DEQ release – The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued eight penalties totaling $51,751 in February for various environmental violations. A detailed list of violations and resulting penalties is at https://ordeq.org/enforcement. Fines ranged from $600 to $15,000. Alleged violations included cities not meeting requirements of their wastewater permits, a metal casting company improperly handling hazardous waste and a company performing underground Storage tank services without a license. DEQ issued a civil penalty to one coastal community: City of Seaside, $12,900, Seaside, wastewater. 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.