Washington AG Announced Guilty Plea by Hydroelectric Dam Owner Who Polluted River

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced that the owner of a hydroelectric dam pleaded guilty to illegally operating the project. In 2020, workers at hydroelectric dam used materials containing toxic chemicals to divert the river, without a permit to do so, ultimately causing the toxic material to discharge into the river for two weeks. Despite a stop work order from the county and the Army Corps of Engineers, the river remained diverted for several months. AG Ferguson has recommended that the owner of the project be sentenced to $1 million in fines and restitution payments to restore the river, and a 2-year probation period.