DEQ fines Clouser Drilling Inc. for water quality violations
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has fined Clouser Drilling Inc. $10,800 for discharging drill cuttings into Jones Creek from a construction site without a permit.
DEQ received a complaint that Jones Creek appeared milky white on June 6. On June 7, a DEQ inspector visited the Edgewater Christian Fellowship Construction Site in Grants Pass. The inspector saw that drill cuttings from a well that Clouser Drilling had recently drilled had been discharged into Jones Creek, which is designated as Essential Salmon Habitat.
Sediment contained in drill cuttings poses a risk to beneficial uses of waters of the state. Sediment can harm fish and other aquatic life because it can block light from submerged vegetation killing plants and lowering oxygen levels in the water.
The company has until Oct. 15 to appeal the fine.
View the enforcement letter: https://www.oregon.gov/deq/nr/100318clouser.pdf
Contact:
Katherine Benenati, Public Affairs Specialist, Eugene, 541-686-7997, benenati.katherine@deq.state.or.us