DEQ issues 14 penalties in September for environmental violations

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued 14 penalties totaling $1,676,734 in September for various environmental violations. A detailed list of violations and resulting penalties is at ordeq.org/enforcement.

Fines ranged from $5,841 to $1,055,825. Alleged violations included a contractor conducting unlawful asbestos abatement, accumulation, and disposal; developers not following stormwater permit requirements; and cities exceeding wastewater effluent limits. The violations include the $1,055,825 civil penalty DEQ issued to Stella-Jones Corp. for numerous violations of environmental regulations for water quality, hazardous waste and spill response and cleanup at their wood treating facility in Sheridan. DEQ issued a news release about the enforcement action on Sept. 8.

DEQ issued civil penalties to the following organizations:

• City of Estacada, Estacada, $11,250, wastewater
• City of Hood River, Hood River, $26,400, wastewater
• City of Sweet Home, Sweet Home, $17,725, wastewater
• Clackamas County Water Environment Services, Oregon City, $16,838, wastewater
• Even Better Homes Inc., Sandy, $27,992, stormwater
• Icon Construction and Development LLC, Molalla, $12,000, stormwater
• Jireh Semiconductor Inc., Hillsboro, $119,102, air quality
• OMG Pallets LLC, Portland, $15,381, stormwater
• Oregon Department of Corrections, Pendleton, $54,396, underground storage tanks
• Port of Morrow, Boardman, $11,700, wastewater
• ProLogis, Portland, $214,086, asbestos
• Rick Franklin Corp., Lebanon, $88,198, asbestos
• Stella-Jones Corp., Sheridan, $1,055,825, wastewater, hazardous waste, spill response and cleanup
• Two Brothers Construction LLC, Lincoln City, $5,841, open burning

Recipients of DEQ civil penalties must either pay the fines to the state treasury or file an appeal within 20 days of receiving notice of the penalty. They may be able to offset a portion of a penalty by funding a supplemental environmental project that improves Oregon’s environment. Learn more about these projects at ordeq.org/sep.

Penalties may also include orders requiring specific tasks to prevent ongoing violations or additional environmental harm.

DEQ works with thousands of organizations and individuals to help them comply with laws that protect Oregon’s air, land and water. DEQ uses education, technical assistance, warnings and penalties to change behavior and deter future violations.