Washington State Department of Ecology
10/14/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/14/2024 11:13
Environmental penalties issued for first half of 2024
Department of Ecology News Release - October 14, 2024
Environmental penalties issued for first half of 2024
OLYMPIA -
The Washington Department of Ecology issued $1,951,369 in penalties of $1,000 or more from Jan. 1, 2024 - June 30, 2024. $61,400 of that total was issued in the first quarter and $1,889,969 in the second quarter. A detailed list of the violations and resulting penalties is in the table below.
Ecology works with thousands of businesses and individuals to help them comply with state laws. 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 settlement or court rulings. Funds collected go to the state's general fund or to dedicated pollution prevention accounts.
Ecology strives to protect, preserve, and enhance Washington's environment and promote wise management for current and future generations. When someone pollutes Washington's land, air or waters, Ecology enforces state and federal regulations in hopes of changing behavior and deterring future violations.
| County | City | Date | Recipient | Description | Amount | Contact |
| Clark | Washougal | 1/08/2024 | Joshua Sanders | Dangerous waste was stored at a transfer facility for more than 10 days. The facility failed to maintain proper records for shipments of dangerous waste into and out of a 10-day storage area. News release. | $25,000 | Brittny Goodsell 360-280-3704 |
| San Juan | 2/01/2024 | Lopez Island Ferry Terminal | The Tulalip, a vessel owned by American Construction Co., sank, causing an oil sheen. Investigators determined that the company had not prepared the tug for mooring, allowing it to sink and causing 19-27 gallons of oil to spill from the vessel to Puget Sound. | $2,200 | Jasmin Adams 360-464-0324 | |
| Clark | Vancouver | 2/13/2024 | Kamal Bains | The responsible party was late to submit their testing reports that showed whether they were following required corrosion protection measures for their gas station tanks. They also failed to test their spill buckets to make sure spills don't happen while delivery drivers fuel tanks. | $1,200 | Brittny Goodsell 360-280-3704 |
| Douglas | East Wenatchee | 2/22/2024 | Jacob and Debbie Ramos | Organic materials including brush, leaves, pine needles, and walnut shells were burned in outdoor fires inside an urban growth area on three occasions in February and March 2023. | $3,500 | Emily Tasaka 509-571-0352 |
| Pierce | Tacoma | 2/26/2024 | Trident Seafoods Corporation | During a May 17, 2022, fuel transfer to the Independence, less than a gallon of diesel spilled into the Hylebos Waterway due to a corroded pipe. The company failed to report the leak, and once notified, did not respond in a timely manner. | $3,000 | Jasmin Adams 360-464-0324 |
| King | Seattle | 2/27/2024 | Coastal Transportation Inc. | On Feb. 2, 2023, the Coastal Navigator, a fish tender owned and operated by Coastal Transportation Inc., spilled approximately three gallons of ultra-low sulfur diesel into the Lake Washington Ship Canal during a fuel transfer. News release. | $22,000 | Jasmin Adams 360-464-0324 |
| Skagit | 2/29/2024 | Foss Maritime Company | On May 31, 2023, the Garth Foss, owned and operated by the Foss Maritime Company, suffered damage, causing about five gallons of hydraulic oil to spill into Fidalgo Bay. Foss didn't make required notifications the day of the spill. | $1,000 | Jasmin Adams 360-464-0324 | |
| Columbia | Dayton | 3/18/2024 | Jack Miller | Ecology inspectors responded to a report from Columbia County Fire District about an unpermitted burn. The fire spread beyond the intended area, burning tires, metal and processed lumber. | $3,500 | Stephanie May 509-202-5674 |
| Clark | Vancouver | 4/3/2024 | Jim Subers | Albina Asphalt failed to designate three waste streams generated at its Vancouver facility. News release. | $27,000 | Brittny Goodsell 360-280-3704 |
| Clark | Vancouver | 4/11/2024 | Nikole Hinton-Duke, Hinton Services LLC | Site discharged multiple gallons of turbid water into Mill Creek over repeated days. | $2,000 | Brittny Goodsell 360-280-3704 |
| Kittitas | Kittitas | 4/19/2024 | KC and Hannah Woodiwiss Residence | A complaint made against KC Woodiwiss for the burning of an approximately 10-foot-long wooden boat in the urban growth area that caused nuisance smoke. The complaint was accompanied by photographic and video evidence. KC Woodiwiss declined to extinguish the fire at the time of the violation. | $3,520 | Emily Tasaka 509-571-0352 |
| Pend Oreille | 5/06/2024 | Skookum Creek Road | On June 21, 2022, B&H Road Service, LLC disposed of 5-10 gallons of asphalt emulsion in a wet ditch. Pend Oreille Public Works staff reported the spill to Ecology the next day, and both agencies directed B&H to clean up the spill until soil met state standards. B&H failed to clean up the material, so Ecology directed them to hire a contractor to recover oil from the ditch water. | $2,600 | Jasmin Adams 360-464-0324 | |
| Yakima | Yakima | 5/22/2024 | Preet Singh | The 3D AM/PM gas station on Yakima Avenue was one year late testing tank equipment to verify it can prevent overfills and contain spills. Both overfills and spill equipment are required by law to be tested every three years. Spill equipment failed testing and was not repaired for over a year. | $1,600 | Emily Tasaka 509-571-0352 |
| Thurston | Olympia | 5/28/2024 | Graham Gill | Pro-Vac LLC's employees discharged liquid street waste removed from a stormwater facility. | $3,000 | Brittny Goodsell 360-280-3704 |
| Spokane | Deer Park | 5/29/2024 | Robert H. Greiff | Robert H. Greiff irrigated 69 acres of land within Spokane County without authorization and while under a cease and desist order from Ecology. | $6,000 | Stephanie May 509-202-5674 |
| Pierce | Tacoma | 5/31/2024 | Cargo Ship Navios Orbiter | On June 7, 2022, Ecology responded to a spill in Commencement Bay. Spill responders determined the spill of Very Low Sulfur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) was from the Navios Orbiter during bunkering. An estimated five gallons of VLSFO spilled through the scuppers to Commencement Bay, which are waters of the state of Washington. | $1,000 | Jasmin Adams 360-464-0324 |
| Grays Harbor | Westport | 6/15/2024 | Dan Occhipinti | The Pacific Seafood-Westport, LLC, facility violated its discharge permit 58 times between May 2022 and December 2023, exceeding permit limits 48 times. The other 10 violations came from failing to conduct required monitoring. News release. | $222,000 | Brittny Goodsell 360-280-3704 |
| San Juan | 6/25/2024 | Western shore of San Juan Island | On Aug. 13, 2022, the F/V Aleutian Isle sank in the Haro Strait west of San Juan Island, releasing an estimated 1,328 to 1,528 gallons of diesel. The vessel was later raised by a salvage company. News release. | $18,000 | Jasmin Adams 360-464-0324 | |
| Skagit | 6/25/2024 | Shelter Bay-P/C Lucky Seven | From June 6-16, 2023, marina staff observed a sheen around the vessel Lucky Seven, owned by Jeff Norman. The spill was not reported until June 16. An estimated quart of gear oil and one quart of transmission fluid spilled from the vessel to Shelter Bay. | $2,400 | Jasmin Adams 360-464-0324 | |
| Statewide | 6/26/2024 | The Home Depot | Ecology issued a $1.6 million penalty to The Home Depot for selling prohibited hydrofluorocarbon products, after roughly two years of attempts to bring the company into compliance. News release. | $1,600,849 | Caroline Halter 564-669-8947 |