“Our view: Letter criticizes state for being slow to react”

June 4, 2024 Oregon Rural Action

Editorial | Hermiston Herald | June 4, 2024

The old adage “there is always room for improvement” is an apt description regarding the ongoing effort by the state, local officials to address the lingering water contamination issue in Umatilla County. Not enough is being done and last week, a group of nonprofit groups — including Oregon Rural Action — penned a letter to Gov. Tina Kotek to declare an emergency over the contamination and for the state to act more decisively on the problem. The letter was signed by 27 organizations along with two former staff members of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. The letter called the nitrate contamination in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater area “among the most pressing environmental justice issues in Oregon.” The letter also criticized the state for being too slow in responding to the needs of residents.

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