Seven Oregon sites receive $8 million for brownfield redevelopment projects

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced seven sites in Oregon that will receive $8.2 million in brownfield funding for environmental assessment and cleanup projects. The grants will help transform the sites into community assets, attract jobs and promote economic revitalization.

Klamath Tribes, Chiloquin leaders welcome Eastern Region management team

“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.

Cleaning up mercury spills

Mercury is that strange element that looks like a liquid metal bead. Many adults played with it as children. Mercury was used in a bunch of household items – fluorescent bulbs, LCD screens, old appliances, batteries, thermometers and barometers – that are now at risk of spilling. Lauren and Dylan talk with U.S. Environmental ProtectionContinue reading “Cleaning up mercury spills”

Congratulations to the EPA Brownfield Grant recipients in Oregon

After going through an incredibly competitive grant process, eight of the nine Oregon applicants prevailed and will receive $4.4 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s brownfield grants and loans program. These grants will support these applicants in doing environmental assessments, sampling and cleanup of brownfields in their communities.

From landfill to housing: Cleanup begins at Stevens Ranch in Bend

Meandering through the sagebrush and juniper trails at the Stevens Road Tract in southeast Bend, a hiker might never suspect they are walking over acres of buried trash. Decades-old tires, building materials containing asbestos and household trash fill in former holes and collapsed lava tubes on about 40 acres of the newly planned 382-acre mixed-useContinue reading “From landfill to housing: Cleanup begins at Stevens Ranch in Bend”

Old mines pose many dangers: Why DEQ and EPA restricted access to the old Opalite mercury mine

Massive hills of pinkish red rock stand along a lonely dirt road in far southeastern Oregon. The problem? They’re toxic.