Partnership Pays, Pesticides Removed

Partnership paid off big time for area agricultural producers who needed to dispose of old, unused pesticides. On June 1, 2013, twenty-five producers took advantage of an opportunity to get rid of their old agricultural pesticides at no charge to them. The event, held at Clean Harbors Environmental in Clackamas, collected 18,627 pounds of chemicals for safe disposal.

Picking up the tab for disposing of the chemicals was a group of partners who cobbled together funds to make this event a success.

• Starting out with $5,000 from the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the Clackamas County Soil and Water Conservation District partnered with East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District to add another $5,000 to the cause.

• The District also used $9,440 worth of Supplemental Environmental Projects administered by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Office of Compliance and Enforcement. When DEQ assesses civil penalties for environmental law violations, violators sometimes get the opportunity to offset their monetary penalty by agreeing to pay for a Supplemental Environmental Project. These projects can represent up to 80 percent of the total penalty amount, but must show they can improve Oregon’s environment before DEQ approves them.

• Long-time partners chipped in as well. Clackamas River Water Providers paid for postage and printing of advertising materials for the event, and DEQ offered unspent water quality grant funds, up to $5,200.

This partnership, including Clackamas River Basin Council, put in hours of time organizing and advertising the event. The result was more than nine tons of agricultural chemicals safely disposed to reduce potential threats to water quality. Yes, partnership pays.