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Agua Secura En La Comunidades Rurales
Three Decades of Well Water Pollution in Rural Oregon Sees Almost No Government Action
Kotek visits Boardman residents with contaminated water for first time, hears frustrations, fears
Oregon Capital Chronicle - By Alex Baumhardt - May 4, 2023
Gov. Tina Kotek visits on May 3, 2023 with Boardman residents who have unsafe drinking water from nitrate contamination in their wells. (Alex Baumhardt/Oregon Capital Chronicle)
Important Media
Senator Merkley Highlights Contaminated Well Water in Rural Oregon
"Treat this as the emergency it is," Eastern Oregon residents, advocates call for state action on nitrates in well water
KAPP/KVEW - YakTriNews - Madeleine Hagen - April 21, 2023
Full article and video can be found on Apple Valley News Now or YouTube.
KGW-TV - Sick of waiting on state intervention, eastern Oregonians sue over groundwater contamination
KGW-TV - East Oregon’s Groundwater Pollution Crisis
Tainted Waters: Eastern Oregon's contaminated water crisis
Full Story | The Story | Nov. 21, 2023
Groundwater pollution is not just an eastern Oregon problem
| The Story | Nov. 22, 2023
"And this groundwater contamination problem, to me, is the most documentable environmental justice issues in the State..." -- Greg Pettit, retired DEQ administrator.
Timestamp: 3:14
Read more HERE
Thousands of eastern Oregonians face crisis of contaminated well water
| The Story | Nov. 13, 2023
Read more HERE
The Umatilla Basin's water crisis stems from industrial pollution, but it's hard to pin down one culprit
| The Story | Nov. 14, 2023
Read more HERE
Oregon regulators have had decades to tackle the Umatilla Basin's water pollution, but it's only gotten worse
| The Story | Nov. 15, 2023
Bottled water forever? Morrow and Umatilla residents want to see more action to solve groundwater pollution
| The Story | Nov. 16, 2023
Read more HERE
Investigation into burning of eastern Oregon clean water activist's truck now closed
Eastern Oregon water pollution: Your questions answered
| The Story | Nov. 17, 2023
Read more HERE
Read more HERE
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HomeGrown Stories
ORA board member Mitch Wolgamott, former Department of Environmental Quality Acting Administrator Eastern Region.
In 1990, the Oregon DEQ declared the Lower Umatilla Basin (an area stretching from Morrow county to Umatilla county) a groundwater management area. In 1999, Threemile Canyon Farms moved into the area.
Samples taken from different test sites around the basin showed levels of nitrate-nitrogen exceeding the federal safe drinking water standard. In the early 2000s, Mitch directly oversaw the area of the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area working to reduce the nitrate levels in the area’s water.
High nitrate levels, above 10 parts per million (ppm), in drinking water can cause people to get sick, especially infants, the elderly and people with immune disorders. High nitrate levels reduce red blood cells’ ability to carry oxygen. This can cause methemoglobin in infants, the elderly and immune deficient individuals. Methemoglobin symptoms include headache, dyspnea, lightheadedness, weakness, confusion, palpitations and chest pain.
The levels of nitrate-nitrogen are particularly high in this area because of irrigation seepage into the groundwater. Grains, hay and grasses for livestock make up the majority of agriculture in the county.