Black Butte Ranch in Sisters has been fined $5,100 by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for exceeding state levels of ammonia discharge.

In a Jan. 19 letter sent to the resort, the agency stated that the amount of ammonia discharged in January, February and March 2022 was harmful to aquatic wildlife in the Indian Ford Creek.

The issue is pending an appeal filed by the resort. The agency is negotiating a settlement with the resort.

Shawn McCance, Black Butte Ranch CEO, said that the ranch is not appealing the fact that it discharged ammonia levels from its private sewage treatment plant that were outside allowable levels, but rather the amount of the fine.

“We have purchased new equipment that will help us early detect,” McCance said. “One of the challenges we have is it takes 10 to 15 days to get results from the lab from the samples. We’ve worked with the (agency) for 50 years without incident.”

The resort discharged the higher ammonia levels seven days over the three- month period in 2022. It uses the treated sewage water on its pasture land, which eventually leads to the Indian Ford Creek.

The agency said that an organization or individual has to pay the fine or file an appeal within 20 days of receiving notice of the penalty. The agency works with thousands of organizations and individuals to help them comply with laws that protect Oregon’s air, land and water.

The resort is an 1,800-acre, private resort and golf course community northwest of Sisters.