A Washington finisher will pay a fine after being cited by the state environmental agency.
The Washington Department of Ecology issued a $32,000 penalty to Spokane Galvanizing Inc., a metal coating and engraving business in Airway Heights, for violating state dangerous waste laws by contaminating soils with corrosive waste spills.
Spokane Galvanizing makes galvanized steel by first cleaning and etching the metal using corrosive chemicals and acids. After this, they dip the metal into a bath of hot zinc to coat it. This process produces dangerous waste—wastes that are ignitable, corrosive, reactive, and/or toxic—that must be properly contained, stored and disposed.
During a June 2023 inspection, Ecology staff said that Spokane Galvanizing “had not produced, handled, or stored their dangerous waste properly, allowing corrosive, dangerous waste to spill outside of the facility and contaminate soils, with the potential to impact groundwater.”
"For the safety of our communities and the environment, it is essential for businesses to follow Washington’s dangerous waste regulations,” says Elaine Snouwaert, Ecology’s Eastern Region Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction section manager. “Better oversight and training could have prevented these spills of corrosive waste at Spokane Galvanizing.”
Spokane Galvanizing has cleaned up the spilled dangerous waste, addressed the violations, and taken steps to comply with the state’s dangerous waste regulations.
“Spokane Galvanizing took immediate action to address the issues identified during the inspection. Furthermore, company policies and procedures were updated, and additional training was provided to personnel,” the company said in a statement.
Spokane Galvanizing has 30 days to pay the penalty or appeal to the Pollution Control Hearings Board.
