EPA proposes a $5,859 penalty over Dutch Harbor discharges

The EPA has proposed a $5,859 penalty against UniSea for Clean Water Act violations at its Dutch Harbor seafood plant, on a harbor Unalaska residents use for subsistence.

Region 10 alleges the company let non-stormwater discharges reach Iliuliuk Harbor and failed to keep its stormwater pollution prevention plan current. UniSea has certified the problems are fixed, which is why the case is moving through EPA's expedited settlement track.

The Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska has warned that industrial discharges add to cumulative contamination risk in the bay, saying the community depends on "clean water and healthy marine ecosystems."

Public comment closes August 19.