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Department of Ecology News Release - October 28, 2009
09-257
The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) issued $629,740 in penalties of $1,000 or more in the third quarter months (July, Aug. and Sept.) of 2009.
Ecology issues individual news releases for penalties of $10,000 or greater, and links to the news release are included in the table. A particular penalty may be fully satisfied at this time or in the process of an appeal or settlement discussions.
Ecology works with thousands of business and individuals to ensure compliance with laws written to protect Washington’s air, land and water resources. Penalties are issued in cases where non-compliance continues after Ecology has provided technical assistance or warnings, or for particularly serious violations.
The money owed from penalties may be reduced from the issued amount due to a ruling by the Pollution Control Hearings Board or a negotiated settlement. Ecology doesn’t benefit from penalty payments. The final penalty amount owed and collected is deposited in special accounts that pay for:
The most common accounts receiving collected penalties are:
|
County of Violation |
City of Violation |
Date Issued |
Penalty Recipient |
Description of Violation |
Amount |
Media Contact |
|
Clark |
Vancouver |
7/6/09 |
Berry Plastics Holding Corp. |
Failed to file quarterly discharge monitoring reports as required by law. The reports are necessary to ensure stormwater discharges from the site meet water quality standards. |
$2,000 |
Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
|
Clark |
Vancouver |
4/23/09 (From 2nd quarter.) |
Salmon Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant |
This facility failed to conduct required quarterly monitoring since 2005. |
$2,000 |
Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
|
Grant |
Moses Lake |
9/3/09 |
Palmer, Craig & Todd |
Agricultural burning without a permit when permits had been obtained in the past for the same exact location. |
$2,090 |
Jani
Gilbert, |
|
Grant |
Warden |
7/23/09 |
Central WA Excavation |
Central Washington Excavation burned a portion of a house in Warden, violating the regulation against burning prohibited materials. |
$3,000 |
Jani
Gilbert, |
|
Grays Harbor |
Hoquiam |
9/17/09 |
Smith Creek Birdwatchers Association |
An excavator conducting unpermitted work in a wetland spilled 90 gallons of hydraulic oil. The spill wasn’t cleaned up or reported as required by state law. |
$2,000 |
Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
|
Grays Harbor |
Elma |
7/16/2009 |
Elma Rock N Redi Mix, LLC, (formerly Wildcat Enterprises) |
Multiple violations of its sand and gravel permit, including the failure to monitor process water and stormwater discharges for staying within acceptable pollution limits and reporting those results to Ecology as required. |
$9,000 |
Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
|
Skagit |
Sedro Woolley |
9/22/09 |
Skagit Hill Recycling Inc. |
Accepted and stored non-inert waste in the excavated portion of an inactive gravel mine, with no measures taken to protect groundwater quality. See Ecology’s news release. |
$46,000 |
Larry
Altose, |
|
King |
Seattle |
8/27/09 |
Salmon Bay Sand & Gravel Co. |
Spilled sand and gravel from shore-side bunkers into the Lake Washington Ship Canal violated other permit conditions and failed to respond to an earlier Notice of Violation. See Ecology’s news release. |
$12,000 |
Larry Altose, |
|
King |
Seattle |
7/17/09 |
Fog Tite, Inc. |
Discharged industrial wastewater into a storm drain and failed to properly monitor industrial stormwater into city storm drains. See Ecology’s news release. |
$18,000 |
Larry Altose, |
|
King |
Kent |
7/23/09 |
Burlington Environmental LLC Kent, Tacoma |
The state’s largest dangerous waste processor will pay $58,000 and fund two years of audits to support major environmental and safety reforms at Tacoma and Kent facilities under a settlement agreement with Ecology. See Ecology’s news release. |
$288,000 |
Larry Altose, |
|
Kittitas |
Easton |
7/9/09 |
Nathan Weis; Easton Ridge Land Co. LLC. |
Used waste oil to ignite several burn piles, violating outdoor burning regulations. |
$2,500 |
Joye Redfield-Wilder, 509-575-2610 |
|
Lewis |
Toledo |
8/14/09 |
Robert Thompson |
The site’s operator failed to reapply for sand and gravel permit coverage when it restarted mining operations, even after several notifications by Ecology. The permit sets pollution limits on water discharged from the operation. |
$1,000 |
Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
|
Lincoln |
Odessa |
9/2/09 |
Cenex Harrington |
Delivered petroleum to an underground storage tank without a valid permit. |
$1,000 |
Jani
Gilbert, |
|
Lincoln |
Ritzville |
7/16/09 |
Mike Kuest |
Michael A. Kuest illegally burned a field in grass seed production. |
$3,400 |
Jani
Gilbert, |
|
Pierce |
Tacoma |
7/10/09 |
John J. Hauff, Jr. |
Discharged oil in the Hylebos Waterway from a partially demolished, submerged vessel. |
$1,750 |
Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
|
Pierce |
Tacoma |
7/14/09 |
Manke Lumber Co. |
Ongoing problems following its industrial stormwater permit requirements, and non-compliance with an Ecology order to correct stormwater pollution problems. |
$69,000 |
Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
|
Skagit |
Mount Vernon |
8/25/09 |
Galen Johnson doing business as Hillside Enterprises LLC |
Took inadequate erosion-prevention measures and failed to conduct inspections required by water quality permit at Hillside Motel construction site, 23002 Bonnie View Road. Stormwater flows to wetlands that drain Carpenter Creek. |
$1,000 |
Katie Skipper, 360-715-5205 |
|
Skagit |
Sedro Woolley |
9/22/09 |
Skagit Hill Recycling Inc. |
Accepted and stored non-inert waste in the excavated portion of an inactive gravel mine, with no measures taken to protect groundwater quality. See Ecology’s news release. |
$46,000 |
Larry
Altose, |
|
Skagit |
|
8/14/09 |
Olmstead Transportation Co. |
Overfilled a fuel tank and spilled diesel fuel to Maddox Creek and Big Ditch. Failed to report the spill, which covered more than nine stream miles from Mount Vernon to Skagit Bay. See Ecology’s news release. |
$14,500 |
Larry Altose, |
|
Snohomish |
Woodinville |
7/23/09 |
Wellington Hills Business Campus |
Discharged muddy stormwater to county storm drains, which flow to Little Bear Creek. The project lacked erosion and soil-control best management practices. See Ecology’s news release. |
$62,000 |
Larry Altose, |
|
Spokane |
Deer Park |
7/15/09 |
Big D Septic |
Dumped septic sludge on the company’s property, violating the state’s biosolids management regulations. Big D does not have a permit to apply septic sludge to the land as agricultural fertilizer. See Ecology News Release. |
$2,500 |
Jani
Gilbert, |
|
Thurston |
Tumwater |
9/30/2009 |
AmCor Packaging |
Failure to apply for the necessary industrial stormwater permit from Ecology. |
$2,000 |
Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239 |
|
Walla Walla |
Walla Walla |
7/8/09 |
Cliffstar Corporation |
Discharged a large, concentrated load of high strength wastewater to the city of Walla Walla's sanitary sewer without prior approval. |
$3,000 |
Jani
Gilbert, |
|
Whatcom |
Bellingham |
9/10/09 |
Greenbriar Construction Corp., |
Discharged muddy stormwater and operated without a construction stormwater permit at Emerald Cottages project on Telegraph Rd. See Ecology’s news release. |
$36,000 |
Larry Altose, |
For more detail about Ecology’s enforcement policy and actions, please see the 2007 Enforcement Report at
www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/0801015.pdf
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