Lumber company penalized for stormwater/wastewater violations
By Logan Bagett on Friday, September 30th, 2022 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
JOHN DAY – Malheur Lumber is being penalized by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for wastewater and stormwater violations. The penalty is to the tune of $83,503. Eighteen other organizations within Oregon were fined as well.
The DEQ reports that Malheur Lumber were operating without the required wastewater and stormwater permits. They must either pay the fines or file an appeal within 20 days of receiving notice of the penalty. Find the full DEQ press release below.
(Press Release from the Oregon Dept. of Environmental Quality)
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued 19 penalties totaling $500,665 in August for various environmental violations. A detailed list of violations and resulting penalties is at https://ordeq.org/enforcement.
Fines ranged from $1,050 to $136,845. Alleged violations include a chemical company transporting hazardous waste without proper documentation, a bread maker and a paper mill emitting more air pollution than allowed by their air quality permits, and a city discharging more water pollution than allowed by its wastewater permit.
DEQ issued civil penalties to the following organizations:
- Advanced Chemical Transport, Inc. dba ACTenviro, $22,800, Clackamas, hazardous waste
- Basque Station, Inc., $14,809, Jordan Valley, underground fuel storage tank
- Burns’ Davey Jones Locker, Inc. , $5,144, Charleston, underground fuel storage tank
- City of Stanfield, $1,950, Stanfield, wastewater
- Clackamas Water Environment Services, $7,500, Welches, wastewater
- Dave’s Killer Bread, $136,845, Milwaukie, air quality
- Georgia Pacific Toledo LLC, $43,704, Toledo, air quality and water quality
- K&E Excavating, Inc. – Buckland Mines, $57,387, Bridgeport, wastewater and stormwater
- Larry Navilhon, $20,000, Roseburg, asbestos
- Malheur Lumber, $83,503, John Day, wastewater and stormwater
- Mark Wells, $23,200, Roseburg, asbestos
- Oregon Metallurgical, LLC, dba ATI Albany Operation, $21,600, Albany, hazardous waste
- Oregon Potato Company, $2,800, Boardman, air quality
- Patricia Davis, $5,800, Obrien, open burning and solid waste
- Regency of Oregon, Inc. (Canby Regency Mobile Home), $1,050, Canby, wastewater
- S&H Logging Co., $14,000, Aurora, air quality and solid waste
- Swanson Group Mfg. LLC, $6,000, Roseburg, air quality
- Trillium US, Inc., $26,573, Clackamas, air quality
- Woodgrain, Inc., $6,000, Pilot Rock, 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.
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.
