The Washington Department of Ecology issued $562,540 in penalties of $1,000 or more from Jan. 1, 2023 – June 30, 2023. $422,640 of that total was issued in the first quarter and $139,900 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 issued | Recipient | Description | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clallam | Port Angeles | 1/17/2023 | McKinley Paper Company | On Sept. 19, 2022, McKinley Paper company violated its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit requirements by discharging turbid water that exceeded the maximum limit allowed for daily total suspended solids through an outfall. | $3,000 |
| Clallam | Port Angeles | 1/26/2023 | Jeremy Richardson | Failed to test spill prevention and overfill prevention equipment as required every three years. Also did not comply with release detection requirements. | $1,200 |
| Clark | Vancouver | 5/15/2023 | Chuck Johnson; Curt Leland | Southwest Washington Medical Center’s managers failed to test spill prevention and overfill prevention equipment as required every three years. The managers also failed to comply with operator training, operations and maintenance plan, signage requirements, and release detection requirements, and did not conduct annual testing. | $1,000 |
| Cowlitz | Longview | 3/08/2023 | WestRock Longview | WestRock Longview had several opacity violations beginning on May 23, 2022. | $4,000 |
| Cowlitz | Kelso | 5/19/2023 | Tamara Cole | On April 26, 2022, Tamara Cole caused a motor vehicle accident that resulted in a truck spilling an estimated 193 gallons of diesel fuel to the Columbia River. A second truck spilled 117 gallons diesel to riverside soils. | $2,000 |
| Cowlitz | Longview | 4/25/2023 | WestRock Longview LLC | 3-hour average sulfur dioxide levels in excess of the limit were observed. | $5,500 |
| Grant | Park Lake | 1/11/2023 | Wade and Theresa King | Wade and Teresa King, owners of King Ranch, illegally damaged at least 23 alkali wetlands located near Park Lake in Grant County. News release | $267,540 |
| Grant | Soap Lake | 5/15/2023 | Stevens Land Holdings LLC | Stevens Land Holdings, LLC, irrigated 100 acres of alfalfa in Grant County without a permit. | $4,000 |
| Grant | Soap Lake | 6/26/2023 | Stevens Land Holdings LLC | Stevens Land Holdings, LLC, continued to irrigate 100 acres of alfalfa in Grant County without a permit. News release | $10,000 |
| Grays Harbor | Westport | 2/10/2023 | Rodolfo Osuno | On May 1, 2022, the Inlet Raider II, registered to Rodolfo Osuno, was brought into Westhaven Marina. The bilge pump turned on, spilling oily water to Westhaven Cove. The next day, bilge pumps were turned on to prevent the vessel from sinking, causing more oily water to discharge within a boomed area. | $1,200 |
| Jefferson | Port Ludlow | 2/02/2023 | Kenneth Todd | Violating water quality standards for pH exceedance. Monitoring not conducted as required by permit. Sampling does not comply with permit requirements. | $1,000 |
| Jefferson | Port Townsend | 1/17/2023 | Port Townsend Paper | On July 9, 2022, Port Townsend Paper Corporation discharged more organic matter than what is allowed by their permit. Pollution above permitted levels can negatively impact the aquatic environment. | $3,000 |
| Jefferson | Port Townsend | 5/01/2023 | Port Townsend Paper | On Dec. 31, 2022, Port Townsend Paper Company discharged 7,500-10,000 gallons of untreated process wastewater due to a sewer leak. Solids and chemicals in untreated process wastewater can negatively impact aquatic life and water quality. | $6,000 |
| King | Enumclaw | 3/23/2023 | Van Hoof Dairy | In 2021 and 2022, Van Hoof Dairy had two confirmed discharges of manure from their operation that contributed fecal bacteria and nutrients to the White River. After reviewing the discharges, Ecology issued an administrative order in November 2022 that required the dairy to apply for a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation permit. The penalty is for the business’s failure to comply with the order within the required timeframe. | $3,000 |
| King | SEATTLE | 2/28/2023 | Maxum Petroleum | Maxum Petroleum is missing records for five months, violating their prevention plan. The company cannot prove it conducted the inspection and maintenance activities as required during the missing months. | $3,500 |
| King | Tukwila | 1/31/2023 | John Roach | An estimated 22.5 gallons of lubricating oil spilled from John Roach's property to the Duwamish Waterway. Roach was penalized for spilling oil to water and not properly reporting it. | $28,000 |
| King | Seattle | 5/12/2023 | James Wagemann | On Aug. 14, 2022, a vessel, owned by James Wagemann caught fire, igniting an adjacent vessel. Both boats sank, spilling an estimated 120 gallons of diesel oil and 40 gallons of gasoline to Lake Washington. | $1,500 |
| King | Seattle | 6/27/2023 | Mantinia Shipping Company | An estimated one cup of oil reached the water within a pre-boomed area and quickly dissipated. The Nestor S’s captain notified NRC of the oil transfer shutdown but failed to report the spill. | $1,200 |
| King | Seattle | 4/28/2023 | Justin Boyd | On Jan. 5, 2021, a 1964 Monk McQueen 48, registered to Justin Boyd, was discovered sheening after it partially sunk just north of the Lake Union Dry Dock in Seattle. An estimated 40 gallons of diesel spilled to Lake Union. | $1,600 |
| Pacific | Ocean Park | 1/20/2023 | Matthew Finley | The abandoned Terry F drifted into the surf off Leadbetter Point and grounded, spilling 365 gallons of diesel. | $6,000 |
| Pacific | Ilwaco | 4/21/2023 | Gerald Wolniewicz | On Aug. 7, 2021, the vessel Hobo grounded on a submerged portion of the North Jetty at the entrance of the Columbia River near Ilwaco. The vessel began flooding and was then intentionally grounded on Waikiki Beach in Cape Disappointment State Park. An estimated 153 gallons of diesel fuel spilled. | $1,000 |
| Pend Oreille | Usk | 5/05/2023 | Jackie Ellis | Jackie Ellis’ pickup truck spilled approximately 20 gallons of diesel into a wetland that feeds Davis Creek, which flows to Davis Lake. | $9,000 |
| Pierce | Gig Harbor | 2/28/2023 | Edwards Drive | Edwards Drive has had multiple turbid discharges to the City of Gig Harbor's stormwater system and has not maintained required best management practices. | $2,000 |
| Pierce | TACOMA | 1/17/2023 | Trident Seafoods Corporation | On Feb. 17, 2021, the Aleutian Falcon, owned by Trident Seafoods Corporation, caught fire. Because the fire spread, a crane’s hydraulic hoses were damaged, causing an estimated 20-30 gallons of hydraulic oil, mixed with firefighting water, to spill to the Hylebos Waterway and Commencement Bay. | $25,000 |
| Pierce | Tacoma | 3/17/2023 | Ram Jack West | On Oct. 14, 2022, Ram Jack West was applying polyurethane sealant to a seawall. Some sealant spilled to water and the company did not report the spill. Ecology estimated that 3.6 gallons of sealant spilled to Commencement Bay. | $2,000 |
| Pierce | Gig Harbor | 6/28/2023 | Ryan McGowen | Ryan McGowen, owner of RM Homes, violated requirements of the Construction Stormwater General Permit. Violations include multiple instances of failing to implement and/or maintain best management practices, obtain written approval, protect drain inlets, and stabilize soils to protect water quality. | $56,000 |
| Pierce | Gig Harbor | 5/11/2023 | Gurdip Garcha | Gurdip Garcha, owner of Maritime Mart Chevron, failed to comply with registration, licensing, fee, financial responsibility, and/or compliance tag requirements. | $1,100 |
| Pierce | 6/09/2023 | Hooman Bodaghi | On July 15, 2022, the Pegasus, a vessel registered to Hooman Bodaghi, caught fire and sank at the Peninsula Yacht Basin, spilling 300 gallons of diesel to Gig Harbor, which reached the mouth of Crescent Creek. | $2,000 | |
| San Juan | Friday Harbor | 3/23/2023 | Myron Williams, Inc. | Myron Williams, Inc., failed to protect water quality at its mining operation at Egg Lake Quarry on San Juan Island. The business did not comply with the requirements to protect water quality that must be followed by all sand and gravel businesses, despite repeated technical assistance, warning letters, and a field penalty from Ecology inspectors.News release | $53,000 |
| Skagit | Anacortes | 1/19/2023 | Venoil LLC | Venoil LLC was not in compliance with the requirements of their industrial stormwater permit, failing to seal perimeter drains and to conduct related sampling. A field ticket of $1,000 was issued.
|
$1,000 |
| Skagit | Anacortes | 2/14/2023 | H.F. Sinclair Puget Sound Refinery LLC | H.F. Sinclair is required to treat its industrial wastewater to certain water quality standards before discharging to Fidalgo Bay. | $1,000 |
| Skagit | Rockport | 1/06/2023 | James Wright | On March 26, 2022, James Wright wrecked his vehicle in the Skagit River. About four gallons of gas, three quarts of transmission fluid, and three quarts of antifreeze spilled. | $2,000 |
| Skamania | Stevenson | 1/25/2023 | Bruce Nissen | Failure to comply with reporting requirements for State Waste Discharge Permit. | $9,000 |
| Whatcom | Bellingham | 3/28/2023 | Cape Augustine Fisheries | On April 18, 2021, a sheen and surfactant were reported on water near the Let’s Go, a boat owned by Cape Augustine Fisheries. The crew did not cooperate with Ecology responders to investigate the source of the spill. | $1,800 |
| Whatcom | Bellingham | 3/28/2023 | Cape Augustine Fisheries | On April 21, 2021, the Let’s Go spilled 40 gallons of diesel fuel to Bellingham Bay from its bilge. Ecology observed evidence of soap on spilled oil after warning the vessel’s crew on April 18 not to use it to disperse oil sheen. The crew didn't report the spill or immediately address a known leak. | $4,400 |
| Whitman | Pullman | 6/27/2023 | Four Stary Supply Inc. | Four Star Supply, Inc. in Pullman noticed red-dye diesel leaking from tank four, one of the company’s six aboveground storage tanks. It had also breached its secondary containment structure, saturating the soil and spilling into the South Fork Palouse River. | $34,000 |
| Whitman | Oaksdale | 6/29/2023 | Boulder Creek Inc | Found to be illegally burning without an Ecology Agricultural Field Burn Permit. | $4,000 |