DEQ issues Natron Wood Products a warning

Pollution Update 4-30-15

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is accepting comments on Murphy Company’s application for Clean Water Act construction discharge permit coverage until 5 pm on Thursday, April 30. The project is at Murphy Company’s plywood facility located at 2350 Prairie Road, and involves the disturbance of 5 acres or more of land. Visit goo.gl/Yp4iAK for information on how to submit comments. DEQ sent Natron Wood Products a warning letter on Feb. 24 concerning Clean Water Act violations observed by DEQ at the company’s Jasper facility earlier that month. DEQ’s observations during the inspection included a petroleum sheen in the facility’s main stormwater ditch, “submerged and decaying absorbent booms in the ditch” that “had not been maintained or repaired” and a general failure to clean exposed areas that may contribute to water pollution. Suggested methods for cleaning exposed areas include regular sweeping, litter pickup and prompt cleanup of spills and leaks.