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News Release
For release: May 2, 2012 Contacts: DEQ Fines Oil Re-Refining Company $16,000 For Used-oil Violation Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality issued a $16,000 penalty to the Oil Re-Refining Company for violating used-oil regulations at its processing facility at 1291 Laverne Ave., Klamath Falls. The company, which recycles oil products at the Klamath Falls facility, failed to adequately maintain secondary containment systems around its product storage areas. State and federal law require used oil processing facilities to install and maintain containment measures to prevent oil from being released into the environment. Secondary containment around the company's storage tanks consists of a concrete pad surrounded by a wall about three feet high. It's designed to safely hold the contents of one full storage tank, about 10,000 gallons of oil, in the event of a leak. DEQ's inspection found cracks in both the floor and walls of the product storage secondary containment area. Containment requirements are designed to prevent oil spilled at facilities from entering nearby water and soil. The facility is located close to the Klamath River and Klamath Lake. Failure to maintain proper containment systems put these waterways, along with nearby soil and groundwater, at risk of contamination from spilled oil. The company appealed the penalty March 16. ### |
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