Director Leah Feldon joins the GreenState DEQ podcast for a conversation

Leah Feldon has a long history with DEQ – nearly two decades – starting in the Office of Compliance and Enforcement and later serving as deputy director. The Oregon Environmental Quality Commission, which oversees DEQ, selected Feldon as the agency’s new director in February. Director Feldon had a conversation with outgoing Communications manager Harry EsteveContinue reading “Director Leah Feldon joins the GreenState DEQ podcast for a conversation”

Sounds of water: DEQ hydrologists teach at outdoor school in Eastern Oregon

For more than 20 years a pair of DEQ hydrologists have been sharing their knowledge of surface water and groundwater with outdoor school students in Eastern Oregon. Laura Gleim, DEQ’s Eastern Region public affairs specialist, visited an outdoor school near Pendleton to learn along with the kids. She brought along a field recorder and aContinue reading “Sounds of water: DEQ hydrologists teach at outdoor school in Eastern Oregon”

Oregon’s first major railroad oil spill training a success

More than 150 people from federal, state, tribal, and local governments and BNSF Railroad convened at the Fort Dalles Readiness Center in The Dalles on June 13 to practice responding to a large-scale railroad oil spill. In the imaginary scenario, 23 tank cars carrying 540,000 gallons of crude oil derail along the Deschutes River nearContinue reading “Oregon’s first major railroad oil spill training a success”

Air Quality Monitoring During Wildfire Season

May is Wildfire Awareness Month, so we thought it a good idea to discuss air quality monitoring across Oregon, particularly during the summer season. The Air Quality Index, air quality advisories and the Oregon Smoke Information blog are all great resources for people looking to understand what kind of air they’re breathing, especially if they’reContinue reading “Air Quality Monitoring During Wildfire Season”

DEQ’s annual Earth Month photo contest 

The votes are in. Our photo contest to celebrate Earth Month 2023 was a huge success. DEQers submitted a lot of great images as you’ll see in the slideshow above. The theme this year was “Investing in Planet Earth.” The images show the diversity of beauty in Oregon and why investment in our natural environmentContinue reading “DEQ’s annual Earth Month photo contest “

Oregon DEQ releases 2019 – 2021 Air Toxics Summary Report

Oregon DEQ has released its 2019 – 2021 Air Toxics Summary, which provides data on air toxics that were monitored in nine locations across the state, including Bend, Eugene, La Grande, Medford and Portland. The goal is to measure air toxics across Oregon where people live, work and play. That way, DEQ and communities canContinue reading “Oregon DEQ releases 2019 – 2021 Air Toxics Summary Report”

Staff Spotlight: Megan Hendrickson 

This week we turn the DEQ staff spotlight on Megan Hendrickson. From our Eugene office, Megan works with organizations using funds to repair and replace septic systems in Oregon.  What is your favorite part of working at DEQ?  I started during the pandemic. The first three months were a blur of phone calls, Teams messages,Continue reading “Staff Spotlight: Megan Hendrickson “