“Oregon sets ambitious goal for testing nitrates in Umatilla Basin groundwater”

August 27, 2023 Oregon Rural Action

By Monica Samayoa | OPB | August 27, 2023

State officials say they have ramped up nitrate testing in Eastern Oregon, where longstanding groundwater pollution has contaminated residents’ wells. Their aim is to contact all domestic well users in the region by the end of September. The Oregon Health Authority along with the Oregon Department of Human Services said Friday that the agencies have turned to door-to-door canvassing to increase domestic well testing in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area. For more than 30 years, the region’s groundwater has been polluted with contaminates, primarily nitrates. Groundwater is the main source of drinking water for residents in the area. Efforts have been made to address the issue, including the creation of a committee tasked with finding solutions, but nitrate levels have continued to increase, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.