Morrow County forms new group to connect residents to safe drinking water

By Antonio Sierra | OPB | Feb. 5, 2025

With nitrate pollution in the Lower Umatilla Basin’s groundwater showing little sign of slowing down, Morrow County is moving forward with a more immediate solution: connecting affected residents to public water systems.

Umatilla and Morrow County commissioners met last year to begin putting together a drinking water action plan funded by a $1.7 million federal grant. A new group of Morrow County officials met this week to take the next steps to carry out drinking water projects.

Chaired by Morrow County Commissioner David Sykes, the Morrow County Clean Water Consortium is a partnership between the county and the Port of Morrow. Seeded with $900,000 from the county, port and the Columbia River Enterprise Zone, the group wants to move some residents affected by nitrates off of well water and onto using municipal water sources.

As one of its first acts, the board appointed Morrow County manager Matt Jensen as the consortium’s managing director.