Since session started and elected officials have been for the most part confined to the capital I have attended various in district meetings on their behalf. One particular meeting, or series of meetings, were held by Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for Seafood Processors who are facing a looming permit change. This is everything I learned about that process;

In February DEQ came and met with the Coastal Caucus to discuss their plans to meet with the actual seafood processors to better understand the challenges facing processors, to discuss DEQ’s need to update permit requirements to reflect the most current water quality standards, and to outline next steps.  Since that time, DEQ and Business Oregon have been working closely with Oregon’s seafood processors to better understand their operational needs, identifying challenges as well as opportunities.

The process of discussion around reviewing the 900J general permit for renewal started in Astoria on April 18th, this permit governs the waste water allowed be discharged after the processors have taken whole sea creatures and turned them into saleable products. DEQ has established an internal project team that has been working to identify and better understand technical concerns to be addressed in this permit renewal, informed in part by the feedback they received during sites visits in 2016. DEQ has reviewed operational variables (such as species processed, discharge volumes, seasonality of operations, treatment technologies) and location variables specific to the receiving water (such as water quality characteristics, pollutant restrictions/limitations, availability of dilution) that must be considered when renewing the permits. These meeting run by members of DEQ’s project team with seafood processors were a concentrated effort to keep those who will be affected by this permit renewal informed of their progress. In addition, a series of public information meetings were held in coastal communities to provide an opportunity for other interested parties and members of the general public to learn about the renewal of the 900J, ask questions, and provide comments that will inform DEQ’s process.

DEQ is now ready to begin the early stages of the public engagement process. After these meetings with permitted facilities DEQ returned to headquarters to review its findings, discuss the issues and challenges that DEQ anticipates, and identify anything they may have overlooked. They are currently preparing to present a permit timeline that will include renewal of the 900J general permit, renewal of expired individual permits, and issuance of new individual permits, where applicable.

DEQ has established an internal project team that has been working to identify and better understand technical concerns to be addressed in this permit renewal, informed in part by the feedback we received during our visits with the processors. Permitting wastewater discharges for seafood processors is complex. Twenty-four seafood processing facilities maintain wastewater discharge permit coverage under either the 900J general or individual National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits. No two facilities are alike, and the water bodies receiving wastewater discharges vary greatly.

DEQ staff has compiled wastewater discharge and operations data from seafood processors currently covered by either the expired General Permit or individual NPDES permits.  DEQ has reviewed operational variables (such as species processed, discharge volumes, seasonality of operations, treatment technologies) and location variables specific to the receiving water (such as water quality characteristics, pollutant restrictions/limitations, availability of dilution) that must be considered when renewing the permits.  DEQ plans to continue with some combination of individual and general permit coverage.  This may result in some seafood processors operating on a different type of permit.