DEQ issues three penalties in April for environmental violations

Statewide, Ore. — The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued three penalties totaling $19,208 in April for various environmental violations. A detailed list of violations and resulting penalties is at https://ordeq.org/enforcement.

Fines ranged from $4,200 to $8,633. Alleged violations included a wastewater treatment and disposal system that exceeded pollution limits and failed to comply with monitoring and reporting requirements, a gas station that failed to maintain financial responsibility of its underground storage tank system and meet temporary closure requirements and a property management company that failed to perform required monitoring of its stormwater discharge.

DEQ issued civil penalties to the following organizations:

• Aldercrest Apartments, LLC, Portland, $4,200, stormwater.
• Mapleton Commercial Area Owners Association, Inc., Mapleton, $6,375, wastewater.
• Metolius Market LLC, Metolius, $8,633, underground storage tanks.

Recipients of DEQ civil penalties must either pay the fines to the state treasury 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.