Imagine your town’s drinking water, tainted for years by a chemical banned for its cancer risk, while the very agencies meant to protect you stand by. Crayfish disappearing was just the first sign. How much longer will a community pay the price for corporate pollution and regulatory neglect?
In the quiet town of Sheridan, Oregon, an alarming environmental crisis has unfolded, leaving residents and the natural ecosystem vulnerable to severe chemical pollution. What began as a local fisherman’s observation of mysteriously absent crayfish in the South Yamhill River has evolved into a deeply troubling exposé of corporate negligence and systemic regulatory failure, threatening the very source of drinking water for nearly 6,000 people and vital salmon spawning grounds.
At the heart of this unfolding disaster is the Stella-Jones wood treatment facility, a site with a long, fraught history of contamination. Decades ago, the property was designated a Superfund site due to pentachlorophenol pollution, a highly carcinogenic chemical once widely used in wood preservation. Despite extensive cleanups, new contamination, traced to Stella-Jones’ ongoing operations, has resurfaced, reintroducing this dangerous chemical and its even more toxic byproducts, dioxins and furans, into the local environment.
Disturbingly, state and federal environmental regulators, specifically the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), were aware of the renewed pollution for years but failed to implement decisive action. Documents reveal a pattern of warnings and permit violations against Stella-Jones, yet regulators often settled for reduced fines and allowed the company to continue discharging contaminated stormwater into the South Yamhill. Compounding this inaction, a previous ban on pentachlorophenol use at the site was controversially reversed, prioritizing economic concerns over public health and environmental protection.
Stella-Jones recently pleaded guilty to ten misdemeanor charges of unlawful water pollution, resulting in a fine of $250,000. However, critics argue this penalty is a minuscule deterrent for a multinational corporation reporting profits exceeding $230 million. The company’s stance, often disputing violations and attributing pollution to the EPA’s failure to contain older contamination, highlights a significant disconnect between corporate responsibility and the documented evidence of new spills and inadequate operational practices at the facility.
The impact of this water contamination in Oregon extends far beyond the facility’s boundaries. A draft EPA report revealed pentachlorophenol and its byproducts are spreading, sometimes in hazardous concentrations, to adjacent waterways, nearby residences, and even a Head Start preschool. The long-term health risks to workers, Sheridan residents, and the river’s threatened aquatic species, including steelhead trout, coho salmon, and Pacific lamprey, remain largely unstudied and unexplained, fueling community anxiety and calls for greater transparency.
The current situation in Sheridan draws stark comparisons to the J.H. Baxter case in west Eugene, where a defunct wood treater caused widespread pentachlorophenol pollution. In that instance, community activism and persistent advocacy played a crucial role in pressuring regulators to conduct comprehensive health assessments and levy substantial penalties. This contrast underscores the critical need for heightened public awareness and engagement in Sheridan to demand accountability and protect the community’s health from the ongoing Stella-Jones pollution.
As calls for more rigorous investigation into the environmental and public health impacts intensify, particularly from the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, the citizens of Sheridan remain in limbo. Despite public drinking water data indicating compliance, the city does not regularly test for dioxins or pentachlorophenol, leaving a critical gap in understanding the true risk. The unfolding regulatory failure demands immediate, transparent action to safeguard the South Yamhill River and ensure the Sheridan community health and safety are prioritized above all else.
