Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality has fined the city of Bend nearly $11,000 for wastewater permit violations. 

The DEQ says the water was found to have too much bacteria on 15 different occasions over the last 4 years.

It might not be a topic for polite conversation, but municipalities often recycle what is essentially sewer water. 

The DEQ allows cities to treat this water in a facility and then reuse it for certain purposes. 

Bend uses some of its recycled water to irrigate a golf course.  The DEQ says Bend’s own records show unacceptable bacteria levels.

But Paul Roy disagrees.  He’s the utilities operations and maintenance manager for the city of Bend.  Roy says the fines reflect a misunderstanding.

Paul Roy: “We need to get together with the DEQ to review the information that we have just so we can all be on the same page.  So in effect, we’re appealing the process.”

The DEQ has also fined the city for failing to conduct daily monitoring for about a week in January of 2008.

Roy says the city will appeal that fine as well, blaming the problem on a one-time equipment failure.