Friends of the Earth, an environmental nonprofit, has filed a federal lawsuit accusing Western Towboat Company of illegally polluting Elliott Bay and Puget Sound by discharging industrial waste during barge operations without proper permits.
Filed Friday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, the complaint alleges that Western Towboat has repeatedly violated the federal Clean Water Act by releasing rock, sand, gravel, dust, and other particulates into the water during bulk material transfer operations.
The nonprofit is seeking a court order to stop the alleged discharges, require cleanup, and impose civil penalties.
According to the lawsuit, Western Towboat operates a fleet of tugboats and barges used in ship-to-ship transfers of raw materials—often some form of rock—offshore from Seattle.
These activities, the suit says, create visible clouds of dust and debris that settle into Elliott Bay and Puget Sound, both designated as navigable waters under the Clean Water Act.
The Clean Water Act prohibits discharging pollutants from point sources into U.S. waters without a permit from the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).
Friends of the Earth argues Western Towboat has no such permit for the operations in question, despite engaging in them regularly.
The environmental group notified Western Towboat of its intent to sue in April, giving the required 60-day notice under the Clean Water Act’s citizen suit provision.
The lawsuit identifies at least a dozen dates between 2024 and 2025 when Western Towboat allegedly conducted material transfers that resulted in unlawful discharges, including as recently as Wednesday.
In its complaint, Friends of the Earth says its members use Elliott Bay and Puget Sound for activities like tide-pooling, wildlife observation, and recreation, and that their enjoyment of the area is diminished by the pollution.
The group also claims its advocacy efforts have been hindered by the company’s failure to apply for a permit, which would require public disclosure of its activities.
The nonprofit is also investigating whether to sue additional companies involved in the transfers, including International Materials, Pacific Basin Shipping, and The CSL Group.
Western Towboat, headquartered in Seattle and operating along the West Coast, owns and leases more than two dozen vessels and operates a shipbuilding facility near the Lake Washington Ship Canal.
The company has not yet publicly responded to the lawsuit.
Friends of the Earth is asking the court to issue an injunction halting further violations, require remediation of environmental damage, and impose fines under Clean Water Act penalty guidelines—up to $68,445 per violation per day.
©2025 Cox Media Group
