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West Side Quarry

In 2020, DEQ issued several penalties to Columbia NW Recycling and West Side Quarry for solid waste, site reclamation, and water quality violations at the West Side Quarry (previously referred to as Hayden Quarry) in Cornelius. See descriptions of violations below.

Currently, DEQ is working with Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (referred to as DOGAMI) and Washington County to address solid waste, water quality and land use concerns at the site. The site is regulated under DOGAMI Permit ID 34-0026. These three agencies have given presentations at the local Community Participation Organization, CPO15, to provide the community with more information. 

Status of the enforcement

Last Updated: February 2022

Violations

  • Solid waste: Establishing, operating and maintaining a disposal site at Westside Rock Hayden quarry without a permit. Read the full penalty document.
  • Site reclamation: Reclaiming the site inconsistent with the approved Reclamation Plan by importing fill material without an approved clean fill plan. Read the full notice of violation.
  • Water quality: Activities impacting water quality in violation of their stormwater permit, officially referred to as a NPDES 1200-A General Permit. Read the full penalty documents from February 2020 and May 2020.

Restrictions on the site

  • Solid waste: Columbia NW Recycling cannot receive and store any glass or asphalt shingle waste without prior approval from DEQ. However, DEQ determined the glass waste currently on site is clean fill, and can remain in place and be used as fill. Columbia NW Recycling has removed all asphalt shingle waste from the upper area. The remaining asphalt shingle waste currently being used as a parking pad will be removed by June 1, 2022. Clean Water Services notified DEQ that it no long delivers street sweeping materials to the quarry, and will not in the future.
Previous Restrictions – Addressed through enforcement

Requirements for compliance

  • Columbia NW Recycling and West Side Quarry are currently meeting all requirements for compliance.

Completed Requirements
  • Site reclamation: West Side Quarry has submitted a Reclamation Fill and Drainage Plan and DOGAMI has approved it. West Side Quarry may now resume importing clean fill to restore the site to forestry.
  • Solid Waste: DEQ has reviewed and approved Columbia NW Recycling's asphalt shingle waste disposal plan. Columbia NW Recycling has removed all asphalt shingle waste from the upper area properly disposed of it. The remaining waste will be removed by June 1, 2022.
  • Water Quality: West Side Quarry must adhere to the DOGAMI approved Stormwater Pollution Control Plan. Based on the groundwater investigation and water sampling results, there are no indications of adverse impacts from disposal activities to wells used by adjacent properties.


Frequently Asked Questions

​Following the determination that the glass waste did not contain contamination, there is no known contaminants within the quarry that would impact groundwater. DEQ wanted to confirm this and check groundwater for petroleum contamination that could have resulted from equipment storage. DEQ reviewed the groundwater information collected by the quarry from two on-site locations where groundwater was discharging at the surface in the form of seeps as well as groundwater from the on-site water supply well.

Results of the groundwater monitoring on the site showed no impacts from the disposal activities or equipment storage. Given the determination that the quarry fill material did not contain contamination, the hydrology of the area and the fact that the seeps and groundwater well showed no impacts from disposal activities, quarry activity is unlikely to have impacted off-site wells. DEQ will not be requiring the quarry to test off-site wells at this time.

Read the Groundwater Assessment Report and the Well Water Assessment Report.

​​The quarry will hire a qualified consultant to create the plan for the groundwater investigation, and that plan is subject to DOGAMI and DEQ review and approval before it can be implemented. The burden to develop and fund plans to come into compliance, like the ones described above, is placed on the violator rather than the state, and is subject to state agency review and approval to ensure that it will be protective of human health and the environment.

Columbia NW Recycling has performed a Clean Fill Determination on the glass waste. DEQ has reviewed this Clean Fill Determination and agrees that the glass waste is substantially the same as clean fill Columbia NW Recycling can use it as reclamation fill within the quarry.

​In order for DEQ to issue the quarry a solid waste permit, they would need to submit a complete application, which would include a Land Use Compatibility Statement from Washington County.

Currently, Columbia NW Recycling and Westside Rock are working to complete the plans and sampling work that DEQ and DOGAMI have required. In terms of the enforcement actions, most of the requirements of the agencies’ enforcement actions have been resolved, see specific details above.​

According to the approved Reclamation Fill and Drainage Plan, approximately 3.2 million cubic years of fill material will be placed at the site and the timing is based on market conditions which is uncertain. West Side Quarry expects that an average of 200 trucks will deliver fill material to the site each working day. Based on several assumptions considering tuck loads, compaction rates, and market availability, the reclamation of the site will be completed in approximately six to eight years.





Contacts

Technical Contact: Jeremy Fleming,  503-229-5590

Community Contact: Lauren Wirtis, 503-229-6488