The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has fined a polluting wood treater in northwest Oregon more than $1 million for a slew of violations stretching back to 2022.
The seven-figure penalty comes just 11 days after InvestigateWest revealed that state regulators had been taking years to stop Canadian company Stella-Jones from sending stormwater tainted with toxic wood preservatives into the South Yamhill River, a drinking water source for nearly 6,000 residents in the town of Sheridan. Regulators’ lack of enforcement and public disclosure kept the pollution hidden from residents, despite inquiries about potential human and environmental health effects from the site.
DEQ cited Stella-Jones for 23 violations including releasing polluted stormwater into the river, illegally disposing of hazardous wastes and failing to report and immediately clean up chemical spills. Most of the penalty — more than $877,000 — sanctions Stella-Jones over money the company saved by cutting corners on its environmental compliance. DEQ said Stella-Jones saved $577,000 alone by failing to clean out its stormwater treatment system, which could have prevented or mitigated some pollution…