AG: Navy dumps hazardous material into Puget Sound

State intends to join a suit in federal court to ask the Navy to clean up the mess.

  • By Wire Service
  • Thursday, January 17, 2019 5:59pm
  • Northwest

Associated Press

SEATTLE — Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson says the U.S. Navy dumped hazardous waste including copper and zinc, into Puget Sound and must be stopped from doing it again.

The Seattle Times reported that Ferguson’s office notified the Navy on Thursday of the state’s intent to join a suit in federal court to ask the Navy to clean up the mess and to require it to stop scraping ships at Navy Base Kitsap and dumping the material in Sinclair Inlet.

Ferguson said while cleaning a decommissioned aircraft carrier in January 2017, the Navy dumped scraped-off paint into Sinclair Inlet, in violation of state and federal laws.

Ferguson said marine life, including salmon, is at risk because of the Navy’s practices.

No one at the naval base returned a call and email for comment from the newspaper Thursday.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Northwest

In all of 2024, the total number of Washingtonians with concealed carry licenses increased by fewer than 6,000, compared to about 14,000 already this year, state data show. (Photo by Aristide Economopoulos/NJ Monitor)
Concealed carry licenses in Washington jump after approval of gun permit law

The number of Washingtonians licensed to carry concealed pistols is climbing rapidly… Continue reading

Judge John Coughenour. (Photo provided by U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington)
‘It’s just so disgusting’: Judges in WA detail threats after Trump-related rulings

After Judge John Coughenour ruled against the Trump administration, local authorities received… Continue reading

Crews put in stripes on a stretch of express lanes on Interstate 405 in 2015. (Photo courtesy of Washington State Department of Transportation.)
New work zone speed cameras cite 7K drivers in 90 days

Thousands of Washington motorists have been caught speeding through highway work zones… Continue reading

Washington’s food banks are on the brink

Some have already pulled back on what they’re offering, as federal cuts and heightened demand drive deep worries about what comes next.

Amanda Cowan/The Columbian
Congressional candidate Joe Kent debates the issues with U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez at KATU studios in Portland on Monday night, Oct. 7, 2024.
US Senate confirms Joe Kent to lead a national intelligence agency

Kent lost two consecutive runs to represent southwest Washington in the U.S. House. Sen. Patty Murray slammed him as uniquely unqualified for the job.

Incumbent House members and their opponents have been raising money ahead of the 2026 midterms. (stock photo)
As 2026 midterms loom, Washington’s congressional lawmakers rake in cash

Washington’s most vulnerable Democrat in the U.S. House had a strong fundraising… Continue reading

A section of the Oak Creek drainage area that was not treated with tree thinning or prescribed burns before the Rimrock Retreat Fire in 2024. Due to the forest density and a high amount of ground cover, the fire burned intensely in this area, killing all trees and destroying the soil. (Photo by Emily Fitzgerald)
Drop in state funding for WA’s work to prevent severe wildfires is stoking concerns

The state’s top public lands official is urging lawmakers to restore the spending to previous levels after they cut it by about half this year.

The Washington state Capitol. (Bill Lucia / Washington State Standard)
These new Washington laws take effect July 27

Housing, policing and diaper changes are among the areas that the legislation covers.

Joshua Kornfeld/Kitsap News Group
SNAP benefits are accepted at the Bainbridge Island Safeway.
WA sues contractor to prevent sharing of food stamp data with feds

States fear the Trump administration could use the information to target immigrants. The company said after the lawsuit was filed it had no plans to hand over the data.

Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, center, speaks to reporters alongside Solicitor General Noah Purcell, left, and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project Legal Director Matt Adams, right, outside a Seattle courthouse where federal appeals court judges heard arguments over President Donald Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship on June 4, 2025. (Photo by Jake Goldstein-Street/Washington State Standard)
Appeals court maintains WA’s nationwide block of birthright citizenship order

A federal appeals court on Wednesday agreed with a Seattle judge’s decision… Continue reading

The U.S. Capitol pictured on March 25, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom)
‘Literally no way’: Idea of redrawing WA’s congressional map gets bipartisan brush off

U.S. House Democrats want to counter a move by Texas lawmakers to elect more Republicans. Washington state lawmakers say redistricting won’t happen here before next year’s midterms.

A barred owl at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. (Ray Bosch/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Plans to shoot thousands of barred owls in doubt after feds cancel grants

The U.S. Forest Service plan is part of a strategy to save endangered spotted owls in Washington, Oregon and California.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.