EPA fines company in Lynden $41,500 for releasing pollutants into Fishtrap Creek
A cold storage and food warehouse in Lynden has agreed to pay $41,500 for violating the federal Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency announced this week.
Americold Logistics, 406 2nd St., was fined for violations that included discharging pollutants into Fishtrap Creek, which flows into the Nooksack River, the EPA said.
The company acknowledged the violations.
“Americold has worked quickly to resolve the issues identified by the EPA. We strive to be a good neighbor in the community, and we are disappointed that we did not meet the standards that we strive for,” the company said in a prepared statement to The Bellingham Herald.
“We are committed to complying with all EPA standards and continuously improving our processes to do so,” Americold said.
The EPA said the Americold also violated the industrial stormwater general permit from the Washington State Department of Ecology, which carries out the Clean Water Act for the state.
In its order, the EPA said the Lynden facility failed to implement corrective action after exceeding benchmarks, didn’t document monthly inspections, failed in its monitoring and had an inadequate stormwater pollution prevention plan.
The company agreed to develop and implement plans to reduce the pollutants leaving its Lynden facility and entering Fishtrap Creek, the EPA said.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Americold owns and operates 183 temperature-controlled warehouses in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina, according to its website.
