Coca-Cola facility in Bellevue sued over alleged polluted runoff reaching Lake Washington

A local environmental group is suing Swire Coca-Cola, USA, and Western Washington Coca-Cola Bottling.

Waste Action Project, a Covington-based nonprofit, claimed polluted runoff from Coca-Cola’s Bellevue bottling facility entered Goff Creek and ultimately Lake Washington. The nonprofit is being represented by Seattle law firm Smith & Lowney PLLC.

Swire Coca-Cola, USA, manufactures, distributes, and sells Coca-Cola and other beverage brands in 13 states, according to a statement from Swire Coca-Cola.

Lawsuit alleges Swire Coca-Cola violated Clean Water Act

The lawsuit alleged Coca-Cola has violated the Clean Water Act by releasing excessive levels of zinc, copper, and other pollutants in the runoff.

Nearly all of the evidence cited in the lawsuit comes from Coca-Cola’s own data. Under its stormwater permit, the company is required to collect quarterly samples of its runoff and submit the results to the Washington Department of Ecology. Those results repeatedly showed pollutant levels above permitted benchmarks.

The complaint also drew from Coca-Cola’s annual reports, a March 2025 inspection by Ecology and the company’s stormwater pollution prevention plan, which the lawsuit alleged is missing required elements.

Waste Action Project is seeking penalties of up to $68,445 per violation per day. It also wants the court to declare Coca-Cola has violated and continues to violate the Clean Water Act and order Coca-Cola to develop and implement a proper stormwater pollution prevention plan.

Swire Coca-Cola says it is taking concerns ‘seriously’

Swire Coca-Cola told KIRO Newsradio it is taking the concerns raised at its Bellevue facility “seriously.”

“These matters do not affect employee safety or our beverage production processes,” Carl Foster, Senior Director of Communications for Swire Coca-Cola, said in a statement. “We have a robust stormwater management program at the facility and continually look for opportunities to advance our compliance with applicable environmental requirements.

“Caring for the communities where we live and work and being responsible stewards of the environment are important parts of how we operate,” he continued. “We remain committed to those responsibilities and to the continuous improvement of our environmental practices.”

Neither the Environmental Protection Agency nor the Washington Department of Ecology has taken enforcement action against Coca-Cola over the alleged violations, according to the lawsuit. This opened the door for Waste Action Project to file a citizen suit under the Clean Water Act.

The case was filed Sept. 18 in U.S. District Court in Seattle. It was not immediately clear whether Coca-Cola plans to contest the lawsuit.

Contributing: Frank Lenzi, KIRO Newsradio; Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest