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Department of Ecology News Release - September 25, 2007
07-276
Following is a summary of all penalties of $1,000 or more issued by the Department of Ecology during the second quarter (April, May and June) of 2007. All together, Ecology has issued $1,486,672 in penalties this year. (Penalties with starred dates were issued in the first quarter, but recorded in the second.)
| County of Violation | City of Violation | Date Issued | Penalty Recipient | Description of Violation | Amount | Media Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | Othello | 6/13/2007 | Hoksbergen Developments | First day with no pollution liability insurance. Tank permit expired June 20, 2006. | $20,000 | Jani Gilbert, 509-329-3495 |
| Asotin | Clarkston | 5/1/2007 | Guy Bennett Lumber Co. | Violated air quality permit by releaseing too much fine particulate matter from a hog fuel boiler | $10,000 | Jani Gilbert, 509-329-3495 |
| Benton, Kittitas, Klickitat, Yakima | 5/29/2007 | Washington State Patrol | Environmental safeguards for underground storage tanks were removed at several Central Washington remote repeater stations during maintenance and construction. Violations included reporting and record keeping, tightness testing, and inventory control/leak detection. | $8,100 | Joye Redfield-Wilder, 509-575-2610 | |
| Chelan | Malaga | 5/11/2007 | ALCOA Inc. Wenatchee Works | Violated air pollution limits at the Malaga aluminum smelter from April 1 to June 30, 2006. | $22,750 | Joye Redfield-Wilder, 509-575-2610 |
| Clark | Battle Ground | 5/15/2007 | J.L Storedahl and Sons, Tebo Brothers Pit | Violated surface water quality standards by discharging turbid water and sediment from treatment and settling ponds to Manly Creek; failed to provide accurate monitoring and corrective action reports; improperly maintained pit facilities and treatment systems. | $43,000 | Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
| Clark | Camas | 5/15/2007 | Pacific Rock Products, Fisher | Discharged turbid water from Fisher Quarry into Washington Dept. of Transportation stormwater treatment system along Highway 14. Company agreed to reimburse DOT $11,477 to repair the stormwater treatment system in addition to the fine. | $7,030 | Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
| Clark | Ridgefield | 6/5/2007 | Circle C Products | Water quality samples taken at the sand and gravel pit exceeded permitted levels of pH (alkalinity) and turbidity. Circle C experienced similar violations in 2004 and paid a fine. The continuation of the violations resulted in an increased fine. | $160,000 | Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
| Clark | Vancouver | 4/18/2007 | Ership Internacional | While bunkered at the Port of Vancouver, the cargo ship Ciclope spilled approximately 10 gallons of fuel oil into the Columbia River during fueling. | $5,500 | Kim Schmanke 360-407-6239 |
| Clark | Vancouver | 6/22/2007 | Excelsior Packaging Group | Over three-hundred 55-gallon drums of ignitable dangerous waste were accumulated outside the building in an area that did not have spill or fire controls. Many were unlabeled and stacked precariously in a paved parking lot 200 feet from the Columbia River. | $10,000 | Kim Schmanke 360-407-6239 |
| Cowlitz | Longview | 5/14/2007 | Longview Fibre Paper and Packaging | Plant air emissions exceeded permit levels for sulfur dioxide. | $3,000 | Kim Schmanke 360-407-6239 |
| Franklin | Pasco | 4/9/2007 | Prentice Hall Corp System, Inc.; UAP Distribution, Inc. | Operators mismanaged hazardous wastes by draining sludge and wastewater to the ground. Some of the wastes may have contained chemicals at toxic concentrations. | $30,000 | Jani Gilbert, 509-329-3495 |
| Grays Harbor | Montesano | 2/8/2007* | John Backman, ANB Investments | Developers of Swiss Meadows did not have required construction stormwater discharge permit; other repeat water quality violations were noted during several inspections. | $14,000 | Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
| King | Auburn | 5/18/2007 | Scotts Lawn Service | Allowed a fertilizer solution to overflow to the storm sewer system, an unlawful pollution of state waters. | $3,000 | Larry Altose, 425-649-7009 |
| King | Black Diamond | 4/2/2007 | Pacific Coast Coal Co. | Violated effluent limitations for phosphate/total phosphorus, and total copper between Jan. 2005 and Nov. 2006. | $2,00 | Larry Altose, 425-649-7009 |
| King | Kent | 6/26/2007 | Burlington Environmental Inc., Philip Services Corp.; | Did no adequately profile, designate, treat, and dispose of a generator's waste. | $76,000 | Larry Altose, 425-649-7009 |
| King | Renton | 6/19/2007 | Stoneway Concrete | Discharged soapy and turbid wash water without treatment into Gilliam Creek | $3,000 | Larry Altose, 425-649-7009 |
| King | Seattle | 4/17/2007 | Latreezse Judkins; Latreezse Judkins (F/S ID #8446427) | Released gasoline and motor oil to Miller Creek following an auto accident. | $1,000 | Larry Altose, 425-649-7009 |
| King | Seattle | 5/22/2007 | Central Puget Sound Light Rail System (Sound Transit) | Project failed to develop and implement a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan required by the project’s construction stormwater permit, made unauthorized stormwater and uncontaminated construction dewatering discharges to Gilliam Creek and Green River, and failed to monitor unusual or unanticipated discharges from Oct. 2006 through March 2007. | $79,000 | Larry Altose, 425-649-7009 |
| King | Tukwila | 6/14/2007 | Swisher Hygiene (F/S ID #4078684) Bob Dlugosz, Service California, 16601 Roscoe Place, North Hills, CA 91343; | Discharged two gallons of floor cleaning water and cleaning solution to a storm drain (water of the State), that flows to the Cedar River. | $1,500 | Larry Altose, 425-649-7009 |
| Kitsap | Silverdale | 6/26/2007 | Baney Corporation | Employees washed 20-40 used paint buckets into a storm drain, resulting in a discharge of paint related materials into Dyes Inlet. | $2,000 | Larry Altose, 425-649-7009 |
| Kittitas | Ellensburg | 4/23/2007 | Michael Pedersen | Illegally burned two freezers, pallets, and other debris – including glass, cans and food – in an outdoor fire. | $1,000 | Joye Redfield-Wilder, 509-575-2610 |
| Lewis | Centralia | 5/15/2007 | Symons Frozen Foods | Filed every water quality monitoring report late from July 2005 through December 2006. | $12,000 | Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
| Lewis | Centralia | 5/15/2007 | Dulin Construction Company | Discharged turbid water from the company’s sand and gravel pit which traveled to wetlands associated with the Chehalis River. Reports about these discharges should have been filed with Ecology but were not. | $12,000 | Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
| Lincoln | Reardan | 6/11/2007 | Thomas J. Rettkowski | Violated the Clean Air Act by burning a 56-acre agricultural field without a permit. | $3,500 | Jani Gilbert, 509-329-3495 |
| Pacific | Ocean Park | 5/4/2007 | Ocean Park Concrete | Washed concrete truck contents into unlined wastewater ponds; exceeded allowable limits of pH in improperly constructed wastewater ponds; stored chemicals in a way that risked ground and stormwater pollution. | $15,000 | Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
| Pacific | South Bend | 5/15/2007 | Harbor Rock, Inc. | Discharged turbid water to a stormwater drainage ditch and failed to have adequate treatment in place to control turbidity. | $6,000 | Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
| Pierce | Gig Harbor | 5/17/2007 | Kerry Shea | A fire on the 26-foot pleasure craft M/V Satisfaction ultimately destroyed 50 vessels and caused a spill of an estimated 450 gallons of oil. | $4,000 | Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
| Pierce | Sumner | 6/6/2007 | Manke Lumber | Failed to submit an engineering report and obtain approval before constructing a stormwater treatment system. | $2,000 | Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
| Pierce | Tacoma | 6/7/2007 | Tacoma Metals, Inc; | Stored metals in open containers exposed to rain and the environment; failed to monitor and report stormwater discharges; and did not take steps to prevent polluted stormwater from draining offsite. | $15,725 | Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
| Snohomish | Everett | 6/4/2007 | Kimberly Clark World Wide; | Released strong odors on April 5-6, 2007. | $16,000 | Larry Altose, 425-649-7009 |
| Snohomish | Snohomish | 3/29/2007* | City of Snohomish | Under a negotiated agreement $155,000 of a $180,000 penalty is suspended while the city complies with an order to complete closure of an abandoned biosolids lagoon and to clean up oil contamination on part of the site. | $25,000 | Larry Altose, 425-649-7009 |
| Thurston | Tumwater | 5/24/2007 | Suncrest at Somerset Hill | Discharged turbid water into wetlands and ditches when a stormwater pond, located for the development, failed. The discharge may also have reached Barnes Lake. | $5,000 | Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
| Thurston | Olympia | 5/24/2007 | Holbrook Inc.; Olympia log yard | Failed to submit all of the required monitoring reports; did not properly respond when discharges exceeded allowable levels of turbidity; allowed oil to enter stormwater discharge system which empties into Budd Inlet. | $15,000 | Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
| Whatcom | Lynden | 5/7/2007 | Darigold, Inc. | Milk spillage and failure to control discharge of Clean-In-Place water caused violations of BOD and TSS discharge standards to City of Lynden wastewater treatment plant. Failure of equipment resulted in violation of temperature effluent standards. Violated certain operation and maintenance, reporting and pollution mitigation requirements. | $95,000 | Shannon Sullivan, 360-738-6247 |
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