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Umpqua Post
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Project Blessing is given the community’s blessing at event BY STEVE LINDSLEY The Umpqua Post
Dozens of community members showed up Wednesday, Sept. 25 to celebrate a new/old building. “Project Blessing,” the food pantry that was housed in a room at the United Presbyterian Church has moved into the former scout building at Lions Park. The larger facility may mean more service days. Previously, the facility had been open one day a week to serve community members. Now, it will be open two, with the possibility of more. The facility opened Sept. 4, but the open house was held on Sept. 25 to allow volunteers to finish stocking the shelves and getting final preparations done. Pastor Allen Chaney of the Reedsport
Church of God spoke at the ribbon cutting. “As many of you know,” Chaney said, “Project Blessing was established to help our community in times of need. It was established for the Reedsport community, by the Reedsport Community.” Chaney said there is still a need for the services they provide. “Project Blessing has come a very long way since its youth,” he told the crowd. “Times have become harder and harder with each passing year. Our growth is a testimony as to our community unity. The need for food assistance in our community has increased dramatically.” He said the food pantry wouldn’t be posContributed photo by Liz Adamo sible without donations. “Thanks to the many donations, in all Dozens of people attended an open house and ribbon cutting for the new “Project Blessing” forms, we have been able to meet, and assist,
food pantry in Reedsport’s Lions Park. The event was held Sept. 25 at the old scout meeting SEE BLESSING, PAGE A9 hall, which was converted to the food pantry thanks to volunteers and donations.
American Bridge appeals DEQ penalties
Persistence rewarded
BY STEVE LINDSLEY The Umpqua Post
A hearing date has not been set for penalties issued to Reedsport company American Bridge for hazardous waste violations. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued penalties totaling $11,494 for “illegal treatment and disposal of hazardous and sold waste generated at the company’s manufacturing facility.” The company was issued a $2,750 Contributed photo by Liz Adamo for improper disposal of sandblast Storm? What storm? Al Shiroma of Eugene cuts up the Chinook salmon he caught off the bank in Winchester waste and was fined $8,744 for Bay on Saturday and Roger Lulay, of Salem, cleans the crab he caught while crabbing in his boat in the improper disposal of waste paint and Umpqua River off Salmon Harbor. fluorescent light bulbs. The company appealed and asked for a hearing, saying it believed it had done nothing wrong. “The first step after an appeal is what’s called the ‘informal process,’” said Kieran O’Donnell, DEQ environmental law specialist. “It’s a meeting between DEQ and, in this case, American Bridge. It’s an opportunity for them to tell their side of the story and ask any questions about any of the docuGardiner did switch to a secThe potential of another rupments they received from us or ■ ondary line when the flow in the ture of that line has prompted the provide new information.” main pipe was reduced. It was DEQ to appear before the GSD O’Donnell said if nothing is noticed on Wednesday, Sept. 25. board to come up with a plan to resolved after the informal meeting “When there’s an issue with the repair that line. there would be a hearing. sewer line,” Nichols explained, The board has insisted it plans O’Donnell explained the two “they bypass it and turn a couple to sever its sewer relationship with types of violations the company of valves and it uses the (former) Reedsport and move to a sewage was cited for. Reedsport water line. So, that’s treatment facility at the old “There was a solid-waste violawhat they’re using right now; the International Paper site. That plan tion,” he said, “and then there was BY STEVE LINDSLEY secondary line to transport the has been put on hold because of The Umpqua Post the hazardous-waste violation. sewage across the river until they the need for funding. Solid and hazardous waste are diffigure out what’s going on with the DEQ has attempted to enter into ferent things and they’re regulated Steve Nichols of the Oregon line under the Umpqua.” a new Mutual Agreement and Order differently under the law.” Department of Environmental Nichols says the pipe has had to address the underwater sewer Quality says they’re investigating. Sandblast waste, generated from pipe. A former MAO has expired. “All we have, now, is a discrep- problems. the types of activities performed at “In the past, the source of the The district board has resisted sign- American Bridge, can be toxic. ancy in the flow between what problem has been a break, or a ing the new agreement. leaves the Gardiner pump station “That’s solid waste,” O’Donnell and what enters the Reedsport rupture in the line,” he said. “They The GSD can’t get financing for said. “There are certain ways to treatment plant,” he said. “They haven’t confirmed that, yet.” new facilities at the old IP site until handle solid waste. One of them is have meters on both sides of the The district will have to hire it settles a monetary disagreement you can dispose of it if you have a river and, when there’s a discrepdivers to look at the pipeline. with the city of Reedsport. Both permit. Another is if you have a ancy then (they) are supposed to “To assess that line, to see if it is a sides say each owes the other letter of authorization from DEQ. switch those valves and start using break and see where it’s located and money. It appears there will be a But, none of that was completed. a secondary line.” if they can repair it,” Nichols said. lawsuit on the matter. So, that needs to be resolved.”
Possible rupture in GSD’s sewer pipeline to be investigated by DEQ Did the sewer pipe under the Umpqua River for the Gardiner Sanitary District suffer another break?
The hazardous-waste violations involved the paint and light bulbs. “It was illegal treatment,” O’Donnell explained, “which, in this case, was waste paint that was, essentially, just being left out and dried and hardened and condensed.” The DEQ complaint says inspectors noted about 35 gallons of waste paint and spent solvent were unmarked and unlabeled in five-gallon containers. “If it’s waste paint they’re supposed to send it off for proper disposal,” O’Donnell said. Approximately 23 gallons of crushed fluorescent light bulbs were found stores in a 55-gallon container. The complaint said none of the residue from the solvent or waste paint had been tested as required by law to determine the waste was hazardous. It also said allowing paints and solvents to evaporate for disposal and crushing fluorescent light bulbs are considered “treatment” activities to manage and dispose of hazardous waste. “Only an approved treatment facility can treat hazardous waste,” the complaint read. O’Donnell said, to this point, it’s not known when a hearing will be held. “We haven’t scheduled a hearing yet,” he said. “The first step is just the informal meeting. That’s, basically, an opportunity for them if they have more information or if they have questions about the penalties.” O’Donnell says the department tried working with American Bridge before assessing the $11,494 in penalties. “This site’s been around for a while,” he said. “There have been multiple inspections out there and correspondence between American Bridge and DEQ. It
SEE VIOLATIONS, PAGE A6
SOLVE’s fall beach cleanup to be rescheduled Heavy winds prevented volunteers from hitting Oregon’s beaches during the Fall Beach Cleanup, but volunteers did help clean more than 50 inland sites. SOLVE Executive Director Maureen Fisher said they were advised by the National Weather Service there could be 65- to 70-mph winds Saturday. There were also flood warnings on parts of U.S. Highway 101. “We just decided that the safety of the volunteers is the most important thing,” she said. “We contacted all of our beach captains and all of our zone captains and said, ‘We’re going to end up rescheduling the 47 events that we had planned for the Oregon coast.’” They also contacted as many of the volunteers who signed up for beach cleanup as they could and invited them to inland areas to work. SOLVE estimated 1,282 volunteers showed up at Saturday’s riverside cleanup. There were over 50 projects held at inland sites ranging from Hood River
to Medford. SOLVE estimated 421 trees were planted in parks, on school grounds and in natural areas. It’s estimated volunteers removed 25,068 pounds of mixed waste and recyclable materials from neighborhoods and natural areas and removed 82,292 square feet of invasive non-native vegetation. That’s without touching the ocean beaches. The beaches, however, still need a cleanup. Back in March, 4,080 volunteers removed 52,477 pounds of debris from Oregon’s beaches. It was expected at least that many would come out for the fall cleanup. Fisher said there are some options. “We will be reaching out; and are currently reaching out; to all 47 of those other sites,” she said, “and we will reschedule those dates. There’s a portion of the volunteers who pre-registered for specific sites along the coast, so we will get those re-scheduled and get back to all the volunteers,
SEE SOLVE, PAGE A9
Contributed photo by Liz Adamo
A lone person walks on the beach south of Winchester Bay. The beach would normally have been filled with volunteers on Saturday for the SOLVE Fall Beach Cleanup. However, the event was postponed due to high winds and heavy rain. The group’s executive director says they’ll try to reschedule events along the coast as the weather gets better and volunteers get some lead time.
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