AIR, LAND & WATER

Updates: Fire at AmeriTies West in The Dalles

This is the most current information about DEQ’s response efforts at AmeriTies West in The Dalles, a railroad tie treatment plant where a fire started in a tank, causing an explosion.

See current update.

QUICK FACTS
Date of incident: March 9, 2023
Location: 100 Tile Plant Road, The Dalles
Product: Diesel sludge and residue
Cause: Under investigation

Status Updates

March 10, 5:30 p.m.

Air quality monitors installed early Friday afternoon are monitoring for particulate matter and volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.

People who breathed the smoke from the fire may have experienced coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing, and/or irritation of the eyes, nose, or throat, according to the Oregon Health Authority. People over 65 and people with pre-existing heart conditions who breathed the smoke may be at increased risk of cardiovascular events for up to 24 hours after the smoke has cleared. Examples of cardiovascular events are coronary syndrome, arrhythmia, heart failure, stroke, and sudden cardiac death. People with asthma or other pre-existing respiratory diseases who breathed the smoke may have experienced worsened symptoms during the smoke event.

Cause of the fire is still under investigation, but emergency responders have learned that vapors inside the tank heated and expanded, causing an explosion inside the tank about 30 minutes after the fire started on Thursday night.

Read the full March 10 news release from DEQ.

The damaged tank at AmeriTies West in The Dalles on March 10, 2023. Photo by DEQ

March 10, 3 p.m.

DEQ and EPA are monitoring air quality at the plant.

The tank normally contains a solution of 99 percent diesel and one percent copper naphthenate. Crews had cleaned the tank of that solution earlier Thursday, though some diesel sludge and sawdust remained in the tank.

Cause of the fire is still being investigated. The Sherriff’s Office reported that the two injured firefighters had been taken to the hospital and were in good condition.

Initial report – March 9, 2023

A fire was reported at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 9, 2023, at the AmeriTies West wood treatment plant in The Dalles. About a half hour later a tank exploded. DEQ, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and other agencies are coordinating the response.

Two firefighters were injured when the tank exploded, according to the Wasco County Sherriff’s Office. DEQ reports that the tank underwent a BLEVE, or a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion.

DEQ and EPA are installing air quality monitors as a precaution. The facility is a cleanup site with soil and groundwater contamination.

For more information on AmeriTies West in The Dalles visit this DEQ webpage.

Information on this site is considered to be accurate at the time of posting but is subject to change as new information becomes available.

Media contact

Greg Svelund, DEQ public information officer, 541-647-4194, greg.svelund@deq.oregon.gov

DEQ’s Cory-Ann Wind inducted into Clean Cities Hall of Fame

^{Cory-Ann Wind (second from left)with her Clean Cities Hall of Fame Award presented in February 2023.}

We’re thrilled to announce Cory-Ann Wind, manager of Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program, is the recipient of the 2023 Hall of Fame Award from the Columbia-Willamette Clean Cities Coalition, a coalition committed to reducing petroleum consumption in the transportation sector through education and outreach.

The award recognizes Wind’s leadership developing and implementing one of the nation’s only clean fuels programs. California has had a similar program for the last 12 years and Washington started a program this year. Wind has worked at DEQ for 29 years, the last 13 overseeing the Clean Fuels Program.

Staff Spotlight on Emil Hnidey, DEQ’s Rulemaking Coordinator

^{Emil and his family at Faragut State Park in Athol, Idaho}

Emil has been a fixture at DEQ for a few years and helped a lot of our staff and programs through their rulemakings.

For our readers who might not have had the chance to work with you yet, what does the Rulemaking Coordinator do?

I coordinate and oversee rulemakings at DEQ to make sure we’re following applicable laws and procedures when adopting rules.

DEQ Lab releases water quality report for northeastern Oregon rivers

A new report from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality shows water quality results for 17 rivers and streams in northeastern Oregon’s Grande Ronde, John Day, Powder and Walla Walla River basins.

DEQ analyzed the area’s rivers and streams for nearly 500 chemicals and detected 124. Most chemicals DEQ tested for were either not detected at all or were found at low levels.

None of the chemicals were found at levels that would pose an immediate threat to public health. This means the area’s rivers and streams continue to be safe for recreation and other uses. However, the Oregon Health Authority has a statewide fish advisory that recommends people limit how much bass they eat due to mercury levels.

Klamath Tribes, Chiloquin leaders welcome Eastern Region management team

*Chiloquin Mayor Julie Bettles discusses cleanup plans for a collapsed building in the city’s downtown.*

“You picked a great day to visit,” said Chiloquin City Councilor Robert Cowie to the group of Eastern Region managers gathered at Chiloquin City Hall on a crisp, clear, sunny February afternoon.

The DEQ team traveled from The Dalles, Bend and Klamath Falls to meet leaders from the Klamath Tribes and City of Chiloquin to discuss local environmental concerns.

Rulemaking: From laws to environmental regulation

Bills become laws and state legislators design some Oregon laws to protect the environment. Most people understand that process.

But what about rules that put environmental protection into action? That’s where DEQ comes in through rulemaking. DEQ proposes rules that define how the public and industry interact with the environment in an effort to benefit the economy, human habitation and the preservation of natural areas.

Lauren and Dylan catch up with rulemaking experts at DEQ.

Environmental Quality Commission selects Leah Feldon as new DEQ director

The Oregon Environmental Quality Commission selected Leah Feldon as the new director of the Department of Environmental Quality at a special meeting on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. The commission’s vote was unanimous. The commission’s decision came after a seven-month nationwide search and included extensive input from the public and DEQ staff.

Out of the ashes – EWEB, DEQ join effort to rebuild after Holiday Farm Fire along McKenzie River

Photo provided by EWEB. This photo was taken in May 2021 on an EWEB Commissioners and local leaders tour of the damage of the Holiday Farm Fire. The Holiday Farm Fire destroyed more than 500 homes in the McKenzie River Valley, like this one pictured in May 2021. As the community continues to rebuild, EWEB and Oregon DEQ are eager to support people with funds to repair their septic systems damaged in the fire to alleviate their burdens and protect the water quality of the McKenzie River.

The 2020 Holiday Farm Fire east of Eugene burned 173,000 acres of the McKenzie Watershed, including 25 miles of river frontage. The fire destroyed more than 500 homes and many people are still rebuilding.

GUEST POST: Why do we encounter poor air quality in winter? LRAPA’s Travis Knudsen explains.

LRAPA Public Affairs Manager Travis Knudsen.

Oregon has some of the most beautiful and pristine skies in the United States. However, we can also experience poor air quality, and not just during wildfire season. In winter months, there are times when DEQ’s Air Quality Index indicates anything from “Moderate” to “Very Unhealthy” air, often due to stagnant air and inversions. Thankfully, these occurrences don’t tend to last very long.

We asked our friend, Travis Knudsen from Lane Regional Air Protection Agency, to write about this. As LRAPA’s public affairs manager and a former broadcast meteorologist, we feel he is exceedingly qualified to discuss these air quality events. His explanation follows:

Staff spotlight on Orin Schmitt

This month, DEQ turns the spotlight on Orin Schmitt, who for many staff at DEQ, is one of their first points of contact at the agency. But Orin is more than about just onboarding new staff.