A Lewis County resident faces a $168,000 penalty from the Washington Department of Ecology after an “illegal construction project” caused “polluted, muddy water to flow into Klickitat Creek” over eight months.
The penalty comes after repeated attempts by the state to correct the issue, according to a news release from the state Department of Ecology.
The department announced Thursday that Isaac West, of Mossyrock, repeatedly violated construction regulations, resulting in highly polluted water flowing into a tributary of Klickitat Creek.
According to the Department of Ecology, water samples from the sight showed “extremely high levels of turbidity (cloudiness) that exceeded state limits.”
Turbid water can harm aquatic life and reduce water quality.
The Department of Ecology found that West “failed to acquire a construction stormwater permit, failed to stabilize soils, and failed to install any pollution prevention controls.”
West has 30 days to either appeal the penalty to the Pollution Control Hearings Board or pay, with the money going to fund water restoration projects across the state.
“Lewis County has worked tirelessly with Mr. West for over a year to assist in stabilizing his massive, un-permitted ground disturbance. His actions have endangered lives, caused significant environmental degradation and placed a large financial burden on the citizens of Lewis County,” Lewis County Commissioner Scott Brummer said in a statement. “We support the Department of Ecology’s actions to bring this landowner into compliance and begin mitigation efforts to ensure the safety of the neighbors, the protection of water quality and the prevention of further environmental impacts.”
According to the Department of Ecology, West received both technical assistance and warning letters before the penalty. Inspectors documented dozens of violations on West’s property south of Mossyrock. The groundwater on the property was also polluted.
The violations occurred between November 2022 and June 2023.
“Large construction projects need to be managed properly to protect residents and water quality. Partnering with Lewis County, we repeatedly tried to work with the property owner to ensure he understood his obligation," said Andrew Kolosseus, Ecology's water quality section manager. "Despite those efforts, Mr. West continued to operate in a way that allowed large quantities of mud to run off his property and affect nearby streams."
