Washington State Department of Ecology
05/20/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/20/2026 12:12
Environmental penalties issued for the fourth quarter of 2025
Lacey -
The Washington Department of Ecology issued $3,838,100 in penalties of $1,000 or more from Oct. 1 - Dec. 31, 2025. You can find a detailed list of the violations and penalties below.
Ecology works with thousands of businesses and individuals to help them comply with state laws. The agency issues penalties when someone doesn't comply with the laws after Ecology provides technical assistance or warnings, or for particularly serious violations.
In some cases, a penalty may be reduced through a court ruling or settlement. The penalty amounts go to the state's general fund or dedicated accounts that help prevent pollution.
Ecology strives to protect, preserve and enhance Washington's environment, and promote wise management practices to benefit 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 harm.
| County | City | Date issued | Recipient | Description | Penalty amount | Media Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cowlitz |
Woodland |
Dec. 18, 2025 |
Mac Chain Co. LTD |
Mac Chain Co. LTD violated its permit after consistently failing to submit discharge monitoring reports on time, with seven of their most recent quarterly reports missing and past due. Submitting these reports is the most basic way a permittee submits required information to Ecology. |
$3,000 |
Brittny Goodsell, 360-280-3704 |
|
King |
Snoqualmie |
Oct. 20, 2025 |
Burns Cattle Company, LLC |
On Dec. 5, 2023, a semi-truck and trailer overturned, spilling 250 to 500 pounds of palmitic acid granules (commonly used in animal feed) into a roadside ditch and the Raging River. |
$1,000 |
Anna Izenman, 360-515-6868 |
|
King |
Renton |
Oct. 3, 2025 |
Renton Daily Grow Mart Inc. |
The business failed to submit required documents and records related to safely managing its underground storage tanks. This includes documenting necessary repairs to equipment for detecting leaks and containing spills. |
$2,000 |
Scarlet Tang, |
|
Kitsap |
Bremerton |
Oct. 20, 2025 |
Mitchell Wade Olson |
On Feb. 7, 2024, Ecology received a report of an abandoned sailboat that was tied to an unmarked piling in the Port Orchard Canal. The vessel, owned by Mitchell Wade Olson, sank the following day. During an on-water assessment Feb. 9, responders observed a sheen from the boat's outboard engine as the vessel released fuel into Puget Sound. |
$2,400 |
Anna Izenman, 360-515-6868 |
|
Pierce |
Tacoma |
Dec. 19, 2025 |
Shawn Reed |
Ecology issued a $2,000 penalty to Shawn Reed of Reed Trucking & Excavating, Inc, for not implementing and maintaining best management practices on a construction site. This included not implementing sediment controls and failing to submit required paperwork that records the site's monthly discharge monitoring. Finally, the project's Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan was missing site inspections and did not have the required logbook. |
$2,000 |
Brittny Goodsell, 360-280-3704 |
|
Pierce |
Puyallup |
Dec. 4, 2025 |
Jay Looker |
Looker Properties LLC received a penalty for hauling and dumping wastewater onto the site, which wasn't covered by their permit. This activity created multiple oil spills that contaminated the site. The owner also failed to follow best practices for these work activities. |
$2,000 |
Brittny Goodsell, 360-280-3704 |
|
San Juan |
Eastsound |
Oct. 20, 2025 |
West Sound Marina, Inc. |
The former Army tugboat El Capitan sank at its berth at West Sound Marina on Orcas Island on Nov. 18, 2023. The vessel remained underwater for months and intermittently released an estimated total of 50 gallons of oil and diesel. The tug had been abandoned at the marina for years before the incident. |
$1,200 |
Anna Izenman, 360-515-6868 |
|
Skagit |
Conway |
Nov. 18, 2025 |
Olympic Pipeline Company LLC, BP Pipelines (North America) Inc. |
Approximately 21,000 gallons of gasoline were released from the BP Olympic Pipeline on Dec. 9, 2023, with 4,000 gallons spilling to water. The spill was caused by a failed carbon steel nut in a high-pressure stainless steel tubing assembly. |
$3,808,500 |
Anna Izenman, 360-515-6868 |
|
Snohomish |
Mukilteo |
Nov. 24, 2025 |
Private Residence, Charles Morgan & Associates, LLC |
Ecology received a report on Feb 23, 2024 of an oil sheen where Edgewater Creek flows into Puget Sound. The source was an underground heating oil tank on private property. The homeowner admitted they had previous knowledge of the leak. |
$1,800 |
Anna Izenman, 360-515-6868 |
|
Snohomish |
Everett |
Oct. 20, 2025 |
Ron Barber |
On Oct. 25 and 30, 2023, someone witnessed the vessel Thunderchief - owned and operated by Ron Barber - releasing oil to Steamboat Slough. Barber did not make any attempt to report the spill or take any action to contain, collect, or remove the spilled oil. |
$3,200 |
Anna Izenman, 360-515-6868 |
|
Spokane |
Spokane |
Oct. 21, 2025 |
Inland Empire Paper |
Approximately 407 gallons of a mineral oil/water mixture were released Dec. 26, 2023, when a pressure valve failed, breaking a gasket in the heat exchanger. This allowed the mixture to enter the cooling water system and drain through the facility's wastewater system. The company did not have inspection procedures in place that could have prevented this failure. |
$7,000 |
Anna Izenman, 360-515-6868 |
|
Stevens |
Valley |
Nov. 4, 2025 |
Joshua and Shauna Alwine |
The Alwines diverted surface water from a pond to irrigate their lawn and garden without permit approval from Ecology. |
$4,000 |
Stephanie May, 509-202-5674 |
Washington State Department of Ecology published this content on May 20, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 20, 2026 at 18:12 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]