SALEM — Even hazardous cleanup sites could be going green.

The state Department of Environmental Quality is pushing for the cleanup of contaminated sites to be more environmentally friendly: picture large machinery running on biodiesel, the sun providing the power and bacteria used to neutralize the toxic materials.

For now, green cleanups on hazardous spill sites — say, a formaldehyde dump in Powell Butte or asbestos site in Sunriver — will be voluntary.

“We’re sensitive to the idea that cleanup takes resources, it takes energy,” said Tom Roick, policy analyst with the DEQ. “And if we can reduce those, and still do the work we need to do to clean up the sites, it makes it that much better.”

Roick said the state agency will not force businesses or contractors to use environmentally friendly practices, but within the next year, the agency hopes to work with more companies that have expertise in sustainable cleanups.

For some, the idea of going green is fine as long as it doesn’t mean more state regulations or cost.

City of Bend Public Works Director Paul Rheault said if the city was faced with a hazardous waste cleanup, the most important thing would be to clean it up quickly.

“More regulation equates to more time,” Rheault said. “It doesn’t always equate to more efficiency.”

He is concerned this could result in a costly mandate.

“If engineers looked at the site and there was a solar aspect to it and it’s affordable and within our budget, that’s great,” he said. “We’re getting to a period where there is a lot of regulations coming down the road … You try to explain to your rate payers, city council and city management why water rates and sewer rates are being adjusted, and a lot of times it’s increased regulation.”

Department officials said the goal is to use more sustainable methods if they are more affordable.

“We haven’t used a greener approach that costs more, I don’t anticipate us doing that in the near future,” Roick said. “At this point, we’re looking at where it won’t cost more or it will cost less.”

He said each cleanup site will be evaluated case by case. Under most cases, the property owner or business responsible for the hazardous waste is responsible for the cost of cleaning. The state agency does have an “orphan fund” that is made up of state money used to clean sites when the responsible parties don’t pony up the cash.

Bob Schwarz, DEQ project manager in The Dalles, said there have been instances when the more environmentally conscious route made the most sense financially. In the earlier part of the decade, officials used a naturally occurring microbe to essentially eat cyanide generated from an aluminum manufacturing plant. Although Schwarz wasn’t sure the exact dollar figure, he said using the microbes saved a substantial amount that would have otherwise gone to power and treatment costs.

These are the types of practices the agency is hoping to promote and increase, Schwarz said. The goal is “to treat contamination and reduce the carbon footprint.”

Feedback

If you would like to comment on the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s draft green remediation policy, e-mail Tom Roick at roick.tom@deq.state.or.us. Comments can also be faxed to 503-229-6977 or mailed to Tom Roick, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Land Quality Division, 811 S.W. Sixth Ave., Portland, OR 97204.