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Department of Ecology News Release - September 24, 2001
01-159
BELLEVUE -The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) has fined the state Parks and Recreation Commission $10,000 for failing to renew an environmental permit for its wastewater treatment plant at Blake Island State Park near Seattle.
The permit, which expired on June 28, limits the types and amounts of pollutants that can be discharged to state waters. As a condition of its previous discharge permit, the parks department also agreed to upgrade the plant, but the work was never completed.
"Not only is the park operating its plant without a valid permit, but the current treatment system is inadequate," said Kevin Fitzpatrick, who oversees Ecology's water quality activities in northwest Washington.
Fitzpatrick said that the Blake Island facility consistently violated the effluent limits set under its previous permit, including having problems controlling fecal coliform and suspended solids in its discharges to Puget Sound.
The plant had most of its compliance problems between April and August, according to monitoring reports submitted by the Parks Commission - the same months public use is at its highest.
"We want to work with state Parks to bring them into compliance," Fitzpatrick said. "The first step is to get a valid discharge permit for their wastewater facility, something every city or business must have to legally operate a wastewater treatment plant. The goal is to protect water quality, so Blake Island State Park is safe for the public to use."
The Parks and Recreation Commission may file an "application for relief" with Ecology within 15 days and/or appeal the penalty to the state's Pollution Control Hearings Board within 30 days.
Contact: Curt Hart, public information manager, 425-649-7009; pager, 206-663-1785
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
