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DEQ flunks hatcheries' water quality ODFW may face fines By MARK FREEMAN Minimum water-quality standards are not being met at most or all of Oregon's state-run fish hatcheries, leading to an environmental review of the hatcheries and possible fines against the agency that operates them. The state Department of Environmental Quality plans to issue a notice of noncompliance of the federal Clean Water Act to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, its sister agency, for failing to comply with water-quality permits at its 34 hatcheries. Violations are primarily associated with the discharge of fish waste from ponds into rivers, and the improper handling of chemicals used to treat both fish eggs and adult fish, according to the DEQ. Other problems stem from monitoring and reporting requirements of coastal hatcheries that sport sediment ponds. The levels of pollution involved are more than allowed by state and federal laws, but they are not considered health risks, DEQ spokesman Bill Knight said Friday. The violations came to light last month as the ODFW sought renewal of a general water-quality permit that covers 31 of the hatcheries. The other three have individual permits. A subsequent inspection of two northern Oregon hatcheries revealed violations, Knight said. Both agencies have since begun a full review of all state-run hatcheries, which could lead to fines or other penalties against the ODFW for violating the law. ODFW Director Lindsay Ball said his agency is working to bring all the hatcheries into compliance, but that the agency should take its lumps like any other Oregonian found to be illegally polluting. "If there are penalty assessments to be levied against ODFW, then we should be treated the same as any public or private entity," Ball said. The DEQ has yet to inspect Cole Rivers Hatchery along the upper Rogue River as part of this review, but "we've been told to expect a visit," said Lee DeBerry, the hatchery's maintenance coordinator. DeBerry said he knows of no practices in which Cole Rivers crews are illegally polluting the Rogue. "Personally, I don't see that we're doing anything that is causing a problem," DeBerry said. However, hatchery managers expect to conduct an internal review of chemical use there specifically to ensure that they are meeting all the technical requirements for diluting chemicals such as formalin before they are discharged into the river, DeBerry said. Formalin is a form of formaldehyde and is used at 24 Oregon hatcheries to treat both fish eggs and adult fish for parasites and fungus. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration label for formalin requires the chemical to be diluted before entering a water body. In some instances, ODFW has not met the label requirements, according to both agencies. The actual discharge levels of formalin from the hatcheries were within allowable levels, Knight said. ODFW and DEQ are evaluating dilution rates and operational changes to meet appropriate application and discharge rates. "This is important to us. We don't plan to let it sit," said Steve Williams, assistant director of the ODFW's Fish Division. Fines, Williams said, are "always a possibility," and if the ODFW gets issued a fine for the violations, "we'll pay the fines and go on." In the short term, hatcheries will use hydrogen peroxide or end treatment of eggs and fish ponds until the questions related to the use of formalin can be answered. Formalin is used sparingly at Cole Rivers Hatchery, which has already relied more on hydrogen peroxide for treatments, DeBerry said. DEQ issues all ODFW hatcheries either a general permit or individual permits that govern hatchery activities according to the standards of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and the federal Clean Water Act. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.