Posted on Nov 6, 2022
Outcry over nitrate pollution spurs changes to Eastern Oregon groundwater committee
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State appoints new committee members and the board begins writing restructuring bylaws as drinking water problems continue to worsen
A committee tasked with reducing groundwater pollution in Morrow and Umatilla counties is restructuring to address mounting concerns over hazardous nitrate contamination in local drinking water.
On Friday, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality appointed new members for the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area committee and helped launch an effort to restructure how the group operates.
A committee tasked with reducing groundwater pollution in Morrow and Umatilla counties is restructuring to address mounting concerns over hazardous nitrate contamination in local drinking water.
On Friday, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality appointed new members for the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area committee and helped launch an effort to restructure how the group operates.
Outcry over nitrate pollution spurs changes to Eastern Oregon groundwater committee
Posted from opb.org
Water
Farming
Agriculture
Posted >1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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Wonder what they will cry after they restrict the farmers and still don't take care of the pollution? What will they do without the food?
Just my $0.02
Just my $0.02
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Jones said many things led to the structural changes. Earlier this year, the agency fined the Port of Morrow and potato processor Lamb Weston for wastewater pollution that added hundreds of tons of nitrate contamination to the groundwater. That led to public outcry and a call from Anderson Ostrom’s group for the state to step in and take charge. Jones said the changes are also a response to environmental groups filing a petition in 2020 to the EPA asking the federal agency to take emergency action and provide clean drinking water.
“Additionally, there was a drinking water emergency declaration for the first time, declared by Morrow County,” he said. “So, these were all signals that it was time to take a really hard look at the committee and how it was organized.”
Drinking high levels of nitrate can lead to respiratory infections, thyroid dysfunction and stomach or bladder cancer. It can also cause “blue baby syndrome,” which decreases the blood’s capacity to carry oxygen, especially in infants drinking baby formula mixed with contaminated water. According to the EPA, nitrate levels exceeding 10 milligrams per liter can cause serious health problems.
During Friday’s meeting, DEQ said it recently sampled 30 private wells the agency monitors and found 11 of them exceeded the federal safe drinking water limits.
The committee will meet again next year to continue to creating bylaws and new sub-committee groups to better address the contamination problem."
..."Jones said many things led to the structural changes. Earlier this year, the agency fined the Port of Morrow and potato processor Lamb Weston for wastewater pollution that added hundreds of tons of nitrate contamination to the groundwater. That led to public outcry and a call from Anderson Ostrom’s group for the state to step in and take charge. Jones said the changes are also a response to environmental groups filing a petition in 2020 to the EPA asking the federal agency to take emergency action and provide clean drinking water.
“Additionally, there was a drinking water emergency declaration for the first time, declared by Morrow County,” he said. “So, these were all signals that it was time to take a really hard look at the committee and how it was organized.”
Drinking high levels of nitrate can lead to respiratory infections, thyroid dysfunction and stomach or bladder cancer. It can also cause “blue baby syndrome,” which decreases the blood’s capacity to carry oxygen, especially in infants drinking baby formula mixed with contaminated water. According to the EPA, nitrate levels exceeding 10 milligrams per liter can cause serious health problems.
During Friday’s meeting, DEQ said it recently sampled 30 private wells the agency monitors and found 11 of them exceeded the federal safe drinking water limits.
The committee will meet again next year to continue to creating bylaws and new sub-committee groups to better address the contamination problem."
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