Water Quality Fine Dismissed After Investigation

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has dismissed a violation and a $6,600 fine levied against the City of Corvallis for a reported instance of water pollution associated with a construction project at the Rock Creek Watershed Reservoir in August 2018.

The City of Corvallis had reported the incident to DEQ immediately after City staff became aware of the situation. With more time to investigate what exactly took place and analyze results from the stream monitoring and testing, it became apparent that no water quality violation had occurred. The City appealed DEQ’s decision and met with DEQ staff earlier this year to present the new information. DEQ concurred with the City’s analysis and withdrew the violation and fine.

“Staff did the right thing in immediately self-reporting this incident,” said Public Works Director Mary Steckel. “In this case, examination of all the relevant information revealed that the City was just overly cautious in reporting a possible violation, and there was no actual harm to the stream water quality.”

The incident took place during a capital improvement project to replace the water intake structure within the 100 million gallon reservoir, which is located in the Rock Creek Watershed. The reservoir had been drained to allow contractors access to remove the existing wood intake structure and replace it with a new seismically resilient structure. The project was completed in 2018 and the reservoir is currently in use.

The Rock Creek Watershed, located 16 miles outside of Corvallis on the lower slopes of Marys Peak, produces more than 1 billion gallons of drinking water annually. The City of Corvallis is committed to the protection and preservation of the forest habitat to ensure a safe, secure, and reliable source of drinking water for the Corvallis community.