North Powder fined $11,000 for wastewater monitoring lapse

North Powder’s latest wastewater penalty was $10,923. In a town of 504 people, that bill lands against sewer rates, deferred repairs and a tighter municipal budget. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality said the city failed to comply with monitoring and reporting requirements tied to its wastewater disposal permit, and the notice gave North Powder 20 days to pay or appeal.

The agency’s May 28 civil penalty notice, case WQ/M-ER-2025-619, said the reporting rules exist so DEQ and the public can verify whether the system is meeting pollution limits and being maintained and operated properly. City leaders discussed the problem at a July 7 council meeting and said they were working to get back into compliance in the coming weeks.

DEQ found numerous instances of missed monitoring or reporting between 2024 and 2026, and in May the agency issued 11 enforcement actions statewide totaling $540,262.

The U.S. Census Bureau counted 504 residents in the 2020 census. Public works director Don McClure said the city will work with a contractor over the next two weeks to satisfy the monitoring requirements, and Mayor Alan Brown said he spent 62 hours completing a grant application himself as the city tries to finance needed upgrades.

Brown said North Powder needs to modernize its water and sewer systems, but it will need state and federal grants to do it. The Oregon Water Resources Department’s 2026 Water Project Grants and Loans cycle carried a July 15 deadline and about $6 million available, while USDA Rural Development’s water and waste disposal program is designed to finance clean drinking water and sanitary sewage disposal in eligible rural areas.