An Astoria brewery faces a fine of more than $138,000 after the state said they polluted state waters.
The fine comes after the partial collapse of Buoy Beer Co.’s building on the Astoria waterfront in June 2022 and December 2023. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality said that — in both cases — building materials, beer cans, labels and other debris fell into the Columbia River and washed out to beaches miles away.
“Everything that was in their facility at the time was now in the water,” said Antony Vorobyov, a spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Quality.
The state said Buoy Beer was aware of the debris issues in January when an inspector with the Department of Environmental Quality noted several violations, including a single containment boom in the water that was not holding debris in place.
Oregon DEQ issued a pre-enforcement notice soon afterward. The order with a $138,458 penalty was issued in August.
The state said the dilapidated state of Buoy Beer’s old building still poses a risk of pollution. The state has ordered the company to remove all debris in the Columbia River underneath and adjacent to the facility and to install a system to contain any future debris that might fall into the river.
According to the state, Buoy Beer has appealed the enforcement action against them.
David Kroening, the company’s president, told KMUN they have just started working with the state on the issue and are still sorting things out.
In a $9.4 million lawsuit, an insurer for Buoy Beer has blamed construction, engineering and dockworkers companies for the partial collapse of the building in 2022.
Buoy Beer has relocated its restaurant and brewery operations elsewhere in Astoria. The company recently announced it would close its Food Hub location at the end of the year, move operations to a taproom off Duane Street and indefinitely suspend food service.