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Two Oregon dairies fined for water discharge

July 10, 2012, Seattle, WA – In the spring of 2011, water quality inspections were conducted in Oregon’s Tillamook watershed. Inspectors from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Oregon Department of Agriculture visited 22 facilities across the basin, finding two that had water quality discharge violations.

Dila Dairy and River End Dairy, LLC, located in Nehalem, OR, were found to be discharging in violation of the Clean Water Act’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and the Oregon Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation permit.

The inspections were part of routine monitoring of the Tillamook Watershed, which drains to Tillamook Bay.

According to Ed Kowalski, EPA director of compliance and enforcement in Seattle, EPA’s working partnership with the Oregon Department of Agriculture means better compliance and monitoring of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations.

“Our partnership with the Oregon Department of Agriculture has meant better water quality protection for Tillamook Bay,” said Kowalski. “Producers need to manage waste and runoff properly and meet all permit requirements to protect water quality.”

River End Dairy was found to be discharging wastewater in violation of their NPDES permit from its main barn to the Nehalem River. EPA subsequently signed a settlement with River End Dairy that included a $6,300 penalty.

Dila Dairy was also found to be discharging to the Nehalem River in violation of its NPDES permit from several locations, including discharges from a dry storage area and two barns. Dila Dairy’s infractions were resolved after they signed a settlement with EPA and paid a $10,000 penalty

For more about Oregon Department of Agriculture’s General CAFO permit & program: http://cms.oregon.egov.com/ODA/NRD/Pages/cafoprogdocs.aspx

For more about EPA’s NPDES Compliance & Enforcement program: http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/