COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (AP) - State environmental regulators have slapped Cottage Grove with $4,500 in fines.
The Register-Guard reports (https://bit.ly/2lEr7Ud ) the city was fined for discharging contaminated sewage wastewater onto city-owned parkland and into the Coast Fork of the Willamette River.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality says wastewater samples collected in June contained bacteria from human waste slightly above allowable levels.
Five times in July, samples of treated wastewater the city used to irrigate parkland contained too much bacteria.
The department classified the river discharge violation as “minor,” carrying a $1,500 fine, and the land watering violation as “moderate,” with a $3,000 fine.
City officials blame heat waves and a brief equipment failure last summer for raising temperatures of the water treated at its plant.
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Information from: The Register-Guard, https://www.registerguard.com
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