DEQ fines North Coast Lumber Mill, March 11

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality fined Hampton Lumber Mills Inc. $15,600 for air quality violations at its sawmill and planing facility at 550 NE Skipanon Drive in Warrenton. DEQ issued this penalty because on Oct. 15, 2012 and May 8, 2013, the facility emitted particulate matter at levels that violated its air quality permit. The facility violated its six-minute average opacity limit, which is a new so urce performance standard for its hogged fuel boiler. Measuring opacity, or how much particles obscure visibility, is a method of assessing particulate emissions. The standard ensures that new air contaminant sources maintain optimum efficiency and keep pollutant levels to a minimum to meet national air quality health standards.