Sound Transit will provide $120,000 for environmental restoration along the Duwamish River to settle two Department of Ecology penalties for water pollution violations on the Sound Link light-rail construction project.

The penalty will pay for seven projects previously planned by People For Puget Sound, a non-profit organization, which had been unfunded. The work will be completed in the next 18 months.

Sound Transit will pay the settlement and seek repayment from the contractor involved with the violations-PCL Construction Services.

"This settlement allows restoration work to begin right away in the waters affected by these violations," said Dave Peeler, who manages Ecology's Water Quality Program.

"Sound Transit and PCL have shown a serious commitment to improve their environmental practices. These projects will provide long-term benefits to the Duwamish watershed."

Ecology issued the penalties a year ago to Sound Transit and last May to the transit agency and contractor for violating the project's construction stormwater permit in the Tukwila area, which flows to the Duwamish River.

The penalties totaled $145,000.

"Sound Transit takes its commitment to protecting the environment during construction seriously. We work closely with our contractors to make sure their practices meet all environmental regulations," said Link light rail director Ahmad Fazel.

"We thank the Department of Ecology for its work with the agency to ensure the fines from these unfortunate past violations will go directly back to the area where our project is being built."

"These seven projects will directly help the health of the Duwamish, its fish, its wildlife, its people," said People For Puget Sound Executive Director Kathy Fletcher.

"While it's unfortunate that the completion of these projects is the result of penalties for water quality violations, it's this level of restoration effort that has to be undertaken throughout Puget Sound if we are to reach the goal of restoring Puget Sound by the year 2020."