Lakewood VA hospital penalized $130,000 for unregistered fuel storage tank, compliance violations

The Washington Department of Ecology issued the American Lake Veteran Affairs (VA) Medical Center a $130,000 penalty for numerous violations of state and federal laws regulating underground storage tanks at their facility in Lakewood.

The underground tank system was installed in 2024 to store fuel for a backup power generator. The violations include hiring an uncertified contractor to install the system, failure to notify Ecology of plans to install a new tank, failure to receive a compliance tag and install the necessary fuel monitoring equipment that would alert operators of a release or tank overfill, and failure to monitor fuel and equipment after fuel was received.

Since 2019, there have been more than 18 other violations across two underground storage tank sites at the Lakewood hospital. Ecology inspectors have provided education, training, and guidance to the facility for years, but inspectors have continued to find violations, increasing the risk for an undetected release of fuel into the surrounding environment.

"The VA's failure to follow proper, routine procedures and comply with relevant regulations could have resulted in a dangerous fuel leak," said Erik Snyder, a cleanup section manager for Ecology.

Ecology also fined two fuel companies $500 each for delivering fuel to a tank without the required registration and compliance tag and separately fined the tank installer $500 for failing to be certified.

Every year, over 3 billion gallons of fuel are stored underground in Washington. Ecology regulates over 8,500 tanks at more than 3,400 facilities, and inspectors work closely with facility owners to make sure tanks and piping systems are installed, maintained, and monitored to prevent releases of fuel and other hazardous substances into the environment.

Improper installation or neglected maintenance of underground tanks can cause silent, persistent fuel releases that contaminate soil and groundwater, spreading far beyond the tank location and polluting the environment.

The VA can appeal the penalty within 30 days to the Washington Pollution Control Hearings Board.