Ecology, Blueberry Farmer Announce Settlement

The Washington Department of Ecology and RAN General Partnership, and its owner Rick Alamwala, announced last week a settlement over a $20,000 penalty resulting from the alleged illegal irrigation of 40 acres of blueberries in Whatcom County last year.  Alamwala and Ecology reportedly agreed to the settlement to avoid the risk, time and cost of further litigation.  

Alamwala agreed, without admitting guilt or liability, to settle the matter with RAN paying $15,000.  The remainder of the original $20,000 penalty will be due if there are any additional violations over the next three years.

In addition, Ecology said Alamwala has agreed to install telemetric water meters enabling DOE Staff to see real-time data pertaining to water use on the site and allow Ecology staff to conduct site visits to monitor compliance.

Ecology estimated that irrigating the property required more than 17 million gallons of water per year.  Ecology concluded that RAN General Partnership and Alamwala do not have the water rights that provide for irrigation of more than 5,000 gallons of water per day.

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