Oregon Department of Environmental Quality sent San Mateo-based J.H. Baxter & Co. a warning letter on March 31 for various hazardous waste law violations discovered by DEQ during an unannounced inspection on March 25 at Baxter’s wood treatment facility in Eugene’s Trainsong neighborhood. Violations included failure to label hazardous waste, failure to conduct required hazardous waste inspections, failure to provide up-to-date contingency plans to first responders and failure to clean up spills. DEQ recommended that Baxter “improve housekeeping for [the] entire site,” and requested a written response by May 6, including documentation of removal of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil observed during the inspection.
The city of Eugene sent “request for corrective action” letters to four Eugene businesses earlier this month for various Clean Water Act industrial stormwater violations. A & K Development Company was sent a second notice for having a drainage structure not identified on its site map at its facility at 410 Chambers; Emerald Steel Fabricators was notified of deficiencies in employee training and site inspection, and several instances of storage of hazardous materials without required secondary containment at its facility on Enid Road; FORREST Technical Coatings was notified of its failure to take required actions in response to elevated pollutant levels measured in December at its facility on McKinley Street; and Zip-O-Log Mills was notified of deficiencies in employee training at its 6th Avenue and Waite Street locations, and for significant off-site sediment tracking from its Waite Street location.
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