BURBANK, WA – A Franklin County farmer is appealing a fine of hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Washington Department of Ecology. Frank Tiegs LLC is accused of illegally irrigating crops in early 2021.
The agency investigated and found Tiegs LLC tilled unfarmed land, planted a crop and began irrigating from McNary Pool which is part of the Snake River where it meets the Columbia River.
According to the Department of Ecology: “During the summer of 2021, Ecology inquired about the water use. Tiegs representatives acknowledged the irrigation error and have committed to find a legal water supply for the 2022 irrigation season. The illegal water use threatened streamflows on the Columbia and Snake rivers – critical rivers for salmon and steelhead. This year was one of the driest and warmest on record for Washington with streamflows and fish passage already compromised.”
Frank Tiegs LLC was fined $304,000 and the penalty is currently under appeal.
