Department of Ecology News Release - March 16, 2018

Environmental penalties for fourth quarter 2017

LACEY  – 

The Washington Department of Ecology issued $784,796 in penalties of $1,000 or more for the months of October through December 2017.

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.

Funds collected go to the state’s general fund or to dedicated pollution prevention accounts, such as the Coastal Protection Account. The money owed from penalties may be reduced from the issued amount due to settlement or court rulings.

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 2017

County City Issue Date Recipient Violation Description Amount Media Contact
Adams Othello 12/6/2017 Columbia Fruit Packers Inc Illegally disposed metal, oil filters and chemical container by burning in an outdoor area 15 feet by 15 feet. $1,500 Brook Beeler
509-329-3478
Adams Ritzville 12/12/2017 Randy and Michele Kiesz Landowners Randy and Michele Kiesz, as well as lessee Ron Fode, were fined $309,000 for illegally irrigating 335 acres of alfalfa and potatoes. Penalty appealed. News release $309,000 Brook Beeler
509-329-3478
Clark Battle Ground 12/13/2017 Gold Medal Group, LLC and Dennis Pavlina Fined for failing to restore wetlands as ordered in 2007 to mitigate for wetlands destroyed during previous land development. Update: Penalty rescinded; restoration is now occurring and a conservation covenant is in place. News release $17,000 Dave Bennett
360-407-6239
Grant Moses Lake 12/12/2017 Landowners Michael Schmidt, et al., c/o Ronald Sparks and lessee Ron Fode Landowners Michael Schmidt, et al. and lessee Ron Fode were fined $103,000 for illegally irrigating 65 acres of alfalfa. Penalty appealed. News release $103,000 Brook Beeler
509-329-3478
Grant Moses Lake 12/12/2017 Ron Fode Landowner Ron Fode was fined $206,000 for illegally irrigating 130 acres of timothy hay. Penalty appealed. News release $206,000 Brook Beeler
509-329-3478
King Bothell 12/21/2017 Pacific Ridge – DRH, LLC Discharged muddy water from a construction project into North Creek on Oct. 2, 2017. Failed to notify Ecology. Later, stopped the discharge until on-site treatment installed and operational. Penalty appealed. $8,000 Larry Altose
425-649-7009
King Bellevue 10/2/2017 Kuney Construction Co. Discharged turbid water and process waste water from drilling operations into Kelsey Creek and associated wetlands. Penalty paid. $2,000 Larry Altose
425-649-7009
King Seattle 10/10/2017 Total Reclaim Inc. Illegally stored hundreds of thousands of pounds of flat screen TVs and monitors in dozens of semi-trailers parked on Harbor Island. Washington law requires e-waste to be recycled or disposed of as dangerous waste in a timely manner. News release $67,500 Andrew Wineke
360-407-6149
Kitsap Bainbridge Island 12/12/2017 Cooke Aquaculture, LLC Without water quality protections in place, Cooke Aquaculture Pacific repeatedly cleaned dirty equipment and discharged polluted wastewater into Puget Sound. Cooke operates commercial Atlantic salmon net pens in Washington state. News release $8,000 Jessica Payne
360-791-3177
Klickitat Goldendale 11/30/2017 Goldendale Market Place, LLC Failed to comply with recordkeeping/reporting requirements ($100), release detection ($600) and release reporting ($500) requirements at fueling station operations. $1,200 Joye Redfield-Wilder
509-575-2610
Mason Shelton 11/29/2017 Sierra Pacific Industries; Curt Adcock Discharged oil-laden stormwater from site to Oakland Bay, during construction activities adjacent to waters edge. $3,000 Dave Bennett
360-407-6239
Okanogan Loomis 12/14/2017 Greg Newmarch Unauthorized construction along the shoreline and in the water of Palmer Lake in Okanogan County. Penalty has been appealed. News release $21,600 Joye
Redfield-Wilder

509-575-2610
Pierce Sumner 12/5/2017 Sonoco Products Sumner facility Failed to sample stormwater at outfall during first fall storm as required under stormwater discharge permit. No such sampling occurred for the year 2016. $1,000 Dave Bennett
360-407-6239
Skagit Burlington 10/17/2017 VT Volant Aerospace LLC Paid $37,996 to settle violations for mishandling dangerous waste and for a spill that occurred in 2015. News release $37,996 Larry Altose
425-649-7009

Missing penalty from July-September 2017

County City Issue Date Recipient Violation Description Amount Media Contact
Clark Camas 9/26/2017 Georgia Pacific Consumer Products Released about 466 gallons of diesel to the Camas Slough from the Georgia-Pacific mill in Camas, Washington. $1,000

Dave Bennett
360-407-6239

Clark Washougal 5/4/2017 All Weather Wood
(TrueGuard)
Stormwater runoff exceeded hexavalent chromium effluent permit limit. $6,000

Dave Bennett
360-407-6239

King   8/24/2017 Washington Department of Transportation and Flatiron West, Inc. Allowed concrete debris to fall into Lake Washington in 2015 and 2016 during demolition of old freeway structures in the path of the new SR 520 West Approach Bridge North segment. Penalty paid
 
$6,000 Larry Altose
425-649-7009
Spokane Spokane 9/27/2017 QWIK Stop Failed to comply with reporting, training, and environmental protection requirements for underground storage tanks. All violations have been corrected. Penalty paid. $1,100

Brook Beeler
509-329-3478

Whatcom Ferndale 8/14/2017 Intalco Aluminum Corp. Fined a combined $32,500 for air quality permit violations, including potline emission violations ($27,500) and separate violations related to a fire at the smelter ($5,000). The penalty has been paid. News Release $32,500 Ty Keltner
360-255-4405

Contact information

Joye Redfield-Wilder
Communications manager
509-575-2610
Twitter: EcyCentral