The City of Eugene has referred Pacific Recycling to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for enforcement regarding violations at its facility on Cross Street near Roosevelt Boulevard. The referral concerns two different Clean Water Act violations. First, Pacific Recycling has failed to submit a plan to the city regarding how it will reduce high pollution levels in stormwater discharges from the site. The city has sent Pacific Recycling three separate letters since November 2012 seeking such a plan, to no avail. Second, Pacific Recycling has failed to submit a separate plan to the city regarding how it will address significant track out of sediment from the site. The city notes that Pacific Recycling has “demonstrated unwillingness to comply with” its Clean Water Act permit, and that the violations are considered to be significant violations of Oregon environmental law.

DEQ sent Pacific Seafood a pre-enforcement notice on Feb. 20 concerning Clean Water Act discharge violations at two facilities in Newport, more specifically for exceeding oil and grease and total suspended solids levels in its permit. DEQ’s notice notes the repeated nature of the violations over the last year. DEQ’s enforcement databases indicate similar violations in Newport dating back to at least 2009 (including a fine of almost $8,000), as well as violations in Clatsop County in 2006.