Prineville man appeals $30,000 DEQ fine for storing 1,000s of old tires on property east of Bend
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality recently fined a Prineville man more than $30,000 for storing about 6,000 old tires on property east of Bend.
A DEQ official said in a Dec. 30 notice sent by certified mail that Martin Hernandez Soto of Prineville was previously issued a warning letter last May to correct the violation.
Storing so many tires at a property on Fort Rock Road, east of Horse Ridge and south of Highway 20, but not complying with permit requirements "poses a risk to human health and the environment, including the risk of fire," DEQ Office of Compliance and Enforcement Interim Manager Erin Saylor wrote.
"You have been storing and processing approximately 6,000 waste tires at your property since at least the spring of this year (2025)," she told Soto in the notice.
Soto has appealed the fine, DEQ Public Affairs Specialist Antony Sparrow told KTVZ News on Wednesday.
Sparrow also told us that Redmond-based Hayden Homes did not appeal an $8,000 fine also issued Dec. 30 for violating its construction stormwater discharge permit at a building site in Medford.
In the notice to Hayden Homes, Saylor told the homebuilder that its failure to implement an erosion and sediment control plan "risked causing pollution to waters of the state."
"Hayden Homes did not appeal, so that enforcement has defaulted to a final order," Sparrow said.
KTVZ News has reached out to Soto and Hayden Homes for any statement or comment.
Here's the DEQ's full news release on December's 11 enforcement actions:
DEQ issues 11 enforcement actions in December for environmental violations
Statewide, Ore. – The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued 11 penalties totaling $227,030 in December for various environmental violations. A detailed list of violations and resulting penalties is at ordeq.org/enforcement.
Fines ranged from $3,600 to $63,500. Alleged violations included a wastewater treatment facility that failed to conduct required generator testing or comply with federal standards, a mineral quarry that performed unpermitted stormwater discharge causing pollution to two streams, and a heavy fabrication, machine and rebuild facility that failed to comply with an environmental cleanup order.
DEQ issued civil penalties to the following organizations:
- Airgas USA, LLC, Portland, $22,400, stormwater
- B&B Leasing Co., Inc, Oregon City, $5,600, stormwater
- Clean Water Services, Hillsboro, $31,683, air quality
- CPM Development Corp. dba RiverBend Materials, Dallas, $16,000, stormwater
- GMT Corporation - Conser Quarry, Junction City, $22,552, stormwater
- Hayden Homes, LLC, Medford, $8,000, stormwater
- Martin Hernandez Soto, Bend, $30,429, solid waste
- Noble Solutions NW, LLC, The Dalles, $3,600, underground storage tank
- ORPET, Inc., Warren, $9,163, stormwater
- Peninsula Iron Works, Portland, $63,500, cleanup
- Stella-Jones Corporation, St. Helens, $14,103, stormwater
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.
