The most common type of Clean Water Act discharge permit in Oregon is the one for facilities that discharge industrial stormwater. In Lane County, about 120 facilities discharge to local waters pursuant this permit, and these facilities are required to monitor their discharges four times a year and submit monitoring results to regulatory authorities (either DEQ or the city of Eugene) by July 31 each year. Monitoring results for 2012-13 are in, and while the pollution discharges for the majority of local facilities were below benchmark levels, the following facilities had the worst reported discharges: Gheen Irrigation Works’ Lake Eugene facility on Airport Road discharged copper at more than 18 times the applicable benchmark and oil and grease at over two times the applicable benchmark; Ecosort discharged lead at almost three times the applicable benchmark at its Glenwood facility; Gibson Steel Fabricating discharged zinc at over 51 times the applicable benchmark at its facility near 2nd and Washington; Extreme Technologies’ Bowtech Archery facility on Highway 99 discharged suspended solids at 10.5 times the applicable benchmark; Attune Foods reported discharges with acidity similar to that of lemon juice.
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519