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Department of Ecology Press Release - October 24, 2005
05-259
YAKIMA - A Union Gap fruit packing facility has been fined $11,000 for allowing waste water to spill into an irrigation ditch that flows into to a private pond, resulting in the death of a number of sunfish.
The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) issued the penalty to Clasen Fruit and Cold Storage for violating state water quality laws and its wastewater discharge permit.
The company was fined $2,000 for a similar incident at the same location in 2001.
The state's Fresh Fruit Packing General Permit outlines the conditions under which fruit packers may discharge wastewater. As part of its operation, Clasen uses the chemicals diphenylamine (DPA) and thiabendazole (TBZ) in a drencher solution.
The permit allows the company to dispose of the spent drencher solution by applying it to the land at a rate no greater than .07 inches per acre every other day. However, the waste water must not pool or run off the site, and a 50-feet setback from surface waters must be maintained.
The incident occurred on Sept. 24 when an employee of Clasen Fruit applied spent drencher solution containing DPA and TBZ to a road on property the company owns in the 12700 block of Ahtanum Road.
Later that same day, Ecology inspectors responded to a call reporting that a milky substance was being discharged from an irrigation return ditch to a private pond. The pond is located south of Ahtanum Road and is fed by an open irrigation return ditch that runs parallel to the road where the drencher solution had been applied earlier that day.
The inspectors collected water samples and several dead fish. Lab results showed the water samples contained DPA and TBZ. Inspectors also observed evidence of pooling and runoff of the liquid into the ditch and along the north side of the road.
A follow-up inspection and review of company documents determined that the spent drencher solution had been over-applied to a road within 50 feet of the ditch, resulting in the spill and fish kill.
Clasen Fruit has 30 days to pay the fine, apply for relief from the penalty or file an appeal with the state 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.
