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Portland Meadows Race Track Receives EPA Water Pollution Order

Release Date: 8/24/1999
Contact Information: David Allnutt and Joe Roberto
roberto.joesph@epamail.epa.gov
(206) 553-1669 and (206) 553-2581

August 24, 1999 - - - - - - - - - - 99-32


The New Portland Meadows Race Track, temporary home for up to 950 thoroughbred horses, has been issued a Compliance Order by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for allegedly discharging untreated animal waste to drainage ditches that connect to the Columbia Slough. Water from the Columbia Slough flows to the Columbia River, home and passageway for threatened and endangered Salmon.

The Raceway stables approximately 950 horses during the winter racing season. The facility’s waste disposal system consists of directly discharging most liquid wastes through an on-site underground storm sewer to a drainage ditch leading to the Columbia Slough. Studies have shown that animal waste can introduce harmful pathogens, including E.coli, fecal coliform and salmonella bacteria to receiving waters. In tests performed during the inspection, samples taken at the discharge point contained as high as 140,000 colonies of fecal coliform. In addition to human health concerns, discharged animal waste can create intense Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) which robs the water of oxygen, suffocating fish and other aquatic organisms.

According to Bub Loiselle, manager of EPA’s water permit compliance unit in Seattle, the Raceway needs to be more responsible in managing its waste.

“It’s a matter of fairness and doing the right thing,” Loiselle said. “Track operators appear to have realized substantial economic benefit as a result of their decision to avoid routing their waste water to the City of
Portland’s sanitary sewer as their own consultant recommended in 1995. I think racing fans would be disappointed if they knew how poorly waste is being managed at the track. I know I am.”

Both EPA and Oregon Department of Agriculture consider the facility a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation
(ACAFO@), which is subject to an effluent limitation guideline prohibiting all discharge of process waste water except in the event of a 25-year, 24-hour storm event. Since 1996, the race track has had coverage under a state-issued National Pollution Discharge Elimination System(NPDES) permit with a "zero discharge" requirement.

Under EPA’s Order, The New Portland Meadows, Inc. and H.E. Ferryman and Brian Ferryman (company officers) must immediately cease all pollution discharges; conduct visual monitoring of all potential pollutant discharge sources for one year; collect samples of discharged wastewater and analyze these samples for bacteria contamination; keep a monitoring log containing detailed information for each area monitored and make the log available for inspection by either EPA or the State of Oregon for up to three(3) years; and create and present a new waste management plan to EPA that meets their discharge permit requirements by
August 31, 1999.

Failure to comply with any part of EPA’s order may subject the race track and other named respondents to civil penalties of up to $27,500 per day for each violation or administrative penalties of up to $11,000 per day.