Press Release   ·   April 30, 2024

DEQ issues 11 penalties in March for environmental violations

Updated: April 30, 2024

Original release date: April 26, 2024

NOTE: This corrected news release includes an updated location for the IXS Coatings violation. The hazardous substances in question were illegally dumped by a third party along Highway 164 at Interstate 5 near Millersburg. The company is located in Lebanon, Tennessee.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued 11 penalties totaling $231,281 in March for various environmental violations. A detailed list of violations and resulting penalties is at https://ordeq.org/enforcement.

Fines ranged from $450 to $87,600. Alleged violations included hazardous waste violations by a metal plating company and a wood ceiling manufacturer, as well as a university not testing and maintaining underground fuel storage tanks.

DEQ issued civil penalties to the following organizations and individuals:

• 9Wood Inc., Springfield, $18,142, hazardous waste
• Caswell Thompson LLC, Grants Pass, $7,511, stormwater
• City of Dundee, Dundee, $1,200, total maximum daily loads (TMDLs)
• Curtis M. and Nicole H. Graham, Carlton, $8,400, water quality
• East Side Plating 1,2,3, Portland, $87,600 hazardous waste
• Express Auto Body Inc., Portland, $450, air quality
• Industrial Knife & Machine, Wilsonville, $24,667, stormwater
• IXS Coatings, Millersburg, $4,800, hazardous waste
• Portland State University, Portland, $25,472, underground storage tanks
• Pressure Safe LLC, Wood Village, $21,960, stormwater
• Shamrock Food Company, Portland, $31,079, stormwater

Organizations or individuals 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.

About Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality protects human health and the environment by controlling air and water pollution, reducing the impacts of manufactured products and cleaning up contaminated properties. DEQ engages the public in decision-making and helps communities solve problems in ways that are economically and environmentally sustainable.

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