Posted on Jun 14, 2023
Crook County residents fear mining company polluted their water. Here’s how Oregon investigated
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Don Porfily first noticed the change in his tap water last March. Out of nowhere, it tasted bad, “like mud,” said the 84-year-old feed store owner.
He stopped drinking it. Then, the plumbing in his Central Oregon farmhouse went haywire. Spigots lost pressure. The washing machine broke and so did the fridge and the water heater. When Porfily lifted the lid of a toilet tank, he found a layer of thick black sludge.
He’s lived in the house for 26 years and has never seen anything like this.
His neighbors also grappled with mysterious calamities. Down the road at Ashley McCormick’s house, they went through three dishwashers in a year. At Billie Johnson’s dairy, a record number of calves had been born dead. Same story at Bryan Zednik’s place.
Now, at least a dozen residents in this agricultural valley near Prineville are worried about the safety of their only drinking water supply, which is pumped from the ground.
“A neighbor will tell a neighbor, and they’ll call and say, ‘You better come look: black in the toilet, taste in the water,” Porfily said.
He and others lay blame on a multi-billion-dollar construction materials company.
He stopped drinking it. Then, the plumbing in his Central Oregon farmhouse went haywire. Spigots lost pressure. The washing machine broke and so did the fridge and the water heater. When Porfily lifted the lid of a toilet tank, he found a layer of thick black sludge.
He’s lived in the house for 26 years and has never seen anything like this.
His neighbors also grappled with mysterious calamities. Down the road at Ashley McCormick’s house, they went through three dishwashers in a year. At Billie Johnson’s dairy, a record number of calves had been born dead. Same story at Bryan Zednik’s place.
Now, at least a dozen residents in this agricultural valley near Prineville are worried about the safety of their only drinking water supply, which is pumped from the ground.
“A neighbor will tell a neighbor, and they’ll call and say, ‘You better come look: black in the toilet, taste in the water,” Porfily said.
He and others lay blame on a multi-billion-dollar construction materials company.
Crook County residents fear mining company polluted their water. Here’s how Oregon investigated
Posted from opb.org
Mining and Metals
Farming
Agriculture
Health
Posted 12 mo ago
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There are more pollutants in our water than the news reports. I think it’s safe to say we all should be concerned about what’s in our water.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."The price of non-disclosure
Adam Mikulski came to Knife River with concerns about its Woodward pit before it opened in 2016.
State records suggest those negotiations led the company to pay for a new well at Mikulski’s house, across the street from the pit. The driller initially listed Knife River as the owner of the well. The company’s name was later crossed out of the paperwork and replaced with Mikulski’s.
Knife River monitors that well now, and its data was used to support dismissing the recent groundwater complaints.
Mikulski won’t discuss the deal, he said, because of a non-disclosure agreement.
That didn’t stop his wife Karen from contacting DOGAMI in 2021 to report the company for illegal dumping, resulting in the DEQ penalty.
The agencies’ response left Adam Mikulski feeling cynical.
“They just take [Knife River’s] word for it and, and they don’t come out and check,” he said of the regulators."...
..."The price of non-disclosure
Adam Mikulski came to Knife River with concerns about its Woodward pit before it opened in 2016.
State records suggest those negotiations led the company to pay for a new well at Mikulski’s house, across the street from the pit. The driller initially listed Knife River as the owner of the well. The company’s name was later crossed out of the paperwork and replaced with Mikulski’s.
Knife River monitors that well now, and its data was used to support dismissing the recent groundwater complaints.
Mikulski won’t discuss the deal, he said, because of a non-disclosure agreement.
That didn’t stop his wife Karen from contacting DOGAMI in 2021 to report the company for illegal dumping, resulting in the DEQ penalty.
The agencies’ response left Adam Mikulski feeling cynical.
“They just take [Knife River’s] word for it and, and they don’t come out and check,” he said of the regulators."...
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