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Department of Ecology News Release - August 12, 2004
04-154
SPOKANE - Northwest Marble Products Inc. has been fined $10,000 by the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) for excessive dust emissions from its Chewelah, Wash., plant.
The company was cited for violating state visibility standards. Under state law, visible emissions are restricted to no more than 20 percent opacity for three minutes in any one hour. Visible emissions above 20 percent opacity were recorded for five of seven minutes during an inspection of the plant on May 26.
Dust emissions were coming from the north end of the sand plant where dolomite is crushed and processed.
"Northwest Marble has a long history of visibility emission violations dating back to 1974," explained Greg Flibbert, with Ecology's air quality program in Spokane. "The facility continues to operate in violation of air quality regulations and has failed to permanently correct the problems that result in air quality violations."
The most recent enforcement action was taken in 2000, when a $5,000 penalty was issued for visibility violations.
Ecology's air quality program will conduct a thorough inspection of the facility this fall to determine if air-quality emission control updates will be required.
Northwest Marble has 30 days to apply for relief from the penalty with Ecology or appeal the penalty to the Pollution Control Hearings Board.
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Media contact: Joye Redfield-Wilder, public information manager, (509) 575-2610
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
