The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality fined the Port of Morrow $1.3 million for over-applying 165 tons of nitrogen-rich wastewater on agricultural fields for four years and failing to monitor the nitrate contamination
As a result, officials in Morrow County, Oregon, along the Columbia River declared a local state of emergency due to private well testing revealing high levels of nitrate contamination.
Morrow County commissioners voted 3-0 in favor of the declaration, which allows immediate mitigation to protect drinking water, reported Oregon Public Broadcasting.
“It’s been an ongoing issue,” said Morrow County Commissioner Chair Jim Doherty, reported Oregon Public Broadcasting. “It’s not something that just hit us in the last week, and we’ve been approaching it from lots of different angles.
The county is distributing bottled water and setting up water distribution trailers in Boardman as a measure. Additionally, there is a committee to address water contamination issues.
Groundwater is the primary drinking source for residents in the county and Morrow and adjacent Umatilla counties have been designated as groundwater management areas for more than 30 years, reported Oregon Public Broadcasting.
According to a statement released by The Port of Morrow, it is considering upgrades to reduce this pollution, which would cost millions of dollars.
Doherty adds that the goal is for the declaration to help the county obtain money for more home testing, reported Oregon Public Broadcasting. The Oregon Office of Emergency Management officials said the emergency declaration does not grant immediate access to state funds or resources, however. In the meantime, Doherty and the local health department have been testing tap water for residents outside Boardman’s city limits.
The results after testing approximately 70 wells show high concentrations of the contaminant.
Additionally, a team from Oregon Rural Action has tested tap water in about 60 homes in Boardman and Irrigon, finding almost all results above the federal safe drinking water limit and dozens five times that limit, according to Kristin Anderson Ostrom, the group’s executive director, reported Oregon Public Broadcasting.
The Oregon Office of Emergency Management is coordinating with Morrow County for emergency needs of residents.
