EPA enforcement actions against wastewater plants in Washington
26 formal actions at 20 of 122 plants · $655,249 in penalties · 29 EPA inspections
EPA's enforcement records list 26 formal civil enforcement cases naming publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in Washington, 10 of them since fiscal year 2020. The cases involve 20 of the state's 122 plants, with $655,249 in penalties assessed. The most common ground is npdes permit violations (14 cases). EPA has inspected 18 plants in the state, 29 inspections in total. Every plant links to its profile, and every case to its report on EPA's ECHO site.
Recent enforcement actions in Washington
| Plant | Date | Type | Law section | Outcome | Penalty | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prosser City WWTP Prosser | Oct 2025 · FY2025 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $1,500 | ECHO 07-2025-0121 |
| EPA's description: “Land applied Class B biosolids above ceiling concentration limits under 40 CFR 503.13” | ||||||
| Toppenish Wastewater Treatment Plant Toppenish | Sep 2025 · FY2025 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 10-2025-0157 |
| EPA's description: “On September 25, 2025, Region 10 issued an Administrative Order on Consent to the City of Toppenish to resolve CWA violations at its wastewater treatment facility in Toppenish, Washington. The order…” | ||||||
| Metro West Point Seattle | May 2025 · FY2010 | Judicial case | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $400,000 | ECHO 10-2010-0154 |
| EPA's description: “On 5/22/2025, the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington entered a modification to the 2013 consent decree for combined sewer overflows within King County, Washington.…” | ||||||
| Cashmere STP Facility Cashmere | Mar 2025 · FY2024 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $4,125 | ECHO 10-2024-0140 |
| EPA's description: “On August 28, 2024, Region 10 filed an expedited settlement agreement resolving CWA violations of the City of Cashmere's wastewater permit at its wastewater treatment plant in Cashmere, Washington.…” | ||||||
| Medical Lake WWTP Medical Lake | Mar 2025 · FY2024 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $1,050 | ECHO 10-2024-0139 |
| EPA's description: “On September 18, 2024, Region 10 filed an expedited settlement agreement resolving CWA violations of the City of Medical Lake's wastewater permit at its wastewater facility in Medical Lake,…” | ||||||
| Bainbridge Island WWTP Bainbridge Island | Feb 2025 · FY2024 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $675 | ECHO 10-2024-0214 |
| EPA's description: “On November 12, 2024, Region 10 filed an expedited settlement agreement resolving CWA violations of the City of Bainbridge Island?s wastewater permit at its wastewater treatment plant in Bainbridge…” | ||||||
| Rosalia STP Rosalia | Jan 2025 · FY2024 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $488 | ECHO 10-2024-0244 |
| EPA's description: “On January 2, 2025, Region 10 filed an expedited settlement agreement resolving CWA violations of the NPDES permit covering the Town of Rosalia's wastewater facility (Rosalia, WA). Alleged violations…” | ||||||
| Rockford WWTP Rockford | Dec 2024 · FY2024 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $2,475 | ECHO 10-2024-0243 |
| EPA's description: “On November 18, 2024, Region 10 filed an expedited settlement agreement resolving CWA violations of the NPDES permit covering the Town of Rockford?s wastewater facility (Rockford, WA). Alleged…” | ||||||
| Pomeroy Sewage Treatment Plant Pomeroy | Sep 2024 · FY2024 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $901 | ECHO 10-2024-0138 |
| EPA's description: “On September 10, 2024, Region 10 filed an expedited settlement agreement resolving CWA violations of the City of Pomeroy's wastewater permit at its wastewater treatment plant in Pomeroy, Washington.…” | ||||||
| Coulee Dam WWTP Coulee Dam | Nov 2023 · FY2023 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $70,881 | ECHO 10-2023-0131 |
| EPA's description: “On October 24, 2023, Region 10 filed a consent agreement and final order resolving violations of the Clean Water Act by the town of Coulee Dam for its Wastewater Treatment Plant in Coulee Dam,…” | ||||||
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Largest penalties in Washington
| # | Plant | Date | Type | Outcome | Penalty | Compliance actions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Metro West Point Seattle | May 2025 · FY2010 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $400,000 | $2,451M | ECHO 10-2010-0154 |
| 2 | Toppenish Wastewater Treatment Plant Toppenish | Apr 2011 · FY2011 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $134,500 | $11M | ECHO 10-2011-0020 |
| 3 | Coulee Dam WWTP Coulee Dam | Nov 2023 · FY2023 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $70,881 | — | ECHO 10-2023-0131 |
| 4 | Port Angeles WWTP Port Angeles | Jun 1992 · FY1986 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $8,500 | — | ECHO 10-1986-0007 |
| 5 | Metro West Point Seattle | Sep 2011 · FY2011 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $7,949 | $100 | ECHO 10-2011-0160 |
| 6 | Richland City Wastewater Lab Richland | May 2014 · FY2014 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $6,180 | $6,787 | ECHO 10-2014-0074 |
| 7 | Ellensburg WWTP Ellensburg | Sep 1985 · FY1986 | Administrative order | Source Agrees | $5,100 | — | ECHO 10-1986-0058 |
| 8 | Yakima Regional Wastewater Facility Yakima | Apr 2007 · FY2007 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $4,575 | $100 | ECHO 10-2007-0008 |
| 9 | Cashmere STP Facility Cashmere | Mar 2025 · FY2024 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $4,125 | $800 | ECHO 10-2024-0140 |
| 10 | Rockford WWTP Rockford | Dec 2024 · FY2024 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $2,475 | $600 | ECHO 10-2024-0243 |
Actions by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Formal actions | Penalties |
|---|---|---|
| FY2017 | 0 | — |
| FY2018 | 0 | — |
| FY2019 | 0 | — |
| FY2020 | 0 | — |
| FY2021 | 0 | — |
| FY2022 | 0 | — |
| FY2023 | 2 | $70,881 |
| FY2024 | 6 | $9,714 |
| FY2025 | 2 | $1,500 |
| FY2026 | 0 | — |
EPA fiscal years run from 1 October to 30 September. The current year is partial.
EPA enforcement in Washington: questions
Sources and methodology
Flow, permit and violation figures come from the EPA's ICIS-NPDES discharge monitoring records. Population served comes from the Clean Watersheds Needs Survey 2022. Treatment structures are identified by Klarifi's review of aerial imagery, and capital improvement projects are extracted from published municipal budget documents. Violations are counted over the last three years of monitoring reports.
Data refreshed September 17, 2026.
Enforcement data: EPA ICIS-FE&C civil enforcement cases and ICIS compliance inspections, via ECHO. Penalties are the amounts assessed or agreed in each case as EPA records them. Latest case status in this data: Oct 2025.