Washington State Department of Ecology

Department of Ecology News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -Dec. 15, 1999

99-265

Contact: Mary Getchell, Public Information Manager, 360-407-6157; pager, 360-534-8590

Companies will pay the price for polluting Washington’s waters

OLYMPIA - For the first time in a long time, the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) is taking companies to court for not paying their water quality penalties.

Today, Ecology filed a motion in Thurston County Superior Court asking the court to order Doug Dorling, owner of Allied Aquatics in Olympia, to pay $24,500 in unpaid water quality fines.

"There is no good reason why Allied Aquatics and nearly 30 other companies in Washington have not paid their water quality penalties," said Megan White, manager of Ecology’s Water Quality Program. "We hope this and other court actions send a message that polluters will pay the price for polluting Washington’s waters."

Allied Aquatics has a long history of breaking environmental laws in Washington state. The company is required to comply with permits from Ecology when applying chemicals to treat lakes for potentially dangerous and harmful aquatic plants and algae. The company hasn’t complied with permit requirements, thereby putting public health and the environment at considerable risk, said White.

"We hope the court makes a speedy decision in ordering Allied Aquatics to pay its penalties," said White. "After we resolve this long-standing case with Allied Aquatics, we will ask Washington courts to order other companies to pay the price for polluting."

Taking these cases to court is part of Ecology’s ongoing effort to protect water quality by improving the enforcement of the laws. When a company or municipality breaks an environmental law, Ecology often provides assistance to help the organizations comply, but when that doesn’t work the agency takes enforcement action.

In the past few years (fiscal years 1996-1998), Ecology issued approximately 279 water quality penalties, totaling $1.4 million, to individuals who broke water quality laws. Ecology has collected only $832,000, or 61 percent, of the fines.

Collection agencies track down companies with unpaid penalties. Still, many penalties go unpaid. Currently, 29 companies owe nearly $500,000 in unpaid water-quality penalties, and they have exhausted appeal processes.