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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Aug. 24, 1998
98-150
Contact: Sheryl Hutchison, Public Information, (360) 407-7004
BELLEVUE - For the second time less than a year, the state Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has been fined for damaging fish habitat in two Bellevue streams near a construction project on State Route 520.
The state Department of Ecology (Ecology) has levied a $72,000 fine for the repeat violation at the site near N.E. 24th St. in Bellevue, where project officials provided inadequate stormwater-control measures.
On June 15, muddy water flowed off the project and into an adjacent wetland and two creeks. The WSDOT was penalized $12,000 last year for twice allowing the same problem to occur in the same area.
"We expect the state to lead the way on environmental protection, but the Department of Transportation set a bad example here," said Ecology's water-quality manager, Megan White. "We can build roads in a way that doesn't make fish struggle that much harder to survive."
Ecology is working with WSDOT to tighten its environmental practices in light of similar incidents in other parts of the state.
In addition to the SR-520 fine, enforcement is pending on a June 9 spill of road sealant from Interstate 5 into Capital Lake in Olympia, and a resource-damage assessment will be levied soon for a road project last winter that damaged salmon habitat in the north fork of the Nooksack River.
"We are deeply concerned when our work harms the environment," said Jerry Alb, environmental services director for WSDOT. "Our commitment is shown by WSDOT's record of delivering nearly $1.5 billion in highway construction and maintenance projects every biennium with the high majority of the projects violation-free. However, as public stewards, we accept the challenge to construct and manage the state's transportation system in ways that protect the environment, and we look forward to continued partnership with Ecology to accomplish this."
Damage to creeks, rivers and lakes caused by road construction projects is an especially troublesome problem because Puget Sound Chinook salmon may be listed as endangered species next year. In fact, erosion from all kinds of construction sites is increasingly common in the Puget Sound region as contractors work year-round to build new office buildings, streets, stores and homes.
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
