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Oregon DEQ recently sent Oregon Resources Corporation (ORS) a pre-enforcement notice for serious violations of environmental law discovered via a DEQ compliance inspection of the stormwater collection and treatment system for ORS’s chromite mining operation outside of Coos Bay. Violations include millions of gallons of unreported discharges, and false statements to DEQ associated with these discharges. Continue reading
Oregon DEQ has settled Christopher John Bartels’ appeal of the civil penalty assessed against him by DEQ in July of 2013 for illegally discharging wastewater from his meat processing and packing facility to ditches flowing to Fern Ridge wetlands on two occasions in 2011 (EW 6/27/13, goo.gl/Xb41PD), by reducing the $15,600 penalty originally assessed to $10,200. DEQ’s settlement with Bartels also includes an additional $7,600 penalty for illegal discharges of blood waste to Fern Ridge Reservoir in February of this year (EW 5/8, goo.gl/BhX5vP). Continue reading
Oregon DEQ has settled Christopher John Bartels’ appeal of the civil penalty assessed against him by DEQ in July of 2013 for illegally discharging wastewater from his meat processing and packing facility to ditches flowing to Fern Ridge wetlands on two occasions in 2011 (EW 6/27/13, goo.gl/Xb41PD), by reducing the $15,600 penalty originally assessed to $10,200. DEQ’s settlement with Bartels also includes an additional $7,600 penalty for illegal discharges of blood waste to Fern Ridge Reservoir in February of this year (EW 5/8, goo.gl/BhX5vP). Continue reading
Oregon DEQ followed up on the pre-enforcement notice it sent to Keven Cruickshank in June for operating a failing septic system since at least February at 82855 N. Butte Road in Creswell (EW 7/10, goo.gl/KbsSuw) with a $9,305 civil penalty on July 31. DEQ also assessed a $4,707 penalty against Albany-based Dave Hunter Company on Aug. 4 for hazardous waste law violations at its industrial machine shop in Albany. Continue reading
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) followed up on the pre-enforcement notice it sent to Hollingsworth & Vose Fiber Company (H&V) in May for hazardous waste law violations at its Corvallis facility (see EW 5/22, goo.gl/yde2bm) with a $10,400 civil penalty on July 16. The most serious of H&V’s multiple violations concerned failure to clean up releases of crushed brick dust containing barium, cadmium and chromium. Continue reading
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) sent Delaware-incorporated Jordan Cove Energy Project L.P. a warning letter in late June for excavating residual sludge waste (generated by the Weyerhaeuser mill that used to be at this site) and incorporating that waste into berms associated with the Jordan Cove project (located on Coos Bay). DEQ’s letter requests that Jordan Cove Energy Project submit a permit application for its activities by July 31. Continue reading
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is accepting comments through 5 pm Tuesday, July 8, on the erosion and sediment control plan for construction at the new Malabon Elementary School, and through 5 pm Wednesday, July 9, on the erosion and sediment control plan for construction at Wedgewood Subdivision. Both projects are in Eugene. The new school is located at 1380 Taney St., and the subdivision is located at Gardenia and Grizzly avenues. Visit goo.gl/Yp4iAK for information on reviewing the plans and submitting comments. Continue reading
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is accepting comments through 4:30 pm Monday, June 30, on a proposed $410,000 settlement concerning groundwater contamination caused by McAyeals Cleaners (located immediately south of the Eugene Public Library in downtown Eugene). Visit http://goo.gl/miiyvW for info on commenting, and http://goo.gl/7kOLXt to view the proposed settlement. If more than 10 people (or a group with more than 10 members) request it, DEQ will hold a public meeting on the proposed settlement. Continue reading
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) hit Pacific Recycling with a $327,686 fine on Friday, June 13, for stormwater pollution problems dating back to 2008 at its facility on Cross Street (near Roosevelt Boulevard) in Eugene. Pacific Recycling has repeatedly discharged harmful levels of industrial pollutants (specifically copper, lead, zinc, suspended solids, and oil & grease), and promised to install additional stormwater treatment in 2011, but never did so. Continue reading
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality sent International Paper a warning letter on May 16 following a line break at International Paper’s Springfield facility, which resulted in discharge of treated process water into Irving Slough. According to DEQ’s letter, the discharge violated Oregon environmental law, and this violation is classified as “serious.” DEQ determined that the violation was beyond International Paper’s reasonable control, and therefore chose not to assess a penalty. Continue reading