January 2, 2020 10:55 a.m.  
The Douglas County Public Works Department was recently fined $12,900 by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for leachate releases that occurred in 2019.
Dylan Darling of DEQ said the releases violated the county’s solid waste permit. Darling said leachate is rainwater that has seeped through a landfill.
Information from DEQ said strong winds in a December 2018 storm tore tarps covering the landfill. Heavy rains fell the next month, triggering leachate releases from damaged areas. DEQ said there were also leachate releases in March of 2019.
Darling said the releases flowed into an unnamed creek that feeds into the nearby South Umpqua River. He said DEQ believes that the January releases had limited impact to the river and that the March releases had no impact to the river. This summer, Douglas County improved the leachate collection system and installed a new tarp covering at the Roseburg Landfill. Darling said DEQ inspections in May and November of 2019 found no signs of subsequent leachate releases at the landfill.
Darling told News Radio 1240 KQEN that Douglas County has appealed the fine and has made improvements to the landfill to prevent future leachate releases.
DEQ issued 20 penalties totaling over $443,000 in November for various environmental violations around the state. Fines ranged from $413 to over $141,000. Other alleged violations included failing to properly handle pesticide wastes, operating a waste tire disposal site without a permit and allowing a contractor without an asbestos abatement license to perform an asbestos abatement project.