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Department of Ecology News Release - April 4, 2008
08-079
BELLEVUE – The Department of Ecology (Ecology) has fined Topsoils Inc. $16,000 for failing to submit two years of reports required by the water quality permit for the company’s sand-and-gravel mine near Snohomish.
The facility – located at 19003 Yew Way – discharges stormwater into the ground and to Evans Creek, a salmon-bearing tributary of the Snohomish River. The mine operates under Ecology’s water-quality permit for sand and gravel operations. Such facilities mine or process sand and gravel, or mix concrete or asphalt.
“Ecology’s water quality permitting system for sand and gravel mines holds each facility accountable for collecting and reporting information about its discharges,” said Kevin Fitzpatrick, regional supervisor for Ecology’s water quality program. “This self-reporting requirement is a serious matter and an essential element of preventing pollution from sand and gravel facilities.”
Sand and gravel operations must collect and manage their stormwater, using best management practices. Each quarter they must measure conditions of the stormwater they release and report these to Ecology. The Topsoil Inc. facility submitted none of these monitoring reports for 2006 and 2007.
The company must report whether the stormwater it discharges to the creek meets state standards for silt content, alkalinity and acidity, temperature and prevention of oil sheen. The measurements provide information that helps prevent conditions that can harm fish and other aquatic life.
For the facility’s stormwater discharges to the ground, the company must report whether the water is too caustic or has signs of oil contamination. This information helps prevent conditions that can harm groundwater quality.
Ecology previously fined Topsoils, Inc. $2,000 in 2006 for failing to submit monitoring reports in 2004 and 2005. The company paid the penalty.
“We have increased the penalty because continuing to violate this core requirement is not acceptable,” Fitzpatrick said.
The sand and gravel permit is one of Ecology’s efforts to carry out its priority of protecting and restoring Puget Sound.
The companies may appeal the penalties to Ecology or to the Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board within 30 days.
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Media Contact: Larry Altose, Ecology media relations, 425-649-7009; pager 206-663-1785
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
