Kenmore Air Harbor to help city manage invasive weeds in Lake Washington and Sammamish River

Kenmore Air Harbor has provided $15,000 to a city of Kenmore program to manage invasive aquatic plants. The payment is part of an agreement between the company and the Washington Department of Ecology to settle the company’s appeal of a $25,000 penalty for dangerous waste violations Ecology issued earlier this year.

The city of Kenmore is not party to the settlement agreement, nor is the city involved in Ecology’s enforcement efforts with Kenmore Air.

As part of the settlement Kenmore Air has paid a reduced fine of $5,000 and will pay another $5,000 if its float plane maintenance facility along Lake Washington violates the state’s dangerous waste regulations within the next two years.

“This funding from Kenmore Air will benefit the city’s important work to restore natural habitat and water quality,” said Darin Rice, manager of Ecology’s Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction program. “This settlement also builds on steps Kenmore Air has taken to correct its violations and sustain those improvements.”

The city’s Integrated Aquatic Vegetation Management Plan guides city and property owner efforts to control aquatic weeds in Lake Washington and the Sammamish River. Heavy growth of invasive plants harms natural habitats and interferes with recreational and commercial activities.

The city also received a $29,400 Ecology Aquatic Invasive Plant Management Fund Grant this year for development of the plan.

The penalty and settlement are part of Ecology’s broader efforts to reduce and prevent toxic threats to the environment.
 
(View and download “Kenmore Air Harbor Settlement” at Ecology’s public file sharing site.)