The Washington Department of Ecology issued $6,602,796 in penalties of $1,000 or more from July 1 – Sept. 30, 2025. A detailed list of the violations and resulting penalties is 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.
|
County |
City |
Date issued |
Penalty recipient |
Description |
Amount |
Media contact |
|
Chelan |
Cashmere |
09/16/2025 |
Brian Thorpe |
On Jan. 1, 2025, prohibited materials were burned and left unattended inside an urban growth area on property owned by River’s Edge Real Estate LLC in Chelan County. The local fire district received several calls about the fire, which released smoke that was detrimental to human health. |
$8,500 |
Emily Tasaka |
|
Chelan |
Peshastin |
09/09/2025 |
Blue Bird Inc.; Joint Venture Holdings Inc. |
Penalty for illegal agricultural burning on property owned by Joint Venture Holding Inc. and Blue Bird Inc. |
$6,500 |
Emily Tasaka |
|
Clark |
Camas |
09/11/2025 |
Ventura Picho |
An inspection found that the owner of a gas station was missing required monthly walkthrough inspections, documentation of operator training, and release detection records. In addition, required testing wasn’t done on time. |
$2,000 |
Brittny Goodsell |
|
Clark |
Vancouver |
09/04/2025 |
Sifton Stop N Shop |
The Sifton Stop N Shop owner did not register or insure his tank system, and is behind on corrosion protection testing or maintenance. Tank insurance is required for tank owners and operators. |
$1,500 |
Brittny Goodsell |
|
Clark |
Vancouver |
09/11/2025 |
Action Food Market |
Sonny Pataria, the owner/operator of Action Food Market, did not test his tank or corrosion protection systems on time. |
$1,200 |
Brittny Goodsell |
|
Clark |
Vancouver |
09/11/2025 |
Vancouver Oil Company |
Vancouver Oil Company was penalized for failing to periodically test its tank overfill equipment. This equipment alerts fuel delivery drivers when the tank is full of fuel. |
$1,000 |
Brittny Goodsell |
|
Cowlitz |
Woodland |
09/04/2025 |
Precision Industrial Contractors |
Precision Industrial Contractors was penalized for violating its water quality permit after it didn’t submit its quarterly discharge monitoring reports for at least two years. The company also didn’t respond when Ecology sent a formal violation notice and a final warning letter. |
$2,000 |
Brittny Goodsell |
|
Grays Harbor |
Cosmopolis |
07/21/2025 |
Cosmo Specialty Fibers |
In response to dangerous conditions and the mill owner’s lack of action, Cosmo Specialty Fibers was issued multiple penalties. They encompassed violations of air quality, water quality, dangerous waste, cap and invest, and emissions reporting laws. News release |
$2,307,970 |
Brittny Goodsell |
|
Jefferson |
Port Townsend |
09/17/2025 |
Port Townsend Paper Company |
Port Townsend Paper was penalized for two water quality violations after leaks in pipes spilled wastewater into Port Townsend Bay on two occasions earlier this year. The mill spilled 1,000 gallons of condensed water from the plant's steam system into Port Townsend Bay in early January, and discharged 114,000 gallons of untreated wastewater from the pulp and paper making process in April. News release |
$20,000 |
Brittny Goodsell |
|
King |
Federal Way |
08/19/2025 |
United States Postal Service |
USPS was penalized for improperly managing and storing hazardous waste at its Seattle Bulk Mail Center in Federal Way. The amount of dangerous waste fluctuated but was significant at times; in 2022, USPS estimated that there were 9,195 pounds of dangerous waste on site. News release |
$33,000 |
Scarlet Tang |
|
King |
Seattle |
09/29/2025 |
Tresner Enterprises LLC |
On Sept. 23, 2023, the fishing vessel Sultan spilled 25 gallons of gasoline into the Lake Washington Ship Canal from a leaking 55-gallon barrel stored on deck. Required notifications were not made. |
$1,200 |
Jasmin Adams |
|
King |
Kirkland |
08/28/2025 |
RRJ Group LLC |
The business failed to keep records of monthly release detection monitoring for its five underground storage tanks. |
$1,000 |
Scarlet Tang |
|
King |
Enumclaw |
07/09/2025 |
Robby Long |
Robby Long, the owner of a hobby farm, was penalized for failing to develop and implement a long-term plan for managing his site by rotating grazing practices and putting up fencing to keep livestock out of waterways. The agency contacted Long over a dozen times without hearing back. |
$2,000 |
Brittny Goodsell |
|
Kitsap |
Manchester |
08/06/2025 |
Liberty Marine Corporation |
On Sept. 9, 2023, while anchored at Yukon Harbor, the car carrier Liberty Peace spilled 199 gallons of waste oil into Puget Sound after the crew overfilled the incinerator waste oil service tank when transferring oil from an oily bilge tank. The spill was caused by a combination of human error, equipment failure, and poor maintenance practices. News release |
$32,000 |
Jasmin Adams |
|
Kitsap |
Sinclair Inlet |
09/23/2025 |
Levi E Mabe and Carrie Ann Waalkens |
On Sept. 14, 2023, Ecology responded to the partially sunk pleasure craft Oblivion in Sinclair Inlet. The vessel spilled approximately 30 gallons of gasoline while partially underwater. |
$1,800 |
Jasmin Adams |
|
Kittitas |
Cle Elum |
08/12/2025 |
Gary Sinclair |
During a local fire danger burn ban, prohibited materials were burned on property in Cle Elum owned by Gary Sinclair. The illegal burning was within 50 feet of a structure and impacted air quality. |
$5,527 |
Emily Tasaka |
|
Lincoln |
Reardan |
08/29/2025 |
Tom Basargin |
After Ecology informed Basargin that only a licensed well driller could remove or cut a well casing and liner, he continued the drilling work without a license. |
$7,500 |
Stephanie May |
|
Mason |
Allyn |
07/23/2025 |
Mason County |
Ecology issued a $4,000 penalty to Mason County for not following its reclaimed water permit. The county provided some of its reclaimed water (often used for irrigation or toilet flushing) to a construction site, which is illegal without the agency’s approval because of potential safety risks. |
$4,000 |
Brittny Goodsell |
|
Okanogan |
Palmer Lake |
09/17/2025 |
Todd and Brenda Barrett |
The property owners were required to restore their property and submitted a restoration plan that was approved by Ecology. However, they planted non-native plants below the ordinary high water mark, which is the transition zone between aquatic and terrestrial environments. Those plants were not on the property’s approved restoration plan. Ecology identified this issue but the property owners have not yet removed the plants. Until this correction is made, the restoration is incomplete. |
$6,000 |
Emily Tasaka |
|
Pierce |
Sumner |
08/25/2025 |
Peterson Brothers Inc. |
On Oct. 26, 2023, Ecology received a report of a mystery sheen to the White River and Dieringer Tail Race Canal. On Nov. 11, 2023, Petersen Brothers Inc. was identified as the spill source. Sheen was observed at the outfall pipe draining from the Petersen Brothers property and sampling confirmed the presence of diesel. |
$3,200 |
Jasmin Adams |
|
Pierce |
Tacoma |
08/14/2025 |
Ralph Cook |
The developer Ralph Cook was penalized for water quality violations on a residential construction site. Inspectors found that workers at the site had poured excess concrete straight on the ground instead of into a plastic liner, failed to maintain its construction access for trucks, didn’t maintain its erosion control fence, didn’t protect stormwater inlets, exposed soil wasn’t adequately protected from erosion, keep required paperwork on site, failed to submit required monthly reports about water quality, and didn’t implement other best management practices. |
$2,500 |
Brittny Goodsell |
|
Skagit |
Anacortes |
08/04/2025 |
HF Sinclair |
A spill of oily process wastewater at the HF Sinclair refinery, which resulted in hazardous sludge, was not fully cleaned up for 11 months. News release |
$1,303,000 |
Scarlet Tang |
|
Skagit |
Anacortes |
08/04/2025 |
Tesoro Refining & Marketing Company |
Tesoro did not properly manage spent acid used during its industrial process at its Marathon Anacortes Refinery. The wastewater was frequently about the same pH as battery acid, qualifying it as a dangerous waste. It took Tesoro nine months to implement an alternative management method for the waste. News release |
$1,397,000 |
Scarlet Tang |
|
Spokane |
Deer Park |
09/02/2025 |
Robert H. Greiff |
Greiff repeatedly irrigated 69 acres at Wild Rose Prairie, near Deer Park, without authorization. The violations continued despite warnings, a cease-and-desist order, and unpaid penalties resulting in a property lien. News release |
$100,000 |
Stephanie May |
|
Stevens |
Loon Lake |
08/05/2025 |
Fawntella Floyd |
Floyd started a fire to clear dead plants and tree limbs; however, the fire also included prohibited materials including household trash. The fire spread to a pile of tires and required the fire department to put it out. |
$1,500 |
Stephanie May |
|
Thurston |
Yelm |
07/15/2025 |
Chuck and Austin Rogers |
Two Thurston County property owners were fined $204,000 for unpermitted shoreline development along the Deschutes River near Yelm. Chuck and Austin Rogers damaged the river’s sensitive shoreline ecosystem by building unauthorized structures in protected areas, illegally placing fill in and around the river, and unlawfully clearing and grading its banks. News release |
$204,000 |
Brittny Goodsell |
|
Thurston |
Olympia |
07/14/2025 |
William Seay |
On Jan. 12, 2024, Ecology responded to a spill at the West Bay Marina in Olympia. The recreational vessel Naphtali had partially sunk and released approximately 260 gallons of diesel fuel to Budd Inlet. |
$1,400 |
Jasmin Adams |
|
Walla Walla |
Walla Walla |
09/02/2025 |
Chevron Station/Wine County Store, Walla Walla |
The penalty is for a 2023 gasoline spill at a downtown Chevron in Walla Walla. The spill caused nearly 2,500 gallons of fuel to contaminate groundwater and led to an emergency evacuation for parts of the city’s downtown business district. News release |
$738,000 |
Stephanie May |
|
Whatcom |
Lynden |
08/14/2025 |
Emunah LLC |
The business did not have functioning systems to detect fuel leaks from two underground storage tanks for at least a year, and had not tested its overfill prevention equipment for at least two years. |
$1,000 |
Scarlet Tang |
|
Whatcom |
Lynden |
08/14/2025 |
8791 Guide Inc. |
The business has not paid annual underground storage tank fees and has not met tank insurance requirements for at least five years. |
$1,500 |
Scarlet Tang |
|
|
|
07/14/2025 |
Climate Care Innovations |
Climate Care Innovations violated rules designed to ensure the state’s Cap-and-Invest market is fair and secure. News release |
$425,000 |
Caroline Halter |