The State of Oregon has rolled out a Nitrate Reduction Plan targeting the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area (LUBGWMA), to cut down groundwater nitrate concentrations to under seven mg/L. This move aims to safeguard public health and tackle a contamination issue that has lingered for decades. An integral part of the plan requires synergy between the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD), the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), and several other stakeholders, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), cities, and residents.
The decision was propelled by the conversations that EPA Region 10 Administrator Casey Sixkiller and Oregon Governor Tina Kotek had with residents earlier this year. "Based on those conversations Governor Kotek committed to developing a state-led approach that in the near term delivers safe drinking water to residents and in the longer term works to reduce nitrate contamination in the region’s groundwater," Sixkiller conveyed, according to a release from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Sixkiller also highlighted the collective efforts thus far and recognized the importance of this collaborative approach in tackling such a multifaceted challenge.
Multiple agencies have outlined their commitments within the plan. ODA aims to revise agricultural water quality program benchmarks by 2026 and boost CAFO regulations to check nitrate contamination. The DEQ plans to update wastewater permits and work closely with local authorities on a well network to observe and analyze nitrate trends. The OWRD is set to expand its well inspection program and, in partnership with the DEQ and ODA, will update the alluvial aquifer system conceptual model, last revised in 1995. Concurrently, the OHA will continue offering free well water tests and educational resources to residents.
