In late March the Washington State Department of Ecology fined Denver-based Safeway Inc. $96,000 for actions by contractors that released polluted water from a distribution center construction site.
The company's contractors reportedly mixed concrete and cleaned concrete equipment without the proper safeguards in place to protect water quality. Prior to construction, Safeway agreed to install bermed asphalt pads and lined detention ponds to keep contaminated water from discharging into the ground.
"Safeway
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developed an excellent plan to protect water quality and needed to make sure its contractors followed the protections set forth in the plan," said Kevin Fitzpatrick, the State's regional waterquality supervisor. The company is building a 766,000-square-foot grocery warehouse and 514,000-square-foot refrigerated warehouse on the 105-acre site in Auburn. It has 30 days to appeal the fine.
One of the largest food and drug retailers in North America, Safeway Inc. operates over 1,800 stores and recorded sales of $35.8 billion in 2004. Like other more progressive companies, Safeway has established a corporate environmental policy intended to protect against harmful environmental impacts. It goes so far as to post an annual environmental status report on its Web site.
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