Redmond’s PCC Schlosser pays $15,000 fine after DEQ, EPA inspection finds hazardous waste violations
Agency says company has corrected violations found in April 2019 inspection
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Redmond titanium casting company PCC Schlosser has paid a $15,000 fine levied by the state Department of Environmental Quality and corrected hazardous waste violations that led to the civil penalty, the agency said Monday.
The DEQ said the violations, found during an April 2019 facility inspection by DEQ and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, included failing to close hazardous waste containers, properly mark them and conduct weekly inspections of the storage area.
The DEQ said the inspectors found PCC Schlosser "was storing wastewater treatment sludge from titanium chemical etching and million electroplating operations in five open-topped 500-gallon metal portable containers for several days up to several weeks ... "and the containers were not labeled as 'hazardous waste' or with the date the waste was first placed in (them)."
Other violations included that the company was unable to present documentation that it provided the facility's contingency plan to local emergency response authorities, as well as a list of those who managed hazardous waste and training records for staff who work in areas generating that waste or are responsible for its management and disposal.
The fine was the largest of eight civil penalties the DEQ issued last month for environmental violations, the DEQ said.
Organizations or individuals must either pay the fines or file an appeal within 20 days of receiving the notice. PCC Schlosser, notified of its civil penalty Feb. 11, did not appeal and paid the fine in full on March 8, DEQ Public Affairs Specialist Dylan Darling said.
The fine was levied nearly three years after the violations were discovered during a DEQ inspection. Darling said COVID disruptions led to a backlog of enforcement cases.
“DEQ sent a pre-enforcement letter to PCC in December 2019, documenting the violations, and the parties were in communication about the violations and corrective actions for some time,” Darling told NewsChannel 21. “PCC corrected the violations” – and that also delayed the resolution and eventual fine.
Darling noted that the agency “prioritizes workload on enforcement actions based on the severity of the environmental risk of the violations, and whether the violations are ongoing or corrected.”
“The company has changed their system for storing its hazardous waste,” he said. “DEQ has not inspected the facility since the violation, but the company has submitted documentation – a report and photos – of compliance. DEQ will inspect the facility again.”
