Eugene weekly., February 07, 2013, Page 9, Image 9

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bus operators wanted to “get involved and
do something.”
The fundraiser will help buy essentials
such as socks, underwear, sleeping bags
and tents. The center would also like to
purchase commercial dryers for washing
garments and sleeping bags. Over the last
season, more than 12,135 volunteer hours
were donated to Egan; volunteers helped
provide 2,882 beds and 5,850 meals for 926
individuals. The fundraiser runs from 1 to 6
pm Saturday, Feb. 9, at Cozmic, 199 W. 8th
Ave., with a $5 suggested donation at the
door. — Alex Notman
lice department doesn’t keep statistics on
window tinting violations, but approxi-
mately 30 percent of drivers pulled over
for the violation say that they purchased
their vehicles with windows already tinted.
Dealerships aren’t on the hook forever,
though — after six months, the statute of
limitations on the dealer runs out, and then
it’s a civil matter.
Kendall Auto Group did not return
a request for comment by press time.
— Shannon Finnell
CHECK THAT TINT
THAT NIXES SQUINT
Oregon Department of Environmental
Quality (DEQ) sent Margaret Hedrick
a warning letter Jan. 16 for a “sizeable
release” of what appeared to be used oil
to the ground at 1700 Highway 99 N. in
Eugene (a little south of Highway 99 and
Bethel Drive). According to DEQ’s let-
ter, “used oil can contain cancer-causing
agents, metal contaminants and organic
compounds that can impact soil, stormwa-
ter and surface waters as well as fi lter into
the groundwater supply when discharged
onto the land surface. Such contamina-
tion can result in serious hazards to human
health.” DEQ has requested documentation
of cleanup and proper disposal by Feb. 15.
DEQ sent Roseville, Calif.-based Si-
erraPine a pre-enforcement notice Jan.
22 for discharging total suspended solids
(TSS) at a level that exceeded the TSS
limit in its Clean Water Act wash water
permit by 183 percent at its facility on
48th Street in Springfi eld. DEQ classifi ed
this violation as a serious violation. High
TSS can have a number of serious effects
on aquatic life, including reducing oxygen
levels; limiting the ability of fi sh to see and
catch food; clogging fi sh gills; smother-
ing fi sh eggs; and carrying other pollutants
(such as pesticides, metals, and bacteria)
into water bodies. DEQ warned SierraPine
about a similar violation in February 2012.
— Doug Quirke/Oregon Clean Water Ac-
tion Project
Cops who can’t see through car windows
could have drivers seeing red. Oregon law
requires at least 35 percent of light to pass
through vehicle windows, and dealerships
are legally required to sell cars that meet
that standard, even used cars that come from
somewhere else. But sometimes vehicles
slip through the cracks.
Exna Cox bought a 2007 Cadillac from
Kendall Chevrolet Cadillac and then got a
ticket for windows that only let 26 percent
of light through, a $360 citation. He attend-
ed traffi c court, where the judge directed
him to talk to the Kendall Auto Group about
recouping the cost of the ticket and having
the window tint fi xed. “She did write me a
check for the tinted windows to be done and
for the citation, so I did fi nally get all my
money back,” Cox says. “But I live in Blue
River, so this took several trips.”
Cox says that he thought something
might have been wrong at the dealership.
“We did comment on the darkness of the
window,” he says. He advises anyone
caught in a similar situation to be persistent.
Oregon law requires window tint installers
to give auto owners a certifi cate, sometimes
applied to the car as a sticker, so buyers can
ask to see it.
An EPD spokesperson says that the po-
POLLUTION UPDATE
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eugeneweekly.com • February 7, 2013
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