DEQ issues 13 penalties in July for environmental violations, Aug. 31

DEQ release – The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued 13 penalties totaling $111,157 in July for various environmental violations. A detailed list of violations and resulting penalties is at https://ordeq.org/enforcement. Fines ranged from $850 to $39,800. Alleged violations included a company performing sewage disposal service without a current license, a seafood company failing to monitor wastewater for pollutants and an individual establishing and operating a waste tire Storage site without a permit. DEQ issued civil penalties: Three on the North Coast and one in Douglas County were among the group fined – JW Rock LLC, $5,600, Tillamook, stormwater; North West Septic LLC, $3,000, Astoria, onsite wastewater; Pacific Shellfish – Tillamook LLC, $7,107, Bay City, water quality; Roseburg Forest Products Co., $4,000, Dillard, water quality. Organizations or individuals must either pay the fines 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.