King Ranch penalty
In February 2023, Ecology penalized Wade and Teresa King of Coulee City $267,540 for damaging 23 naturally occurring wetlands near Park Lake in Grant County. Ecology also issued the Kings an administrative order requiring them to restore the damaged wetlands on their property in Grant County.
Ecology's investigation found no indication that these sites had been previously excavated for use as stock watering ponds.
Ecology inspectors made site visits to these damaged areas where possible, but also used satellite imagery, aerial images dating from as far back as 1949, and other records to determine that the Kings had damaged 6.37 acres of naturally occurring wetlands by excavating, recontouring, and putting fill in them.
Prior to issuing the penalty, Ecology staff repeatedly sought to resolve concerns about the damage without a formal enforcement action. The Kings refused to cooperate with these efforts.
In January 2025, Ecology issued a second administrative order directing the Kings to restore 11 similar wetlands in neighboring Douglas County, which were also damaged by unauthorized excavation. Of the 34 damaged wetlands, the majority were located on state lands. Others were located on federal land and some on private land.
This 2022 photo shows staff from Ecology and state Department of Natural Resources examining piles of excavated material at a damaged wetland site.
Timeline of events
1949-2019 wetlands are undisturbed
Aerial images, dating as far back as 1949, as well as recent satellite imagery of the damaged sites showed the wetlands undamaged and in their natural condition.
2021 excavation of wetlands
In 2021, the Kings damaged 6.37 acres of naturally occurring wetlands in Grant County after they excavated, recontoured, and put fill in them. A total of 34 damaged wetlands were discovered in Grant and Douglas counties.
2022 Ecology site visits
In 2022, our experts conducted site visits in Grant County. We examined soils and water at damaged wetland sites on land managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources and determined some of the damaged wetlands were rare alkali wetlands.
2023 penalty issued to Wade and Teresa King
In February 2023, we issued a penalty to the Kings for damaging naturally occurring wetlands near Park Lake in Grant County. We also issued an administrative order requiring them to restore the damaged wetlands on their property in Grant County.
Recent updates
In January 2025, after several attempts to meet with the Kings about additional unauthorized excavation at 11 wetlands in Douglas County, we issued a second administrative order.
Later in 2025, we conducted additional site visits at damaged sites. After examining the soil and hydrology, our wetlands staff confirmed that the damaged wetlands were naturally occurring, including rare alkali wetlands.
Wade and Teresa King, owners of King Ranch, appealed the 2023 penalty and both the 2023 and 2025 administrative orders to the state Pollution Control Hearings Board.
The hearing is scheduled for April 2027.
In March 2026, the Kings were denied a preliminary injunction after asking Grant County Superior Court to pause the case pending before the hearings board.
In the interim, the Pollution Control Hearings Board ordered the Kings to grant Ecology access to the remaining damaged wetland sites agency staff had not been able to visit.
Before and after photos
This July 2019 aerial image shows a 2.9-acre wetland located on federal land before being damaged. The white salt deposits around the wetland’s edge are indicative of a rare alkali wetland.
This April 2021 image shows the same wetland after it was excavated. The wetland pool is deeper, and piles of bright white dug-up material, about 10 feet high, are around it and in the wetland.
This July 2019 aerial image shows a 1.1 acre wetland before it was excavated. There is no evidence of any human disturbance or artificial features at the site.
This aerial image, taken in April 2021, shows a state owned wetland site after being excavated. A deep pool is visible surrounded by excavated mounds of bright white alkali materials.
Ranching and wetlands
Ecology has successfully worked with the ranching community for decades. Formal enforcement actions related to ranching activities are rare. However, the wetland damage identified in the King Ranch penalty and administrative orders is the most significant to date.
Wetlands in Washington are protected under the Water Pollution Control Act of 1945. These protections also cover seasonal wetlands that may evaporate during summer months. Wetlands provide important environmental benefits such as:
- Flood and erosion control
- Recharging underground sources of water
- Providing habitat for important plant and animal species
- Natural water quality improvement
Impacted wetlands
All wetlands in Washington are protected by state law. These protections cover seasonal wetlands that may evaporate during the warmer months.
Aerial images, dating as far back as 1949, as well as recent satellite imagery of the sites showed the wetlands undamaged as late as 2019.
In the opportunities we have had to access the sites, the data and evidence our wetlands scientists collected demonstrate that the damaged wetlands were naturally occurring wetlands. Ecology has seen no evidence that the damaged wetlands were "artificial wetlands intentionally created from non-wetland sites."
A “stock water” pond is a small, artificially created water body constructed outside the main flow of a stream or river to provide water for grazing livestock.
Livestock operators seeking to construct a stock pond or divert surface water to fill one often need local and state permits or authorization, including a valid water right, certificate, or claim. Ecology’s groundwater permit exemption allows for withdrawal of water from wells without a water right. One of those uses is providing water for livestock. However, using groundwater also requires proper well construction pursuant to state law to protect water supplies.
Site visits, coupled with historical aerial photos and recent satellite imagery, found nothing to indicate any of the damaged water bodies were ever artificial stock water ponds. Aerial imagery shows these areas unaltered and undisturbed for at least 75 years prior to the Kings’ actions.
In 2022, Ecology experts conducted site visits in Grant County, during those site visits we determined some of the damaged wetlands were rare alkali wetlands. A subsequent 2025 site visit to Douglas County by our scientists concluded some of those damaged wetlands were also alkali wetlands.
Alkali wetlands are unique and rare. They only occur in the arid areas of Eastern Washington when mineral-rich groundwater filters up to the surface and combines with surface runoff and snow melt. This mix of ground and surface water then evaporates. This cycle is seasonally repeated, allowing minerals to build up in characteristic patterns and can take centuries to form.
Most alkali wetlands are seasonal, drying out during hotter, drier weather. When they dry out, they typically exhibit bright white salt crust playa. Most of the 23 damaged Grant County wetland sites have bright white soils, salt crust, or playas, and/ or meet the water chemistry criteria that indicates they are alkali wetlands.
Aerial images reveal the unique scabland landscape where the damaged wetlands are located in Eastern Washington has thousands of small, deep and often circular ponds called “kolk” ponds. These were formed by the periodic Missoula floods that swept across the region at the end of the last ice age between 18,000 and 12,000 years ago.
To help local and state agencies make decisions about wetland protection standards, we maintain the state’s wetland rating system. Under this rating system, alkali wetlands have a high conservation value due to their uniqueness and rarity. We typically give these types of wetlands extra protection.
Frequently asked questions
Contact information
Stephanie May
Eastern Region Communications Manager
stephanie.may@ecy.wa.gov
509-202-5674