“Northeast Oregonians ask governor to declare emergency over contaminated drinking water”
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and two of three state elected officials from Morrow and Umatilla Counties denied an audience with residents
Oregon Capital Chronicle - Alex Baumhardt - April 18, 2023
This week about a dozen Morrow County residents and community organizers drove 200 miles from northeast Oregon to Salem to do what their state elected officials had so far been unwilling to do: meet face-to-face to talk about the contaminated drinking water that hundreds — and perhaps thousands — of their neighbors continue to live with.
They hoped to meet with Gov. Tina Kotek and ask her to declare a public health emergency to unleash resources for Morrow and Umatilla counties where the wells that more than 4,500 households rely on. Many residents relying on wells are low-income and Latino. They also want the Legislature to allocate $10.2 million for testing and water deliveries to residents over the next two years.
Kotek did not meet with the residents, and she did not declare an emergency. Instead, she sent her natural resources adviser, Geoff Huntington to meet with them.
By Alex Baumhardt | Oregon Capital Chronicle | April 18, 2023
“This week about a dozen Morrow County residents and community organizers drove 200 miles from northeast Oregon to Salem to do what their state elected officials had so far been unwilling to do: meet face-to-face to talk about the contaminated drinking water that hundreds — and perhaps thousands — of their neighbors continue to live with.
They hoped to meet with Gov. Tina Kotek and ask her to declare a public health emergency to unleash resources for Morrow and Umatilla counties where the wells that more than 4,500 households rely on. Many residents relying on wells are low-income and Latino. They also want the Legislature to allocate $10.2 million for testing and water deliveries to residents over the next two years.
Kotek did not meet with the residents, and she did not declare an emergency. Instead, she sent her natural resources adviser, Geoff Huntington to meet with them. ”
“Oregonians with polluted wells demand state of emergency”
Oregon Public Broadcasting - Monica Samayoa - April 18, 2023
Residents affected by the ongoing groundwater contamination in Eastern Oregon traveled to Salem on Monday, demanding the governor declare a public health emergency in the region.
Six residents from Morrow and Umatilla counties along with members from local organization Oregon Rural Action gathered at the state Capitol to ask Gov. Tina Kotek for a specific plan to stop nitrate contamination. The area has been burdened with nitrate pollution for more than 30 years and groundwater is the main source of drinking water in the region.
By Monica Samayoa | OPB | April 18, 2023
“Residents affected by the ongoing groundwater contamination in Eastern Oregon traveled to Salem on Monday, demanding the governor declare a public health emergency in the region.
Six residents from Morrow and Umatilla counties along with members from local organization Oregon Rural Action gathered at the state Capitol to ask Gov. Tina Kotek for a specific plan to stop nitrate contamination. The area has been burdened with nitrate pollution for more than 30 years and groundwater is the main source of drinking water in the region.”
“NE Oregonians call on Kotek to declare emergency over nitrates in groundwater”
Capital Press - George Plaven - April 18, 2023
SALEM — Ana Maria Rodriguez dipped a small nitrate test strip into a jar of water collected from her well near Boardman in rural northeast Oregon.
Within seconds, the strip turned a bright shade of pink — indicating high levels of nitrate, a toxic chemical that can cause potentially serious health risks if consumed in excess.
The demonstration was part of a gathering April 17 outside the state capitol in Salem, where residents and community activists demanded action from Gov. Tina Kotek to address longstanding groundwater pollution in the Lower Umatilla Basin.
They called on Kotek to declare a public health emergency for the area in northern Umatilla and Morrow counties, and provide clean drinking water for homes with tainted wells.
By George Plaven | Capital Press | April 17, 2023
“Ana Maria Rodriguez dipped a small nitrate test strip into a jar of water collected from her well near Boardman in rural northeast Oregon.
Within seconds, the strip turned a bright shade of pink — indicating high levels of nitrate, a toxic chemical that can cause potentially serious health risks if consumed in excess.
The demonstration was part of a gathering April 17 outside the state capitol in Salem, where residents and community activists demanded action from Gov. Tina Kotek to address longstanding groundwater pollution in the Lower Umatilla Basin.
They called on Kotek to declare a public health emergency for the area in northern Umatilla and Morrow counties, and provide clean drinking water for homes with tainted wells. ”
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“OHA lifts water testing application deadline for LUBGWMA well users”
PORTLAND — Oregon Health Authority has lifted deadlines for domestic well users in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area to submit applications for free water testing to help determine their risk of exposure to nitrate and other contaminants.
OHA announced the move Friday, April 14. The state health agency now is accepting testing voucher applications for the foreseeable future.
“The vouchers no longer must be submitted by May 15, and they do not expire June 7,” according to the press release from OHA.
The vouchers cover testing for nitrate, arsenic, bacteria, lead, iron, manganese and hardness. Applications are available at bit.ly/3xzx1cp and via OHA’s LUBGWMA page in English and Spanish. Residents also can email Domestic.Wells@odhsoha.oregon.gov or call 971-673-0440 to request vouchers.
East Oregonian | April 14, 2023
“Oregon Health Authority has lifted deadlines for domestic well users in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area to submit applications for free water testing to help determine their risk of exposure to nitrate and other contaminants.
OHA announced the move Friday, April 14. The state health agency now is accepting testing voucher applications for the foreseeable future.
“The vouchers no longer must be submitted by May 15, and they do not expire June 7,” according to the press release from OHA.
The vouchers cover testing for nitrate, arsenic, bacteria, lead, iron, manganese and hardness. Applications are available at bit.ly/3xzx1cp and via OHA’s LUBGWMA page in English and Spanish. Residents also can email Domestic.Wells@odhsoha.oregon.gov or call 971-673-0440 to request vouchers..”
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“Wyden promises action on local water contamination”
BOARDMAN — Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden at his town hall Sunday afternoon, April 2, in Boardman, promised action on the nitrate-contaminated wells and surface water in the area.
"People are right to be frustrated," he said during the public meeting at the SAGE Center theater. "It's just not OK that so many have to fight so hard for the basic right to turn on a tap and get drinkable fresh water. There's plenty of blame to go around. It will take all levels of government to fix the situation. The more levers of power being pulled, the faster will the problems be solved."
Wyden said the federal government would do all it could to provide clean water.
By John Tillman | East Oregonian | April 3, 2023
“Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden at his town hall Sunday afternoon, April 2, in Boardman, promised action on the nitrate-contaminated wells and surface water in the area.
”People are right to be frustrated,” he said during the public meeting at the SAGE Center theater. “It’s just not OK that so many have to fight so hard for the basic right to turn on a tap and get drinkable fresh water. There’s plenty of blame to go around. It will take all levels of government to fix the situation. The more levers of power being pulled, the faster will the problems be solved.”
Wyden said the federal government would do all it could to provide clean water.”
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“Port of Morrow allows thousands of gallons of wastewater to leak and fails to alert DEQ”
The Port of Morrow, the state’s second-largest port, faces a new violation over contamination in eastern Oregon that may have been going on for some time.
The violation is linked to a spill of port wastewater in an area reeling from years of water contamination from the port and other sources. The Department of Environmental Quality, which failed for years to act, is now negotiating a settlement with the port over previous violations.
DEQ appears to have been slow to act again, waiting weeks until two people complained about the spill.
The agency, which regulates the port’s wastewater system, asked the port about the leak in mid-January after a second area resident complained to the agency that they’d heard about a leak or seen pooling water around the port’s main pipeline. DEQ officials asked port officials the day it received the second complaint whether its main pipeline carrying contaminated water from its industrial facilities in Boardman to nearby storage ponds was leaking atop an already contaminated aquifer.
By Alex Baumhardt | Oregon Capital Chronicle | March 29, 2023
“The Port of Morrow, the state’s second-largest port, faces a new violation over contamination in eastern Oregon that may have been going on for some time.
The violation is linked to a spill of port wastewater in an area reeling from years of water contamination from the port and other sources. The Department of Environmental Quality, which failed for years to act, is now negotiating a settlement with the port over previous violations.
DEQ appears to have been slow to act again, waiting weeks until two people complained about the spill.
The agency, which regulates the port’s wastewater system, asked the port about the leak in mid-January after a second area resident complained to the agency that they’d heard about a leak or seen pooling water around the port’s main pipeline. DEQ officials asked port officials the day it received the second complaint whether its main pipeline carrying contaminated water from its industrial facilities in Boardman to nearby storage ponds was leaking atop an already contaminated aquifer.”
“EPA puts boots on ground to see nitrate contamination firsthand”
BOARDMAN — Residents of the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area of Morrow County recently saw a shift in the level of direct engagement with their 30-year struggle with increasing nitrate contamination in wells.
Last week, Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 Administrator, Casey Sixkiller and his staff visited Boardman to hear residents’ firsthand experiences and tour the area with members of environmental justice group, Oregon Rural Action to gain a better grasp of the issue on the ground.
He left with the assurance that “We’re not going away.”
By Laura Kostad | Hermiston Herald | March 29, 2023
“Residents of the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area of Morrow County recently saw a shift in the level of direct engagement with their 30-year struggle with increasing nitrate contamination in wells.
Last week, Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 Administrator, Casey Sixkiller and his staff visited Boardman to hear residents’ firsthand experiences and tour the area with members of environmental justice group, Oregon Rural Action to gain a better grasp of the issue on the ground.
He left with the assurance that “We’re not going away.””
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“Three Decades of Well Water Pollution in Rural Oregon Sees Almost No Government Action”
A crowd of volunteers gathered at the public health office in Boardman, Oregon, early Saturday morning in mid-March, chatting with each other in English and Spanish as they snacked on cookies and coffee, gearing up for the day’s event. Laid out on tables were cardboard boxes filled with plastic vials for the group to take with them as they teamed up in twos and threes to knock on doors in the community, offering free tap water tests to those who answered.
The region is home to several large farming and food processing operations that for more than 30 years have been overapplying nitrogen to the soil for use as a fertilizer. The excess nitrogen, which turns into nitrate once it’s applied to soil, has been seeping into the groundwater and contaminating thousands of rural domestic wells. The state of Oregon has done little to prevent it.
“It sucks,” said Joe Rupe, a Boardman resident, about the water. “You can’t drink it, can’t brush your teeth, can’t make your coffee with it. You can shower with it, but it feels nasty.”
By Claire Carlson | The Daily Yonder | March 29, 2023
“A crowd of volunteers gathered at the public health office in Boardman, Oregon, early Saturday morning in mid-March, chatting with each other in English and Spanish as they snacked on cookies and coffee, gearing up for the day’s event. Laid out on tables were cardboard boxes filled with plastic vials for the group to take with them as they teamed up in twos and threes to knock on doors in the community, offering free tap water tests to those who answered.
The region is home to several large farming and food processing operations that for more than 30 years have been overapplying nitrogen to the soil for use as a fertilizer. The excess nitrogen, which turns into nitrate once it’s applied to soil, has been seeping into the groundwater and contaminating thousands of rural domestic wells. The state of Oregon has done little to prevent it. ”
“NE Oregon residents eligible for water testing, treatment vouchers”
BOARDMAN, Ore. — The Oregon Health Authority is providing vouchers for residents of Morrow and Umatilla counties to test their private wells for nitrate contamination.
Applications for vouchers will be accepted through May 15, and expire June 7.
The program comes amid concerns of dangerously high levels of groundwater nitrates in the region, with some wells testing four to six times higher than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's safe drinking water limit.
By George Plaven | Capital Press | March 27, 2023
“The Oregon Health Authority is providing vouchers for residents of Morrow and Umatilla counties to test their private wells for nitrate contamination.
Applications for vouchers will be accepted through May 15, and expire June 7.
The program comes amid concerns of dangerously high levels of groundwater nitrates in the region, with some wells testing four to six times higher than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s safe drinking water limit.”
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“Essay: Dignity, justice and room to grow”
In my last essay, I wrote about the drinking water crisis that rural people in Morrow and Umatilla counties face from industrial and agricultural nitrate pollution.
As a rural community organizer, I have had the honor of working shoulder to shoulder with these community leaders. In the last six months, I have learned so many precious, powerful lessons about what it means to be a community, what it looks like to grow together, and what it means to fight for justice. In the face of an ugly David and Goliath fight for safe water, I have seen the knowledge and wisdom rural people from the other Oregon have to share.
The people of the Lower Umatilla Basin have taken on a fight together across language and culture against much larger powers for safe drinking water.
By Nella Mae Parks | The Other Oregon | March 24, 2023
“In my last essay, I wrote about the drinking water crisis that rural people in Morrow and Umatilla counties face from industrial and agricultural nitrate pollution.
As a rural community organizer, I have had the honor of working shoulder to shoulder with these community leaders. In the last six months, I have learned so many precious, powerful lessons about what it means to be a community, what it looks like to grow together, and what it means to fight for justice. In the face of an ugly David and Goliath fight for safe water, I have seen the knowledge and wisdom rural people from the other Oregon have to share.
The people of the Lower Umatilla Basin have taken on a fight together across language and culture against much larger powers for safe drinking water.”
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