A Year In Review
by Teryn Yazdani (she/her), Staff Attorney
The end of the year is often a time of reflection—looking back at the months behind us while anticipating the possibilities a new year holds. In the eight months since joining Columbia Riverkeeper’s staff, I’ve seen firsthand how Columbia Riverkeeper fights tirelessly to protect this beautiful corner of the world. Joining a staff that is passionate and skilled at protecting clean water, community health, and vulnerable species has helped make me a better advocate and excites me for the work ahead.
Clean Water Act Refresher
Columbia Riverkeeper uses several avenues to protect our region’s waters, including Clean Water Action enforcement lawsuits. Litigation is one of our most valuable tools; it seamlessly pairs with our grassroots organizing and communication work to improve the Columbia River Basin’s water quality.
The Clean Water Act was enacted in 1972 to “restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.” 33 USC § 1251(a). To this day, it is one of the strongest legal protections we have to combat water pollution. Under the Clean Water Act, discharging pollution from a point source (like a pipe, drainage ditch, or vessel) without a permit is unlawful, and facilities that pollute in excess of their permit limitations are subject to enforcement actions.
Clean Water Act cases often settle, and when they do, they can result in sizable penalty payments and injunctive relief to demonstrate compliance. Penalties can be negotiated during the settlement process to go towards funding Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs). SEPs, which are voluntary actions defendants choose to take as part of settlement processes, provide tangible environmental or public health benefits. Often, they must improve the impacted area or community harmed by the defendant’s violations.
Cases Settled in 2024
A majority of our 2024 Clean Water Act enforcement work addressed stormwater pollution from facilities and oil pollution from dams in the Columbia River Basin. We reached three favorable settlements this year and, as a result, sent about $323,000 to organizations working to restore and protect the Columbia River Basin. In addition to penalties, here are some details about our 2024 cases:
- Neil Jones Food Company/Northwest Packing Company: In January, Columbia Riverkeeper entered a consent decree with Neil Jones/Northwest Packing, an industrial facility in Vancouver, Washington, for violating its Industrial Stormwater Permit. Because of our enforcement action, the facility is now required to update its Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP), subject to comments from Columbia Riverkeeper. This update will reduce harmful discharges of pollutants like copper and zinc, improving the overall health of the Columbia.
- Douglas County Public Utilities District (PUD): This June, we finalized a settlement against Douglas County PUD regarding oil pollution from Wells Dam in central Washington. After decades without a Clean Water Act permit, our settlement requires Douglas County PUD to reroute all discharge pipes into a centralized treatment system with a single outlet. These upgrades, which will cost nearly half a million dollars, will finally make it feasible to monitor and treat oil pollution from Wells Dam.
- Northwest Pet Products, Inc./Alphia: Just last month, Columbia Riverkeeper settled a case against Alphia, a pet food manufacturer in Woodland, Washington, for violation of its Industrial Stormwater Permit. Through a very collaborative effort on both sides, we quickly reached a settlement that requires the facility to revise its SWPPP and repair a damaged pipe where Alphia monitors its discharges. This update will improve the health of the Columbia River and prevent future harmful discharges of pollutants.
We want to extend a special note of gratitude to the amazing Clean Water Act attorneys at Kampmeier and Knutsen PLLC, who represented Columbia Riverkeeper in all of these cases.
Looking Into 2025
As we face a new, but familiar, presidential administration, I am excited to help Columbia Riverkeeper expand our work to hold polluters accountable and protect the health of this beautiful river. We know that the incoming administration will work to weaken the Clean Water Act and de-prioritize enforcement of our nation’s environmental and public health laws. In response, Columbia Riverkeeper will continue our strong commitment to working in solidarity with the region’s Tribal Nations to protect clean water, Columbia River fish, and the vibrant communities that depend on them. We intend to increase our Clean Water Act enforcement work in 2025 and continue to be a strong voice for progressive water quality policies at the state and federal levels.
We hope that you are as excited as we are to continue fighting to make the Columbia River a healthier place for all!