A clarifier pond removes solids from wastewater at the Port Townsend Paper Company mill in Port Townsend, Washington, on Oct. 25, 2025.
Courtesy of the Washington Department of Ecology
Washington state has fined a paper mill in Port Townsend $734,000 for allegedly sending polluted wastewater into Puget Sound.
Washington Department of Ecology officials say the Port Townsend Paper Company was improperly treating its industrial wastewater for at least five months following an unannounced inspection in October 2025.
“A large industrial facility like a pulp and paper plant produces a lot of wastewater,” Ecology spokesperson Andrew Wineke said. “There was 170 days we found that they were out of compliance.”
The mill allegedly let sludge and weeds build up in its wastewater-aeration pond, reducing the volume and ability of the 30-acre open-air pond to handle wastewater before sending it into Port Townsend Bay.
Some treatment equipment was also either disconnected or not operating properly, leading the mill to send water with low levels of dissolved oxygen, potentially harmful to marine life, into the bay.
Port Townsend Paper Company officials declined to be interviewed but, in an email, said they would appeal the penalty.
“We believe the penalty is grossly disproportionate to the facts and mischaracterizes the circumstances surrounding this matter,” Brian Peterson, Port Townsend Paper’s senior vice president of manufacturing, said by email. “At no time was public health or the environment at risk.”
The state Department of Ecology disagrees.
“The whole idea is to protect our water quality,” Wineke said.
Port Townsend retiree David Ginsberg, who recently started the grassroots group Citizens for Safe Water and Air-Port Townsend, called for stiffer penalties that build up over time if problems remain unaddressed.
“Not a one-time fine that the company can treat as a cost of doing business, but an escalating cost that makes continued neglect more expensive than fixing the problem,” Ginsberg said by email.
The Port Townsend Paper mill is one of three “kraft” mills in the state currently under investigation for workplace safety concerns after a chemical spill at the Nippon Dynawave mill in Longview killed 11 workers in May.
John Ryan is a reporter with KUOW. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
