All water well owners in the Lower Umatilla Basin offered nitrate testing, Oregon officials say

By Antonio Sierra (OPB)
Oct. 4, 2023 7:30 p.m.

Local nonprofit criticizes state for not doing more

The state claimed early success in its effort to test all domestic wells in the Lower Umatilla Basin for nitrates. But one Eastern Oregon nonprofit says the accomplishment is not the clearcut victory it should be. ... The Oregon Health Authority announced Monday that it met its self-imposed goal of contacting every household in the region that draws their drinking water from a well — and offering nitrate testing and other resources — by the end of September.

According to a press release, OHA says those contacts resulted in the collection of more than 1,000 well water samples in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area, an area that spans much of northern Morrow County and western Umatilla County. About 20% of the samples exceeded the federal standards for nitrates, a chemical that can cause cancer and other illnesses. State officials expect that number to go up as more water samples are collected and tested.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standard for safe drinking water is up to 10 milligrams of nitrate per liter. ... “I would say that we are feeling strong that we have built the system that we need to offer the opportunity for clean drinking water to everybody with a domestic well,” Gabriela Goldfarb, a public health manager for the governor’s office, said.

Nitrate pollution has been an issue in Eastern Oregon for decades. Fertilizer and wastewater used and produced by irrigated agriculture, dairies, feedlots, industrial operations and other sources include nitrates that seep through the ground and into the groundwater supply. Nitrate consumption has been linked to cancer, thyroid dysfunction and respiratory infections, and is especially hazardous for babies.

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