State, local and federal officials outline multi‑agency plan to tackle nitrates in Lower Umatilla Basin

State agencies, local leaders and community groups told the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire on May 13 that addressing decades of nitrate contamination in the Lower Umatilla Basin will require sustained funding, continued community outreach and a mix of short‑, medium‑ and long‑term actions.

At an informational hearing chaired by Chair Golden, speakers described current work under the state’s recently published Nitrate Reduction Plan for the Lower Umatilla Basin (the groundwater management area sometimes referenced in testimony as “LUBGAMA”), and outlined additional steps: expanded household testing and immediate safe‑water services; updated wastewater and confined animal feeding operation permits; rulemaking aimed at agricultural nutrient management; well construction inspections; targeted municipal connections for contaminated domestic wells; and investigation of aquifer restoration techniques.

Why it matters: thousands of households in Morrow and Umatilla counties rely on unregulated domestic wells for drinking water. At or above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum contaminant level of 10 milligrams per liter (mg/L) for nitrate, water is considered unsafe for infants and pregnant people and a potential long‑term risk for other health outcomes. Officials said nitrate concentrations in parts of the basin have risen over recent decades and that reversing those trends will take years and substantial funding.

The Oregon Health Authority has been providing direct services since 2023 under a governor’s directive. "The important number to remember is 10 milligrams per liter of nitrate per liter of water," said Gabriela Goldfarb, environmental public health section manager at the Oregon Health Authority, who serves as the La Guama public‑health project manager. Goldfarb described a program of free household testing, short‑term water delivery for affected households and…