Third quarter Dept. of Ecology fines include Westport penalty

Westport, WA – The Washington Department of Ecology released their list of penalties $1,000 or more in the 3rd quarter of 2019, saying that issued $229,150 in penalties in total between July and September. 

This included $2,000 locally. 

Eight penalties across the state met the threshold for the release, highlighted by a $202,500 penalty to a Port Orchard company for clearing land without considering stormwater erosion that led to mud covering wetlands and streams.

Locally, Ocean Gold Seafoods Inc. was included in the list for an August penalty of $2,000 for untreated wastewater from a seafood processing plant that spilled into the Westport Marina area.

Ecology states that they work with thousands of businesses and individuals to assist, monitor, and ensure they comply with state laws. 

Penalties are issued in cases where they say “non-compliance continues after providing warnings or technical assistance, or for particularly serious violations”.

Funds collected go to the state’s general fund or to dedicated pollution prevention accounts

Penalties for July through September 2019

County	City	Date issued	Recipient	Description	Amount
Cowlitz	Kalama	8/2/19	Emerald Kalama Chemical	Seven containers of dangerous waste were missing labels identifying risks. The containers included 50-gallon drums of cleanup debris, oil, and lab waste and a 5,000-gallon container of Benzyl Alcohol waste.	$4,000
Grays Harbor	Westport	8/20/19	Ocean Gold Seafoods Inc.	2,000 gallons of untreated wastewater from a seafood processing plant spilled into the Westport Marine Boat Basin.	$2,000
Jefferson	Port Townsend	9/9/19	Port Townsend Paper	Violated air quality emission limits for metals at the lime kiln on 2/27/19 and 3/1/19. The lime kiln is used to recycle chemicals in the paper making process.	$5,250
Kitsap	Port Orchard	7/3/19	Stetson Heights LLC	In 2018, cleared more than 80 steeply sloped acres on Glenwood Road SW in Port Orchard without protecting the bare ground from stormwater erosion. Stormwater from autumn rains flowed from the cleared land as muddy water. By late fall, up to 4 feet of mud covered parts of wetlands and streams on – and adjacent to – the project property. Wetlands flow to streams with runs of salmon and steelhead trout. Also ordered to take corrective action. Penalty and order appealed. News release	$202,500
Pend Oreille	Newport	9/5/19	Douglas Week	Fined for illegally burning prohibited materials in a trash pile that required the South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue to extinguish.	$1,500
Pierce	Tacoma	7/3/19	City of Tacoma	Spilled 70,000 to 130,000 gallons of sewage to Puget Sound, due to a missing diversion gate at the decommissioned Western Slopes Waste Water Treatment Plant. The plant was supposed to store sewage diverted during a sewer line repair in University Place in the late evening/early morning hours of Oct. 23-24, 2017.	$6,000
Skagit	Concrete	9/30/19	Town of Concrete	Bypassed wastewater treatment by discharging 50,000 gallons of raw sewage into the ground at a former treatment lagoon on July 24-26, 2019. This violated a January 2019 agreement to settle the town’s appeal of a 2018 penalty for $12,800, in which half of the penalty was suspended.	$6,400
Snohomish	Lynwood	7/16/19	National Retail Systems	Released 100 to 150 gallons of diesel fuel to Halls Creek in Lynnwood from a semi-truck forced off I-5 on Nov. 23, 2018. Also assessed $1,283 for damages to natural resources.	$1,500