City Notified of Violation and Fine for Rock Creek Project

The City of Corvallis received notification that the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has issued a notice of violation and a $6,600 fine associated with a construction project at the Rock Creek Watershed Reservoir.

The incident in question took place last August, 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.

During the construction, contractors were installing seismic anchors for the new structure when a small amount of construction material came into contact with residual water at the bottom of the drained reservoir. This water then trickled into a drainpipe, where it was quickly identified and remediated by Public Works Department staff using containment berms. The City of Corvallis self-reported the suspected violation to DEQ, prompting the state agency to issue the notice of violation earlier this month.

While the City of Corvallis acknowledges the violation – and indeed, the City self-reported the incident to DEQ in the first place – City officials intend to contest certain aspects of the violation notice to correct inaccurate or misrepresented information in the documentation provided by DEQ. All necessary permits for the project were followed to the letter, leading City officials to believe this was an unfortunate accident.

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.