Statewide, Ore.— The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued five penalties totaling $105,394 in September for various environmental violations. A detailed list of violations and resulting penalties is at https://ordeq.org/enforcement.
Fines ranged from $4,500 to $51,651. Alleged violations included a wood treater improperly managing hazardous waste, a metal recycler establishing a solid waste disposal site without a permit, and a hospital not maintaining or testing an underground storage tank for fuel.
DEQ issued civil penalties to the following organizations:
- Biggs Service District, Wasco, $4,500, wastewater
- City of Monroe, Monroe, $6,300, water quality
- Permapost Products Company Inc., Hillsboro, $51,651, hazardous waste
- Radius Recycling Inc. formerly Schnitzer Steel Co., Portland, $29,580, solid waste
- Charles Health System Inc., dba St. Charles Medical Center – Redmond, Redmond, $13,363, underground storage tanks
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 https://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.
Media contact: Dylan Darling, public affairs specialist, 541-600-6119, [email protected]
Read news release online here.
###