Oregon DEQ fines St. Charles over $13,000 for Redmond underground fuel tank leak detection, testing violations

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued five penalties totaling $105,394 in September for various environmental violations, including more than $13,000 levied against St. Charles Health System for underground fuel storage tank violations at its Redmond hospital.

A detailed list of violations and resulting penalties is at https://ordeq.org/enforcement.

The early-September violation notice said St. Charles Redmond failed to have adequate release detection equipment on piping for an underground storage tank that holds fuel for emergency generators and boilers, and failed to conduct required initial and annual tests.

DEQ Eastern Region spokesman Antony Vorobyov said the hospital system did not appeal the penalty.

St. Charles provided this statement Thursday to NewsChannel 21: " We believed we were in compliance with leak testing requirements that went into effect in 2020 and have had no leaks or environmental impact to date. When we were notified in 2024 that we were not in compliance with the new DEQ testing standards, we began actively working with the DEQ on a solution to ensure we meet compliance going forward."

Statewide, fines ranged from $4,500 to $51,651. Alleged violations included a wood treater improperly managing hazardous waste, a metal recycler establishing a solid waste disposal site without a permit, and a hospital not maintaining or testing an underground storage tank for fuel.

DEQ issued civil penalties to the following organizations:

• Biggs Service District, Wasco, $4,500, wastewater
• City of Monroe, Monroe, $6,300, water quality
• Permapost Products Company Inc., Hillsboro, $51,651, hazardous waste
• Radius Recycling Inc. formerly Schnitzer Steel Co., Portland, $29,580, solid waste
• St. Charles Health System Inc., dba St. Charles Medical Center - Redmond, Redmond, $13,363, underground storage tanks

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 https://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.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality protects human health and the environment by controlling air and water pollution, reducing the impacts of manufactured products and cleaning up contaminated properties. DEQ engages the public in decision-making and helps communities solve problems in ways that are economically and environmentally sustainable.