Solid Waste Orphan Site Account

Solid waste orphan site account overview

DEQ runs the Solid Waste Orphan Site Account, which provides funds for investigation and cleanup at solid waste disposal sites with known or suspected hazardous substance releases. SWOSA funds two main project types: landfills owned or operated by local governments, and private “orphan" sites (such as illegal dump sites or privately owned landfills) where no one is available to pay for cleanup. SWOSA is funded from a fee of $0.13 per ton that is charged on solid waste disposed in or exported from Oregon.

Benefits of the SWOSA program

The types of sites SWOSA addresses often pose challenges to local communities. These challenges include:

• Causing dangerous levels of contamination to soil, surface water and groundwater
• Creating habitat for wildlife that spread disease (such as rats and mosquitos)
• Producing methane and other potent greenhouse gases
• Lingering and encouraging ongoing, illegal dumping
• Impacting vulnerable communities disproportionately
• Being costly to clean up

Such threats may create more widespread issues, continuing the cycle of contamination.

DEQ's SWOSA program supports local governments and communities by:

• Investigating risks to human health and the environment. DEQ helps communities learn about the risks of nearby disposal sites.
• Reducing exposures to harmful substances. DEQ works to lower the chances of people and nature encountering harmful chemicals at contaminated sites.
• Preventing contamination from spreading. DEQ takes steps to prevent harmful substances from spreading beyond the polluted site and causing problems elsewhere.
• Funding cleanup projects. DEQ invests in cleaning up sites that might not otherwise have financial support
• Boosting property values and taxes. After cleaning up a site, the area may become more valuable, which can increase property taxes and help fund local services.
• Making land usable again. DEQ helps turn cleaned-up sites into useful spaces like parks, homes, or businesses, improving the community.

Program developments

SWOSA staff are working on a few program updates to improve outreach and project selection, including:

• Reaching more communities: SWOSA is working to involve more people in project discovery, especially those who are often overlooked or disproportionately harmed by pollution.
• Updating how projects are chosen: SWOSA is updating the way projects are scored and selected to make sure the most impactful projects are funded.
• Making applications easier: SWOSA is improving the application forms to make them more user-friendly.

These goals are a continuous effort and DEQ welcomes suggestions on how to better serve all people and communities in Oregon.

What qualifies as a SWOSA site?

To be considered for SWOSA funding, a site must meet certain conditions outlined in Oregon laws. These conditions include:

• Solid waste disposal site. The site must be a place where solid waste has been disposed of, such as a landfill, abandoned or illegal dump, transfer station, recycling or composting facility, or incinerator.
• Hazardous substances present. There must be known or suspected harmful chemicals or pollutants at the site.
• Risk of environmental harm. The site must pose a threat of releasing harmful substances into the environment.
• Ownership or responsibility. The site can be owned or operated by a local government (like a city or county) or be a privately owned “orphan" site. An orphan site is a site that has been contaminated by a party that is unknown, unwilling, or unable to pay for cleanup. Some orphan cases require an investigation by DEQ and an agreement with the property owner. DEQ may take steps to recover SWOSA's costs at private “orphan" sites. These steps may include billing the responsible party or placing a lien of the property.

If a site meets all criteria, it is ranked along with other eligible sites based on how urgent cleanup is. The highest-priority sites receive funding on an annual basis. SWOSA's funds are limited and DEQ cannot approve all eligible projects.

Additional information

• Fact sheet
• FY26 funding plan
  
• SWOSA is not the only program at DEQ that funds work at contaminated orphan sites. Visit the orphan program for industrial sites page for more information.  
  

Application for funding

The SWOSA application is currently being revised. Please reach out to the SWOSA Program Specialist for questions about the application process.