|
|
| Corrections center employee falsified wastewater records |
| By The Olympian |
| Published: 01/26/2004 |
|
Monthly reports from the wastewater treatment plant at McNeil Island Corrections Center were too good to be true from August 1999 to July 2002, according to Washington Department of Ecology investigators. A probe found that a state Department of Corrections treatment plant operator was cooking the numbers, hiding the fact that the plant was releasing up to four times the amount of pollution allowed by its water quality permit. Last Thursday, Ecology dished out a $60,000 fine to Department of Corrections. The treatment plant operator has been suspended from his job and lost his wastewater operator's license. "This stings -- it gives us a huge black eye," said Pam Jenkins, corrections director of environmental services. Jenkins said the probe led to tighter supervision of its treatment-plant operators and a multimillion- dollar upgrade of the McNeil Island treatment plant, which was completed last summer. "We're satisfied with their response," Ecology's Larry Altose said. The treatment plant, which serves 3,000 inmates and employees, discharges 300,000 gallons per day of treated effluent into Puget Sound on the island's south side. There were no documented fish kills or direct damage to other marine life from the excess levels of fecal coliform, oxygen- demanding organisms in the wastewater and total suspended solids, Altose said. "The reason for the permit limits is to reduce the accumulative effect of many pollution sources," he said. "We need honest information to verify that treatment plants are protecting public health and the environment," said Dick Wallace, Ecology water quality program manager. "False reporting steals opportunities to fix problems quickly." Corrections has 15 days to appeal the penalty. Jenkins said her agency doesn't dispute the facts in the case but might ask Ecology to negotiate a settlement in which the penalty money is used to fund a water quality improvement project, rather than shuffle taxpayer dollars from one state agency to another. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think