Quincy operation draws $120,000 fine

QUINCY – The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) has fined Imerys Minerals California Inc. (Imerys) of Quincy $120,000 for emitting more air particle pollution than is allowed by its permit.

The penalty includes a settlement that outlines an agreement that Imerys (formerly known as Celite Corp.) will pay a $60,000 fine. The additional $60,000 will pay for reducing diesel emissions from school buses in the Quincy School District.

Imerys processes diatomite, a fossilized mineral created by single-celled aquatic algae. Their fossilized remains have innate filtering characteristics due to their honeycomb structure.

These filtering qualities are used in beer and wine making, pharmaceutical manufacturing, motor oil processing, swimming pool water filtering, and in the food processing industry. Diatomite also serves as a soil amendment.

Ecology air quality inspectors found that Imerys may have failed to meet its permit limit for as many as 300 days. The company’s permit limits its emissions to 0.040 grains per dry standard cubic foot.

When tested in July 2010, the exhaust stack was emitting particulate matter at a concentration of 0.053 grains per cubic foot, Ecology said. In January 2011, the stack tested at 0.057. By May 2011, the emissions once again met the permit limit.