News release DEQ. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has fined Joseph A. Kaufman and Melody Ann Kaufman $7,807 for discharging waste into waters of the state from unpermitted construction at their Wallace Street property. Sediment from the site was piped into an unpermitted disposal system that leads to an unnamed surface water. Excess sediment can foul waterways posing risks to aquatic life. DEQ is requiring the Kaufmans to stop all discharges from the site and obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit that requires the permit holder to properly manage erosion and sediment on site. Of the civil penalty, $4,507 represents the economic benefit gained by failing to install erosion and sediment controls at the site. The company has until July 11 to appeal the penalty.
