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--> --> Fred Meyer fined for diesel leak PORTLAND (AP) - The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has fined Fred Meyer about $100,000 for allowing diesel fuel to seep into a Clackamas River tributary, the largest penalty the agency has assessed this year. State DEQ officials estimated that over one year, between 2,000 and 6,500 gallons of diesel escaped from Fred Meyer's system of underground storage tanks used to fuel its trucks. The Clackamas River provides water to more than 100,000 residents in Lake Oswego, West Linn, Oregon City, Gladstone and the Clackamas area. Officials said they found no evidence that the leaks affected drinking water or threatened salmon. "Fred Meyer's continued failure to design and install an active free product removal system may have directly contributed to this discharge to waters of the state," DEQ director Stephanie Hallock wrote in a letter to the company. The fine included a $72,725 penalty for the amount state officials estimate that the company saved by not installing the required removal system. Hallock's letter offered to recalculate the fine if Fred Meyer installs an adequate removal system. A Fred Meyer spokesman said Wednesday that the company has not decided whether to appeal. "We were surprised by this DEQ action because we were working with them," said Rob Boley, assistant vice president for public relations. "We are taking aggressive action. We've already spent $500,000 on cleanup." Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing