AOI weighed in on draft of Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) proposal.

The Oregon DEQ is proposing to list dozens of chemicals which, if found over "trigger levels," would require the 52 largest municipal systems to propose, and then have placed in their DEQ discharge permits, plans to reduce the levels found in their effluent. This could be done by enhancing treatment processes, or by requiring businesses that discharge into the system to increase their pretreatment or change manufacturing processes. All of the foregoing may drive up costs.

The proposal first addresses those that discharge into municipal systems, but is expected to serve as groundwork for a broader set of regulations sometime in the future.

How to find out if you may be affected in this first round:

1. Do you discharge into any of these municipal systems? List and Map.
2. If yes, do you discharge anything on this list of chemicals?
3. If you answer yes to both questions, please let us know the details by this return e-mail. If we know who is affected and by how much, AOI can respond to your interests.

The program is the outcome of SB 737, adopted by the 2007 Oregon Legislature in conjunction with the League of Oregon Cities. AOI, representing Oregon's largest aggregation of manufacturers, will continue working closely with the DEQ on this issue as it evolves.

You can find out more here