The Washington Department of Ecology issued $46,500 in penalties of $1,000 or more from April through June 2019. A detailed list of the violations and resulting penalties is available 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.
In some cases, the amount of money owed may be reduced with a settlement or court ruling. 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 harm.
Penalties issued April through June, 2019
| County | City | Date issued | Recipient | Description | Amount | Contact |
| Adams | Lind | 4/1/2019 | Swinerton Renewable Energy | Left bare soil exposed on a construction site, resulting in muddy stormwater runoff that damaged adjacent property and washed sediment into city storm drains. Penalty paid. | $3,000 | Ryan Lancaster 509-329-3509 |
| Clark | Camas | 5/9/2019 | Georgia Pacific Consumer Products | Spilled black liquor (waste product of pulping process) to the wastewater treatment plant and outfall in April 2018. Penalty paid. | $8,000 | Jeff Zenk, 360-407-6239 |
| Clark | Washougal | 6/6/2019 | AllWeather Wood LLC | Violated the water quality permit limit for hexavalent chromium (an industrial manufacturing compound) in Feb. 2019. | $3,000 | Jeff Zenk, 360-407-6239 |
| Clark | Ridgefield | 4/9/2019 | Glavin Development, LLC | Failed to submit monthly construction stormwater discharge monitoring reports, April through Dec. 2017, for work on the Courtney Acres development project. Penalty paid. | $3,000 | Colleen Keltz 360-407-6408 |
| Grays Harbor | Cosmopolis | 5/9/2019 | Cosmo Specialty Fibers Inc. | Violated water quality permit limits for biochemical oxygen demand and bacteria, and failed to monitor water discharges from Sept. 2018 to Jan. 2019. Penalty paid. | $8,000 | Dave Bennett 360-407-6149 |
| King | Bellevue | 5/6/2019 | Shimmick/Parsons Joint Venture | Left a valve open, allowing about 10,000 galllons of muddy water to discharge from a dewatering well for the Sound Transit Eastside Link project into Mercer Slough. Penalty paid. | $1,500 | Larry Altose, 425-649-7009 |
| King | Seattle | 5/6/2019 | City of Seattle | Violated state water quality permit conditions with three sanitary sewer overflows and one late report in 2017 and 2018. The combined sewer overflows also violated a legal agreement with Ecology and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Penalty paid. | $8,500 | Larry Altose, 425-649-7009 |
| Okanogan | Oroville | 5/23/2019 | K&M Fuel LLC | Failed to comply with requirements related to detecting, reporting and preventing leaks from underground storage tanks. | $1,700 | Joye Redfield-Wilder 509-575-2610 |
| Okanogan | Oroville | 6/27/2019 | K&M Fuel LLC | Failed to comply with requirements related to detecting, reporting and preventing leaks from underground storage tanks. | $1,300 | Joye Redfield-Wilder 509-575-2610 |
| Snohomish | Lake Stevens | 4/9/2019 | Joel Haack | Failed to submit monthly construction stormwater discharge monitoring reports, April through Dec. 2017, for work on the Camilla Meadows development project. Penalty paid. | $3,000 | Larry Altose, 425-649-7009 |
| Spokane | Spokane | 6/19/2019 | Spokane Recycling LLC | Failed to submit pollution prevention plans or complete maintenance inspections required under a water quality permit. Had non-functional storm drains and catch basins due to lack of maintenance. Penalty appealed. | $3,000 | Ryan Lancaster 509-329-3509 |
| Walla Walla | Walla Walla | 6/21/2019 | Hayden Homes, Inc. | Repeatedly placed concrete waste on the ground next to a swale causing wastewater to flow over the curb. Water exposed to concrete waste can become very caustic and harm the environment. | $2,500 | Ryan Lancaster 509-329-3509 |