12/19/2008: "County Fined $10K For Open Sewage Dumps"

ig_sewage_Lagoon_Lopez-1 (69k image)
(Sewage lagoon on Lopez -SJC photo))

Even after warnings and threats of fines, San Juan County failed to properly close open sewage dumping sites on Lopez and Orcas. The county was required to complete the closure and plant vegetation at two lagoons on Lopez Island, and remove sewage from two lagoons on Orcas Island.

Now, six years later, the county has been fined $10,000.00 by the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology)

Why now, one might ask. After all, citizens had complained for years that, at the very least, the one on Lopez was a danger. There was a gate, but anyone, human or animal, could walk around the gate and follow a path down to what appeared to be a shallow flooded area, that was in fact a sewage lagoon.

The lagoon was used to dump the contents of pumped out septic tanks. And who knows how many dogs and cats stuck their nose into it before going home, and may have licked an owner on the kisser.

“I am sure the fine would have been much higher had we not reacted as we did,” said Rose, “But we have to live with the fact that the sites had been in violation since 2002 and, realistically, a fine was unavoidable.”

The $10K fine is part of a settlement agreement signed this week by Ecology and San Juan County. If the county did not meet the terms of the settlement agreement by Oct. 15, 2008, Ecology would have imposed the full $144,000 fine. In other words the Ecology had a heavy hammer to use if the County continued to drag out the process.

"Our main goal is always to bring these kinds of facilities into compliance in order to protect human health and the environment," said Peter Christiansen, manager of Ecology's Solid Waste and Financial Assistance Program for the north Puget Sound region. "The county took action, allowing us to suspend what would have been a serious penalty for a serious violation."

While the problem pre-dated San Juan County Administrator Pete Rose being on the jog, he is quoted in a county press release as stating “the county staff worked steadily and as quickly as they could, but they encountered numerous problems that caused delays. "We consulted with Ecology and kept them informed of both our progress and delays throughout the project," Rose said. "But we were unable to finish before the Ecology deadline."

The four lagoons stopped accepting sewage in 2000. From that point, the state considered the sewage to be stored biosolids, starting a two-year time limit for temporary storage. Ecology can extend that time limit, as long as it receives an approved plan for future management.

By September 2005, it was clear the county had no formal plans to properly manage the waste. Through a series of correction notices and administrative orders, Ecology required San Juan County to finish work at the lagoons by April 10, 2007.

The sites had to be covered and work was suspended when the rainy season hit last November. The cleanup resumed in May of this year and work on both Lopez and Orcas Islands was completed in August, nearly 10 months after the deadline.

Although the county made substantial progress and spent $121,000 on the Lopez Island site, it missed the August deadline, and another deadline set for Oct. 15, 2007, finishing work on Aug. 8, 2008.