DEQ issues 12 enforcement actions in March for environmental violations

Statewide, Ore. - The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued 12 penalties in March totaling $3,230,935 for various environmental violations. A $24,000 penalty issued in January had not been delivered in time and was unintentionally left off the news release DEQ issued on March 30 2026, and is included here. A detailed list of violations and resulting penalties is at ordeq.org/enforcement.

Fines ranged from $1,275 to $3,016,128. Alleged violations included a landfill that failed to conduct adequate emissions monitoring and control for the methane it generated; a home improvement contractor that performed unlicensed asbestos abatement projects and openly accumulated asbestos-containing wastes; and an industrial wastewater processing facility that exceeded nitrogen limits of its land application program and failed to conduct required monitoring.

DEQ issued civil penalties to the following organizations:

• Christensen, Inc., Portland, $15,787, stormwater
• City of Mosier, Mosier, $6,672, water quality
• City of Sheridan, Sheridan, $1,275, water quality
• Columbia River Maritime Museum, Inc., Astoria, $15,746, stormwater
• Estate of Roy Davis, Oakland, $17,590, solid waste
• J.R. Simplot Company, Hermiston and Ontario, $31,800, water and air quality
• Mac Manufacturing dba Technical Finishes and Coatings, Portland, $44,250, hazardous waste and air quality
• No Bull Jon, LLC, Coos Bay, $24,000, asbestos
• Oak Harbor Freight Lines Inc., Portland, $9,477, stormwater
• Oregon Cherry Growers, LLC, The Dalles, $30,400, water quality
• PSC Custom, LLC dba Depot Connect International, Portland, $10,192, stormwater
• SR Smith, LLC, Canby, $31,618, stormwater
• Valley Landfills, Inc., Corvallis, $3,016,128, air quality violations at Coffin Butte Landfill. Learn more about this case by reading the news release DEQ issued on March 11, 2026.

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 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.

Media contact: Antony Sparrow, public affairs specialist, [email protected], 503-887-9113.

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