“‘We’re not going away.’ EPA pressures Oregon to clean up groundwater pollution”

By Monica Samayoa | OPB | March 22, 2023

“The EPA can step in and require the state to clean up pollution under the Safe Drinking Water Act

The Environmental Protection Agency’s regional administrator is warning Oregon government agencies that federal authorities will take action if the state doesn’t quickly address nitrate contamination cleanup in Eastern Oregon.

EPA Region 10 Administrator Casey Sixkiller on Monday met with local nonprofit Oregon Rural Action, representatives of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and more than 30 residents from Morrow and Umatilla counties to hear firsthand how nitrate contamination in the area continues to affect their lives.

The meeting marked the first time a regional administrator from the agency has visited the region over nitrate pollution concerns.”