a warehouse firefighting operation flowed into a catch basin and then a creek, killing fish. | $1,000 | Dave Bennett, 360-407-6239 |
| Pierce | Sumner | 5/25/16 | Fleischmann’s Vinegar Company, Inc. | Allowed 10,000 gallons of concentrated vinegar to spill into the White River this past March. News release. | $10,000 | Sandy Howard, 360-407-6408 |
| Stevens | Springdale | 06/21/16 | Mark Kestner | Burned prohibited materials including parts of a mobile home. | $2,500 | Brook Beeler, 509-329-3478 |
| Whatcom | Sumas | 04/16/16 | Sarabanand Farms, LLC. | Allowed water contaminated with manure to discharge into local waterways that flow to British Columbia. News Release | $20,000 | Krista Kenner, 360-715-5205 |
| Columbia River | Mouth | 04/04/16 | Fishing Vessel Four Forty LLC | Fishing vessel sank and spilled 150 gallons of oil to the Columbia River at the mouth of the river. | $2,500 | Dave Bennett, 360-407-6239 |