The Washington Department of Ecology issued $683,378 in penalties of $1,000 or more from January through March 2022. A detailed list of the violations and resulting penalties appears 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 January - March 2022
| County | City | Date issued | Recipient | Description | Amount | Media Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clark | La Center | 01/25/2022 | Hamilton Excavating LLC | County | $136,000 | Jeff Zenk, 360-280-3704 |
| Clark | Ridgefield | 03/21/2022 | Rotschy Construction | Ecology inspectors first witnessed permit violations during inspections in October and November 2021. Sediment and turbid construction stormwater was released into wetlands and Packard Creek from adjacent construction areas. Rotschy Inc. was also directing construction stormwater through a pipe into nearby wetlands, which entered Packard Creek. The company failed to adequately stabilize the construction site, leading to erosion that released muddy construction stormwater offsite. News release | $131,000 | Jeff Zenk, 360-280-3704 |
| Clark | Ridgefield | 03/02/2022 | Kennedy Farms | Exposed and eroding soils led to the discharge of muddy water into a stream and nearby pond. The company also failed to submit Discharge Monitoring Reports. | $1,500 | Jeff Zenk, 360-280-3704 |
| Cowlitz | Kelso | 03/09/2022 | DeRosier Trucking Inc. | The company did not comply with its permit reporting requirements for submission of Discharge Monitoring Reports. | $3,000 | Jeff Zenk, 360-280-3704 |
| Cowlitz | Longview | 02/14/2022 | Weyerhaeuser | Between October 2020 and November 2021, the company failed 42 times to meet pollution limits at two stormwater outfalls. Under its National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permit, Weyerhaeuser is required to control levels of solids and organic materials in discharges. In addition, investigators found Weyerhaeuser failed on 32 occasions to monitor discharges as required under its permit. News release | $40,000 | Jeff Zenk, 360-280-3704 |
| King | Auburn | 01/26/2022 | Safeway Distribution Facility | The Safeway Distribution Facility illegally disposed of 520 pounds of flammable dangerous waste into a dumpster instead of safely transporting it to a hazardous waste disposal facility. This exposed King County Solid Waste employees to the risks of handling this material without their knowledge. The original penalty was $8,000, but was reduced to $5,330 when the Safeway Distribution Facility agreed to expedited enforcement, which is a streamlined settlement process that reduces a penalty by one-third and cannot be appealed. | $5,330 | Scarlet Tang 206-594-0002 |
| King | Seattle | 03/25/2022 | Brad Mansker | On March 27, 2020, nine vessels caught fire and sank at the Jim Clark Marina in Seattle. As a result of the fire, the vessels released a combination of diesel and oil into waters of the state. The Seattle Fire Department’s investigators reported that the vessels sank due to a fire that started on a 36-foot vessel. | $3,000 | Jasmin Adams 360-464-0324 |
| Lewis | Toledo | 03/09/2022 | L Rock Industries | The company did not comply with permit reporting requirements for submission of Discharge Monitoring Reports. | $3,000 | Jeff Zenk, 360-280-3704 |
| Pacific | Ilwaco | 01/31/2022 | Pacific Seafood – Westport, LLC | From April 2020 through November 2021, the company’s seafood processing facility released wastewater containing fecal coliform, grease, oils, and other solids above the amounts allowed in its permit. The company also did not monitor several wastewater discharges as required by its permit. News release | $69,348 | Jeff Zenk, 360-280-3704 |
| Pierce | Fife | 02/11/2022 | FedEx | On May 7, 2021, a FedEx contractor’s vehicle struck a refrigerated truck, forcing it to collide into a tanker truck containing dairy products. The collision caused ruptured the tanker, resulting in an estimated 2,576 gallons of dairy products spilling to the roadway, several storm drains, and catch basins. | $3,200 | Jasmin Adams 360-464-0324 |
| Snohomish | Bothell | 01/27/2022 | BP Pipelines North America Inc. | On Feb. 21, 2020, spills occurred at the Olympic pipeline after it returned to normal operating pressure following construction-related activities at two sites. About 67 gallons of oil reached nearby waters. BP Pipelines did not report the spill until Feb. 23, 2020. News release | $100,000 | Jasmin Adams 360-464-0324 |
| Snohomish | Everett | 02/08/2022 | Ron Barber | On Aug. 16, 2020, Ecology responded to an oil spill involving two sunken vessels along the bank of Steamboat Slough on the Snohomish River near Everett. An estimated 214 gallons of diesel and lubricating oil spilled into the river. News release | $70,000 | Jasmin Adams 360-464-0324 |
| Snohomish | Arlington | 02/15/2022 | Pilot Travel Centers LLC | This Pilot Travel Center location was not in compliance with requirements for its spill detection system related to underground storage tanks and for emergency signage. | $1,000 | Scarlet Tang 206-594-0002 |
| Spokane | Cheney | 03/28/2022 | Pineview Farms LLC | Failed to obtain coverage under the state’s Construction Stormwater General Permit when conducting work. Construction activities disturbed more than 1-acre of soil near wetlands and surface waters, in violation of conditions of the state’s Construction Stormwater General Permit. | $1,500 | Stephanie May 509-202-5674 |
| Spokane | Colbert | 03/28/2022 | Lone Wolf LLC | Lone Wolf, LLC began soil-disturbing activities without receiving or applying for coverage under the Construction Stormwater General Permit. Evidence of stormwater and sediment discharge was seen near Little Deep Creek. | $1,500 | Stephanie May 509-202-5674 |
| Thurston | Lacey | 01/24/2022 | Milestone Companies | On at least 12 occasions, the Lacey contractor discharged polluted stormwater from the development site, despite warnings and technical assistance provided by Ecology and the City of Lacey. In addition, the company failed to report the violations, or follow best management practices required under its construction stormwater permit. | $72,000 | Jeff Zenk, 360-280-3704 |
| Thurston | Yelm | 03/09/2022 | Wood & Son Surface Mine | The company did not comply with permit reporting requirements for submission of Discharge Monitoring Reports. | $3,000 | Jeff Zenk, 360-280-3704 |
| Thurston | Tenino | 03/09/2022 | Johnson Creek Quarry | The quarry did not comply with permit reporting requirements for submission of Discharge Monitoring Reports. | $3,000 | Jeff Zenk, 360-280-3704 |
| Grant | Moses Lake | 01/05/2022 | Granite Construction | Granite Construction failed to have air quality emission protections in place while conducting sand and gravel operations at their plant near Moses Lake. The company is required to control air emissions from the facility, including using covers over the conveyor belts that transport product within the plant. Ecology inspectors found the company operated the asphalt plant for eight days in September 2021 without the covers installed, resulting in excessive volatile organic compound emissions from the gravel pit. Settlement pending. News release | $36,000 | Stephanie May 509-202-5674 |
| Clark | Ridgefield | 12/03/2021 | Vista Ridge | Exposed and eroding soils led to muddy water discharging to stormwater to Gee Creek. Also, Discharge Monitoring Reports were not submitted for this project. | $2,000 | Jeff Zenk, 360-280-3704 |