Oregon fines Corvallis for discharging untreated sewage

EUGENE – State environmental officials have fined the city of Corvallis for violating the state water quality standard for bacteria by discharging untreated sewage into the Willamette River.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality said Thursday it fined Corvallis $25,800 for the discharge of about 33 million gallons of untreated sewage and stormwater to the river in March and about four million gallons in October.

The department says the city, which operates a municipal wastewater collection, treatment and disposal system under a DEQ wastewater discharge permit, also failed to comply with reporting requirements in its permit.

The city’s collection system includes combined sewers designed to collect rain and snowmelt, sewage and industrial wastewater. Overflows occur when heavy rainfall or snowmelt combines with wastewater to exceed the system’s capacity and overflows to surface water without treatment.

Corvallis has until Jan. 29 to appeal the fine.