DEQ Fines Stella-Jones $1M for 23 Environmental Violations

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Filed September 8th, 2025

Detected March 17th, 2026

Summary

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has issued a $1,055,825 civil penalty to Stella-Jones Corp. for 23 environmental violations at its wood treating facility. The penalty includes $877,225 for economic benefit gained by the company from non-compliance.

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What changed

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has imposed a $1,055,825 civil penalty on Stella-Jones Corp. for 23 violations related to water quality, hazardous waste management, and spill response at its Sheridan wood treating facility. A significant portion of the penalty, $877,225, represents the economic benefit the company accrued by not adhering to environmental regulations. This action follows a corrective action order in 2023 and three pre-enforcement notices issued over the past two years. Stella-Jones also faces a parallel state criminal case with a guilty plea to 10 misdemeanor counts of unlawful water pollution and a separate $98,000 civil penalty from the EPA.

Stella-Jones has 20 calendar days to appeal the DEQ's Notice of Civil Penalty Assessment and Order. The enforcement action requires the company to revise its operations plan, increase monitoring and reporting for certain chemicals, upgrade its stormwater treatment system, and improve spill prevention measures. Compliance with these corrective actions is critical to avoid further penalties and ensure environmental protection. The company must also address hazardous waste reporting, fees, and storage requirements.

What to do next

Review DEQ's Notice of Civil Penalty Assessment and Order
Prepare for potential appeal within 20 days
Implement revised operations plan, enhanced monitoring, and spill prevention measures as required by DEQ

Penalties

$1,055,825 civil penalty, including $877,225 for economic benefit. Stella-Jones also faces a $98,000 civil penalty from the EPA and criminal charges.

Source document (simplified)

Press Release · September 8, 2025 DEQ issues $1 million civil penalty to wood treater in Yamhill County for water quality and other violations

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued a $1 million civil penalty today to Stella-Jones Corp. for numerous violations of environmental regulations for water quality, hazardous waste, and spill response and cleanup at their wood treating facility in Sheridan, a city in Yamhill County.

DEQ issued the $1,055,825 civil penalty because wood preserving chemicals pose a risk to public health and the environmental when not properly managed. Much of the civil penalty – $877,225 – is for economic benefit, or costs and expenses that the company avoided by not complying with environmental regulations. DEQ regulates wood treatment facilities and other industries around Oregon to ensure compliance with state and federal laws.

Prior to the formal enforcement action issued today, DEQ issued an order requiring corrective action in 2023, which was complied with, and has issued three pre-enforcement notices outlining these violations in the past two years.

“This enforcement not only addresses the company's past violations, but also requires the company to revise its operations plan, conduct additional monitoring, and take other preventative measures to ensure it stays in compliance going forward,” said Erin Saylor, Interim Manager of DEQ’s Office of Compliance and Enforcement. “Enforcement of environmental laws is critical to deterring future violations, ensuring a level playing field, and ultimately protecting public health and the environment. DEQ hopes the magnitude of this enforcement will further these goals and result in long-term compliance at the facility.”

The enforcement action cites 23 violations in total and requires Stella-Jones to address:

Hazardous waste violations by reporting accurately, paying fees, and addressing the storage of hazardous waste in tanks.
Water quality violations by taking several actions including increasing monitoring and reporting for certain chemicals, upgrading their stormwater treatment system, and improving their operations relating to preventing overflows of the stormwater treatment system. Read DEQ’s full Notice of Civil Penalty Assessment and Order.

There’s a parallel state criminal case based on water quality violations. Stella-Jones and the Oregon Department of Justice agreed to a settlement in late August 2025, with the company pleading guilty to 10 misdemeanor counts of unlawful water pollution for violations of its state-issued water quality permit.

The EPA also recently reached a settlement agreement with Stella-Jones that includes a $98,000 civil penalty.

Once Stella-Jones receives the enforcement action from DEQ it has 20 calendar days to potentially file an appeal.

About Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality protects human health and the environment by controlling air and water pollution, reducing the impacts of manufactured products and cleaning up contaminated properties. DEQ engages the public in decision-making and helps communities solve problems in ways that are economically and environmentally sustainable. Contacts
DEQ Communications and Outreach Dylan Darling
Public Affairs
Western Region: Benton, Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties
541-600-6119
https://www.oregon.gov/deq/ Categories Environment & Energy · Environment & Energy

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