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Department of Ecology News Release - May 21, 2009
09-119
BELLEVUE – The Department of Ecology (Ecology) has fined the City of Snoqualmie $24,500 for allowing its wastewater treatment plant to violate standards for treated water released to the Snoqualmie River during a three-month period last winter.
Ecology was not promptly notified about a series of problems that began in December 2008 and continued into February 2009. The system failed to meet standards for three kinds of pollutants in the plant’s water-quality permit, resulting in 21 permit-standards violations during that period.
“We’re ready to help solve problems like these right when they start,” said Kevin Fitzpatrick, Ecology’s regional water quality program supervisor. “When we discovered the violations months later, it took only hours to assess the plant’s difficulties and authorize a temporary solution. There was no reason for these violations to continue.”
The Ecology water quality permit issued to all treatment plants requires verbal notification to Ecology’s environmental reporting hotline no later than 24 hours after discovering plant operating conditions that could cause potential health or environmental hazards. The requirement enables Ecology staff and plant operators to investigate and correct the violation.
The treatment plant discharged water that violated standards for:
In December, the city began to dismantle lagoons that had been used to store sewage solids. The process involved chemical treatments to separate water from the solids. The extracted liquid was pumped to the treatment plant, where it interfered with a treatment stage that produces clear water. This, in turn, decreased the effectiveness of a disinfection system that shines ultraviolet light into the treated water.
Ecology ordered the city in February to substitute chlorine treatment to disinfect the wastewater, until the other problems could be corrected. The plant returned to ultraviolet disinfection by mid-March, while keeping chlorine available in case problems return.
Ecology’s investigation also found that key parts of the treatment system had gone without proper maintenance. The disinfection system lacked several ultraviolet bulbs, and pumps needed at two critical treatment process stages were not working properly.
The city may seek an Ecology review of the penalty and may appeal to the Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board.
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Media Contact: Larry Altose, Ecology media relations, 425-649-7009
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
