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Oregon environmental records for a Phase I ESA

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Oregon programs

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 20

Oregon environmental records for a Phase I ESA

A Phase I records review in Oregon starts with one state agency. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) runs the tank, cleanup, hazardous waste, solid waste and spill programs. DEQ says its Environmental Cleanup Program takes in Site Assessment, Voluntary Cleanup, Independent Cleanup, Brownfields, Orphans and Site Response, and also the investigation and cleanup of petroleum releases from underground storage tanks. This page maps each kind of record ASTM E1527-21 asks for to the Oregon program behind it, and links a page on each program.

The standard record types, in Oregon

ASTM record type Oregon program Agency
State Superfund equivalent Confirmed Release List and Inventory of Hazardous Substance Sites. DEQ does not call either list a Superfund list; the pairing is this handbook's reading. The wider record of known and suspected sites is on the Environmental Cleanup Site Information database page. DEQ
Landfills and solid waste sites Solid Waste Program DEQ
Leaking storage tanks Leaking Underground Storage Tank Program DEQ
Registered storage tanks Underground Storage Tank Program, for underground tanks only. DEQ says another office tracks aboveground tanks; see Aboveground Storage Tanks. DEQ
State hazardous waste facilities No single Oregon list is paired here. DEQ's permits, site identification numbers and annual reports are on the Hazardous Waste Program page. DEQ
Institutional and engineering controls Institutional and Engineering Controls. DEQ points to its Your DEQ Online public records portal to view projects with controls in place; the pages read name no separate list. DEQ
Voluntary cleanup sites Voluntary Cleanup Program DEQ
Brownfields sites Brownfields Program DEQ

How far each search reaches is on the ASTM search distances page.

Other Oregon records worth reading

These are not on ASTM's standard list, but each answers a question an Oregon Phase I runs into.

One agency, and a few subjects it says sit elsewhere

The programs on these pages are all DEQ's. DEQ's own pages name a few subjects that sit with other agencies:

  • Aboveground tanks. DEQ says the Office of the State Fire Marshal has primary responsibility for regulating and tracking aboveground storage tanks in Oregon.
  • Monitoring wells. DEQ's leaking tank page carries the heading "Groundwater Monitoring Wells are Regulated by the Water Resource Department", in DEQ's spelling, and links that department's page.
  • Brownfield inventories. DEQ says Business Oregon also provides a database of Oregon brownfield sites and buildings.
  • PFAS in drinking water. DEQ points to the Oregon Health Authority for PFAS detected in public water systems.

This handbook has no Oregon page drawn from those agencies.

DEQ works through three regions. The Eastern Region covers 18 counties of Central and Eastern Oregon, with regional offices in Bend, Pendleton, The Dalles and Klamath Falls. The Northwest Region covers six counties, with offices in Portland and Tillamook. The Western Region covers 12 counties, with offices in Coos Bay, Eugene, Medford and Salem. Some reports go to a region: DEQ tells the party reporting a tank release to send the 20-day report to the appropriate regional office, and a spill report is mailed to the regional office named in DEQ's request letter.

A record system that changed in 2024

DEQ has been moving its programs into one environmental data management system, Your DEQ Online. Its list of participating programs gives the date for each Land Quality program: Hazardous Waste as of October 7, 2021; Environmental Cleanup, Leaking Underground Storage Tanks and Heating Oil Tanks as of April 16, 2024; Underground Storage Tanks as of January 7, 2025; and Solid Waste Permits as of June 17, 2025.

Two older databases were replaced in that move. DEQ says information from the Environmental Cleanup Site Information database and from its leaking tank database was migrated to Your DEQ Online as of April 16, 2024. It has left the historic cleanup database open to the public for what it calls the transitionary period, says that database contains stale data, and points to Your DEQ Online for the most up-to-date information.

DEQ is plain about the limits. It says access to data varies by program, that some data may be immediately available in the public records area and that additional data may require a public records request. On its tank pages it says information in Your DEQ Online is not comprehensive for old projects.

One search that crosses DEQ's programs

The Your DEQ Online Public Records Portal has three modules: Submittals, Permits/Licenses/Certificates, and Projects. DEQ says Projects holds published environmental cleanup, leaking underground storage tank and heating oil tank information. Start there when you have a project name, a street or a project number.

Three other tools sit beside the portal:

DEQ's Online Services page says the databases it lists under "Databases and mapping applications" are intended as a starting point in research and are not intended as a legal resource. The pages read do not show which databases that list names.

Getting a file from DEQ

A listing says a record exists. The reports and letters are in the file. Where the records are not already posted online, DEQ's Public Records at DEQ page gives two routes:

  • The online public records request portal, which DEQ calls its preferred method and the fastest. It lets a requester track the request, pay fees and download the records.
  • A written request mailed to the Public Records Coordinator, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, 700 NE Multnomah St., Suite 600, Portland, OR 97232.

DEQ asks for as much detail as is needed to locate the records. It waives the first 30 minutes of time spent on a request, and sends an estimate for approval before going on when it expects fees. It says it will acknowledge or complete a request within five business days, and within 15 business days will either provide the records or give a reasonable timeframe for completing the request. Questions go to recordsrequest@deq.oregon.gov. The Environmental Cleanup Program's general line is 1-800-452-4011.

Sources

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality pages, read October 7, 2026, no modified date shown:

Maintained by Barrow. General reference only, not legal or professional advice. Barrow is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. See how Barrow drafts the report