Eugene, Springfield vaping company fined $32,700 for hazardous waste violations

Oregon environmental regulators have fined a vaping liquid manufacturer and distributor $32,700 for multiple hazardous waste violations at its facilities in Eugene and Springfield.

Vape Game was fined for transporting hazardous waste without a manifest, failing to determine whether wastes generated were hazardous, storing hazardous wastes for longer than allowed without a permit and failing to prepare contingency plans at the facilities.

“The nicotine-containing waste you generate is acutely hazardous waste, which is highly regulated in small amounts,” the state Department of Environmental Quality wrote in its penalty order.

DEQ also cited the company, without a financial penalty, for other hazardous waste violations.

Vape Game owner Dalton Baarstad said he plans to appeal the fine.

Baarstad said he accumulated the nicotine wastes over the eight years he has been in business but was cited when he tried to arrange for its proper disposal.

“There’s no real instruction for new industries such as a vaping industry to follow these formats,” he said. “DEQ is using a collection of regulations based off what they have, which doesn’t really include my industry.

“It’s extremely frustrating,” Baarstad said.

Oregon DEQ issues 17 fines in October

The fine against Vape Game was among 17 DEQ issued in October, totaling $305,021.

Other violations included a city discharging untreated sewage and a trucking company not immediately reporting and cleaning up an oil spill.

They also include a previously announced combined $134,378 penalty to the Winchester Water Control District and Terra Firma Foundation Repair for water quality violations during Winchester Dam repairs.

Recipients can appeal their fines by requesting a hearing within 20 calendar days of receiving their penalty letter. DEQ sometimes reduces or eliminates fines after appeals.

Recipients also may be able to resolve part of their fines by completing sponsoring an environmental improvement project instead of paying a penalty.

Here are the other citations:

Winchester Water Control District, Winchester, $106,778: For violating at least 10 conditions of a permit for a dam repair project, including failing to install erosion and sediment controls, discharging concrete into the North Umpqua River, installing tire mats in the river, operating equipment in the flowing channel of the river, failing to install a turbidity curtain upstream of the dam gates, failing to fully isolate the in-water work area, failing to report concrete discharges, performing in-water work outside the approved window and failing to maintain unobstructed fish passage.

City of The Dalles, $35,616: For discharging about 100,000 gallons of untreated sewage to Mill Creek, posing a threat to public health; for discharging sewage that exceeded limits for E. coli; and for failing to conduct required monitoring.

TerraFirma Foundation Repair, Winchester, $27,600: For discharging uncured concrete and placing mats made of heavy truck tires into the North Umpqua River.

Boise Cascade Wood Products, Elgin $18,368: For discharging wastewater from its log deck sprinkling operations to Phillips Creek without a permit and for failing to collect monitoring data.

Triangle Oil, Mount Vernon, $17,981: For underground storage tank violations, including failing to maintain spill prevention, overfill prevention and release detection equipment, as well as failing to report a suspected release of fuel and failing to conduct required equipment testing.

City of North Powder, $11,692: For violating conditions in an agreement it made with DEQ following previous violations. The city failed to collect monitoring data, submitted false, inaccurate or incomplete information, and exceeded its permitted bacteria limit by a factor of five or more.

Jasper Wood Products, Jasper, $10,800: For failing to complete required monitoring and for exceeding its permitted limit for total suspended solids.

Alpha Omega Trucking, Brookings, $10,400: For failing to immediately report and clean up an oil spill at its facility.

Boring Auto Wrecking, Boring, $9,931: For failing to collect required stormwater discharge samples.

Hull-Oakes Lumber Co., Monroe, $7,200: For exceeding limits in its water quality permit.

NWFF Environmental, Philomath, $3,600: For transporting 1,064 pounds of fire debris from another party to its facility without a hazardous waste manifest.

Bushnell's Warehousing and Trucking Corp., Portland, $3,300: For hazardous waste violations including failing to determine whether a drum of waste generated at its facility was hazardous waste.

Oregon Department of Transportation, Roseburg, $3,450: For allowing concrete dust to settle on the surface of the South Umpqua River during the Conn-Ford Bridge Replacement Project.

S&P Oil, Halsey, $2,595: For operating an onsite wastewater treatment system without a proper water quality permit.

PacifiCorp, Roseburg, $1,600: For failing to characterize waste generated at the North Umpqua Hydroelectric Project as hazardous waste. Debris generated from a truck fire at the facility contained hazardous levels of lead.

Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon Maryville Corp. dba Maryville Nursing Home, Beaverton, $1,410: For underground storage tank violations at a fuel tank for an emergency generator, including failing to have adequate release detection and failing to conduct monthly walkthrough inspections.

Tracy Loew covers the environment at the Statesman Journal. Send comments, questions and tips: tloew@statesmanjournal.com or 503-399-6779. Follow her on Twitter at @Tracy_Loew

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Vape Game fined for hazardous waste in Eugene, Springfield