DOE fines rancher

Pullman rancher Marcus Jacobson has been fined $4,000 by the Washington State Department of Ecology for allegedly discharging polluted water into a tributary of the South Fork Palouse River.

According to a news release issued last week, ecology officials fined Jacobson for having cattle penned in an area which had a stream that empties into the river.

Ecology officials said multiple visits to Jacobson’s ranch showed trampled and eroded stream banks and mounds of manure sloughing into the water.

The department ordered Jacobson to change his operation and to register with the state as a concentrated animal feeding operation with the required permits and documentation. He was also ordered to keep his cattle at least 75 feet away from streams.

Jacobson has 30 days to appeal the ecology penalties and orders.