Weyerhaeuser Penalized For Closing Oyster Harvest

Washington State Department of Ecology

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 3, 1997

97-150

CONTACT: Mike Palko, Ecology Industrial Section (360) 407-6906
Ron Langley, Ecology Public Information (360) 407-7004

Weyerhaeuser Penalized For Closing Oyster Harvest

Olympia, WA - The Weyerhaeuser Company has identified and is working to correct the cause of a fecal coliform release from its Cosmopolis mill that closed nearby oyster harvest beaches last July. The state Department of Ecology has penalized Weyerhaeuser $20,000, the maximum allowed under state law, for two violations of its wastewater discharge permit linked to the harvest closure.

"We're disappointed that this issue has cropped up again," said Mike Palko, manager of Ecology's Industrial Section. He said the company has been working on the mill operations which triggered these bacteria problems, and noted that the mill caused one beach closure in all of 1996 compared to seven the previous year.

Palko said the problem has proved especially difficult to correct because the bacteria growth can be influenced by so many variables. He said Ecology will continue to work with the company to come up with a solution.

The mill exceeded its permitted discharge of fecal coliform on July 24 and 25, prompting the State Department of Health to prohibit oyster harvesting for one week. Fecal coliform is usually not harmful to humans, but can be accompanied by organisms that can make people sick. Because fecal coliform is easily measured in discharge water, it is used as an indicator of the presence of harmful organisms.

The Cosmopolis mill has a history of fecal coliform violations, but has shown improvement in the past two years:

19 permit violations in 1995 resulting in seven beach closures;
Three permit violations in 1996 resulting in one beach closure;
Three permit violations so far in 1997 resulting in one beach closure.

The most recent problem occurred when failure of a pump seal allowed wastewater containing fecal coliform to be mixed with other nutrient-rich wastewater. The mixture allowed the fast-growing bacteria to multiply to unusually large numbers before being released into Gray's Harbor.

Weyerhaeuser may appeal to Ecology for reduction or removal of the penalty within 15 days of receiving it. The company may also appeal the penalty within 30 days to the state Pollution Control Hearings Board.