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Bend Residents Slapped with Hefty Enviro Fine

A pair of Bend residents were handed a stiff fine by the state Department of Environmental Quality for allegedly failing to properly address a leaking sewage treatment system at their property in Waldport.

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A pair of Bend residents was handed a stiff fine by the state Department of Environmental Quality for allegedly failing to properly address a leaking sewage treatment system at their property in Waldport.

Kathy Louise Trudel and Karin Marie Denman were fined more than $105,000 for failing to fix a leaking septic system at their property on the Alsea Highway. Inspectors found sewage welling up on the ground near the system and ordered Trudel and Denman to immediately make repairs, which they reportedly failed to do for more than a month in late in 2011 and early 2012. When the repairs were made in February the owners failed to obtain the necessary permits for the work, another violation, according to the DEQ, which announced the penalty today.

The owners have until July 24 to appeal the fine.