Feds sue dam operator for allowing field turf to pollute Pierce County river
The U.S Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Electron Hydro on Wednesday for putting field turf in the riverbed of the Puyallup River while working on a construction project.
The lawsuit accuses Electron Hydro, the company that runs a hydropower dam on the Puyallup River outside of Orting, of polluting the river with turf pellets and plastic yarn and of violating its work permits.
The U.S. Attorney General filed on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency “to obtain injunctive relief and civil penalties” from Electron Hydro, according to the suit.
Other agencies and government officials, like the Puyallup Tribe, Pierce County and the Washington Department of Ecology, have spoken out against the release of an estimated four to six cubic yards of turf pellets, or crumb rubber, into the river.
Electron Hydro’s Chief operations officer Thom Fischer said the incident was a “one-time screw up” and agrees the government should investigate.
“I’m going to listen to them and the (Puyallup) Tribe and the county,” he told The News Tribune on Wednesday. “They are all concerned and rightly so, but so are we. Together we could accomplish a lot to make this project the model of how things should operate.”
In July, the dam company began a construction project to upgrade its diversion system that was intended to protect fish. The diversion system diverts water from the Puyallup River into a wooden flume that travels down to the dam, creating power.
Fischer told The News Tribune in September the objective of the upgrade was to ensure no fish got trapped in the diversion system and ultimately in the dam.
While crews worked on the diversion system in the riverbed, a portion of the river had to be shifted to a bypass channel. The turf was placed between linings in a river bypass created by Electron Hydro crews.
They added plastic linings and artificial turf to seal the river into the bypass and prevent water from leaking into the work area, Fischer said.
The artificial turf was added last minute to prevent the plastic liner from puncturing on sharp rocks in the bypass. The decision was not permitted nor cleared by Pierce County.
When the diversion began, the liner in the bypass slid and tore. A plastic lining and portions of the artificial turf, made of vehicle tires, were carried away by the current in August.
Fischer said Electron crews have recovered almost all of the synthetic turf.
“Good news is most of the turf and plastic liner stayed intact, and the bulk of the turf was retrieved. We got most of the stuff down-river,” he told The News Tribune on Wednesday.
The Washington Department of Ecology previously told The New Tribune of its concern about long-term environmental consequences of the turf.
Placing artificial turf in the water outraged the Puyallup Tribe, tribal Chairman Bill Sterud said. The tribe announced its intention to sue Electron Hydro last month. The Tribal Council believes it’s time for the dam to be removed.
“It’s hard to imagine a more terrible idea,” Sterud said in September. “I feel like we are living in a nightmare. We must hold the company responsible for these careless actions. We must fight for our fish, and our sacred waters.”
Lisa Anderson, a tribe attorney, said they are discussing whether to participate in the EPA’s suit.
“That is what will be considered in the coming days and we are grateful to the EPA and look forward to working with them,” she said on Wednesday evening.
Pierce County called for the dam to be closed in September. County Executive Bruce Dammeier said the fact that artificial turf was placed in the riverbed was “unconscionable.”
Despite with the county, the tribe, and the federal government vying against Electron Hydro, Fischer is hopeful the agencies can work together to protect fish and create renewable energy.
“Our mission hasn’t changed. Our goal is to make renewable kilowatts and preserve the fish,” he said. “I think it’s right for them to look into this and see what damage was done. They may fine us and we will walk our way through that.”
