[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6511656,"mediaKeyId","5215009-88ae4eeaa1a268a88bb584994af98eb4","parentId",5215009,"title","Consortium directs staff to draft procurement policy and clarifies budget committee role; members discuss consultant selections","audioSeconds",1152,"startMs",3564000,"endMs",4716000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5215009-88ae4eeaa1a268a88bb584994af98eb4&start=3564&end=4716","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5215009-88ae4eeaa1a268a88bb584994af98eb4/thumbnail_3564000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6511656/Morrow-County/Oregon/Consortium-directs-staff-to-draft-procurement-policy-and-clarifies-budget-committee-role-members-discuss-consultant-selections","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6511656-558dd7eea15ca2620b97210a786399a9/orig.mp4?Expires=1775426787&Signature=NdkN2UqokYNSxj~6Q2dNfgzP-i-96XXT40heFNq89jiig8a8N5Ce6lypoiKIO2Ocay13cFV2yVDdKggVVztwvwiRh6nNSEwWOVJvGV5iY8YhK1Osnpg86ChBv2tXMEc235kXsiBF2vXKjmdEExG9WIwAymLGLHDpvCIdVGad7cJ8LIZ5C8x-BcWxkVN55oGZktg8DHfcwh0Su83LnG9Cu0ohK05KkSGY--gBkb03KbT4jwWL-Ub9q-vtz3pNfzUfpc3JBBTUNe-d6mRjXTEIpLBd885XnBnF1X7HvZci~wE5EEWGHtlULWWp2Mkq3MBgPHi05YwMWkZy9ORSYWbNaQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Morrow County, OR","date","2025-07-07T20:28:02Z","article","At its meeting the North County Clean Water Consortium moved to direct staff to develop and present a procurement policy at the next meeting, and the group also agreed on a budget-process approach that brings advisory members into review and approval of the consortium’s annual operating budget.

On procurement, staff and members discussed options for securing engineering and grant-writing services. Consultants already engaged with county or regional projects included GSI Water Solutions and Dakota Consulting (grant-writing). Staff noted Oregon’s model procurement rules and a $25,000 single-year threshold for awarding personal-services contracts without an RFP under state guidance; board members and staff said they could either make short, single-year awards under that threshold or issue an RFP with a higher ceiling to secure longer or larger contracts.

Several members suggested adopting an in-house procurement policy that would allow more flexible personal-service awards; others recommended issuing an RFP to document a competitive process and remove challenge risk. The consortium agreed by motion to direct staff to prepare a procurement policy for adoption at the next meeting; the motion passed. Members also asked that sample procurement policies be circulated to Matt Johnson, managing director, ahead of the next meeting.

On consultant contracting, board members discussed that GSI’s prior work in the study area gives it specific value for the road map; several members and staff said a sole-source determination could be justified on the basis of prior, specialized knowledge. Staff noted that a direct award under the state $25,000 threshold cannot be extended beyond the single-year procurement limit without a formal RFP.

Budget process: The managing director asked for direction on which group should formally review and approve the consortium’s annual operating budget. After discussion the consortium adopted a budget approach (option 1 as discussed in the meeting) in which the managing director prepares the recommended budget for review and approval by the board and advisory committee; members said they will continue to post public notice for budget meetings and provide public outreach.

Other procedural items: The consortium approved minutes from its May 20 meeting in a motion recorded on the transcript; the chair noted the motion carried. Members also agreed to adopt an initial meeting schedule of monthly meetings for the first six months (second Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.) to allow budget work and project startup; that scheduling direction was moved and seconded and advanced without a recorded roll-call tally in the transcript.

Ending: Staff will produce a draft procurement policy for the next meeting, circulate sample policies in advance, and continue to develop scopes and short-term consultant agreements consistent with whichever procurement approach the board adopts.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Morrow County Clean Water Consortium Meeting: June 10, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Clean Water Consortium directed staff to draft a procurement policy and agreed a budget committee process that includes advisory members, while debating whether to sole-source short-term consulting work or issue an RFP for larger contracts.","taxTitle","Morrow County, Oregon","taxId",73539,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6511660,"Drinking-water ‘road map’ team outlines focus areas, survey results and June public meeting",1237,1860000,3097000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5215009-88ae4eeaa1a268a88bb584994af98eb4&start=1860&end=3097","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5215009-88ae4eeaa1a268a88bb584994af98eb4/thumbnail_1860000.jpg","/articles/6511660/Morrow-County/Oregon/Drinking-water-road-map-team-outlines-focus-areas-survey-results-and-June-public-meeting","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6511660-5d03dda045366b11baa989198c76506f/orig.mp4?Expires=1775426787&Signature=i9AEZ-ngDRh30fEXS7tlGyGrX525f0gJPq3yV9rtjQjIu8AI0~xZCHLLoAMAUlXbNNuVTFqvH99sI0cd-n-wQIaQQ2lQV1AZPO5Z70Nh7VD8y-0oTbEWEouhUkvftcDuo47mGgJCOW3WQpWiorMLJWd38HXnVT~hJ1cu94rlx0vOpnz5dutmJ7eCshOdTeKIM-f42fpn~HZu5MhiasQJEU1F6LSQF9bKrmNcnel4NLuBSXoKF2snEIECYoAqULjHd5EEHvC1fUP~AmcFpAJxYvAxsybcn2j3D1LYX-AN2ZzYPEuL4NBtMktnL59fvnv9RoO7r7Z~3gDfjMNo5K7Omg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Ronan Igloria of GSI Water Solutions presented a status update on the county’s EPA-funded drinking-water road map project, summarizing its goals, timeline, early sampling and community outreach.

Ronan said the two-year project — a Morrow County effort funded through an EPA research award and developed with Umatilla County — is designed to assess whether and how existing public water systems can be used to connect rural domestic well users impacted by nitrates. The scope also includes examining nonconnection alternatives (for example, point-of-use treatment, improvements to existing wells, or shared community wells) for areas where extending a public system is not feasible.

The team has divided the study area into 16 “focus areas” across the La Grama study area and prioritized several areas near Boardman and Irrigon for connection feasibility work. Ronan said the project started in spring 2024, completed an initial data-collection and Quality Assurance Project Plan, and moved into a second stage focused on connection concepts and targeted sampling. He said the team collected a first round of confirmation samples in November 2024 and has been comparing those results with prior OHA well-safety sampling.

The project’s public-survey results were summarized: roughly 100 responses were returned from 700–800 mailed surveys, 87% of respondents were single-household owners, and most respondents reported being somewhat or very familiar with nitrate issues. The survey showed a preference pattern: bottled water and point-of-use/home treatment were the most selected options, while connection to a city or community system (18%) and community-owned water systems (13%) attracted smaller shares — a finding the presenters flagged as a possible education gap.

Consultants HDR and others presented high-level planning costs for preliminary connection concepts. Ronan said Boardman’s conceptual full-extension option for one focus area carried planning-level estimates in the multi‑million-dollar range (planning estimates in presentation ranged into the tens of millions when full distribution, tank, booster stations and residential services were included). Ronan cautioned these were high-level feasibility numbers and that further phased design would be needed to refine costs.

The project schedule released in the presentation set a public meeting for June 26 (Irrigon City Hall) to share connection concepts and gather resident feedback; the presenters said they would publish a connection concept summary shortly after the meeting. Ronan said stage 3 will focus on nonconnection alternatives and carry through late 2025, and stage 4 will develop the action plan and identify potential projects to pursue with more detailed funding and design work.

Ronan and other presenters said the team will evaluate lifecycle costs for alternatives (for example, reverse-osmosis point-of-use systems or shared wells versus full public-system connections) and that the stage-3 work will specifically compare nonconnection and connection options including funding pathways and community acceptability.

Ending: The consultants scheduled local public meetings for late June (June 26 public meeting) and encouraged advisory members to attend. They said a connection-concept summary would be posted after the June meeting and that stage 3 (nonconnection analysis) will run through the fall of 2025.","The county’s EPA-funded drinking-water road map team reported survey results, preliminary connection concepts and planning-level cost estimates for extending public water systems into affected rural areas. The team scheduled public engagement in late June and said nonconnection options will be studied this fall.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6511664,"City of Boardman officials present nitrate test results, stress drinking-water standard is 10 ppm",1213,748000,1961000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5215009-88ae4eeaa1a268a88bb584994af98eb4&start=748&end=1961","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5215009-88ae4eeaa1a268a88bb584994af98eb4/thumbnail_748000.jpg","/articles/6511664/Morrow-County/Oregon/City-of-Boardman-officials-present-nitrate-test-results-stress-drinking-water-standard-is-10-ppm","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6511664-0a0d156df6da8dbc9ed764335eb0429b/orig.mp4?Expires=1775426787&Signature=oNLXV30hAcpCHOoUVHdlysIY6yn3bDHLC-re-xwsYlj5mxbrgpVuu9njy8TXLBYbq0yFPqlA6jYr3o052lS6j3gjuEj3gbU1~QulZ4k2yfx1~REJkjBIiCW60~dqWNl4~KmFJyI93TvJMK3ZpRsXb~-sz3JfhSq446s~t54IBQ92pcqSjbf8BJqIOMYq7hQSCuGQMXJeYvwR8lXmQmuUKaA5ZlHglxCSmx2NbRt-eydXdj5NfYb4R9bTdM-4A-tYP0Dl3xqSyG7dZIZkmTvETV85LMYs2-py3V1O09fShgV6WNvut3XxfBgCKgbZqDpLtxb9gU5eSVS5s4zVJ3WR~g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City of Boardman officials told the North County Clean Water Consortium that nitrate results reported to the state remain below the federal drinking-water maximum contaminant level of 10 parts per million and that average system concentrations have been well below that threshold.

Brandon Hammond, City of Boardman, said the city’s long-term average from 2003 through the present is about 2.8 ppm and that a six-year average is roughly 3.7–3.8 ppm. He said the highest single historic reported value in the city’s records was from 2003 and that federal law sets the drinking-water standard at 10 ppm. Hammond encouraged residents to consult Oregon Health Authority (OHA) published monitoring records for the system.

The city’s engineer and others explained the difference between federal and state triggers. Multiple speakers — including the city engineer and consulting engineers — explained that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets the federal MCL at 10 ppm for nitrate in drinking water. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) guidance and state monitoring practices can use a lower numeric level (discussed at about 7 mg/L in the meeting) as a trigger for additional sampling or discharge-related requirements; speakers cautioned the two values are used for different regulatory purposes.

Boardman officials said the system draws from three collector wells on the Columbia River and that sampling points are taken at the plant and at distribution locations; those distribution samples can reflect mixtures of source water once water is blended in the system. City staff said one well was taken out of full service for a period while yield and particulate issues were addressed and later returned to service at a lower pumping rate. A third collector well was described as coming into service recently; the city said the new well will let officials track source changes in subsequent sampling rounds.

Speakers described monitoring frequency as driven by state requirements and by the sort of analyte being tested. Hammond said nitrate monitoring reported in the city’s consumer confidence materials is post-treatment (that is, the test results reflect water after the plant’s treatment step). The city also said it conducts other tests on different schedules (daily, quarterly and annual tests depending on the analyte) as required by state rules.

Several advisory members and attendees asked for follow-up on historic elevated samples reported in distribution “dead ends” and on which sample locations correspond to which well sources. Boardman staff said some earlier higher readings were associated with poorly flushed endpoints in the distribution system and that looping or flushing those dead ends reduced measured nitrate concentrations at those locations.

City staff handed printed summaries to consortium members and reiterated that OHA posts the certified monitoring results online. They offered to provide additional documentation to the consortium on request.

Ending: Boardman staff said they will keep sharing sampling data with the consortium and public; attendees were told they can pull certified results from OHA’s website and that the city will provide further documentation on request.","City of Boardman staff told the North County Clean Water Consortium that recent nitrate results stay below the federal drinking-water maximum contaminant level of 10 parts per million, while state rules and monitoring triggers differ. The city described sampling patterns, three collector wells and arrangements for further public information.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Consortium directs staff to draft procurement policy and clarifies budget committee role; members discuss consultant selections

Drinking-water ‘road map’ team outlines focus areas, survey results and June public meeting

City of Boardman officials present nitrate test results, stress drinking-water standard is 10 ppm