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Centralia leaders press state agencies after report links game‑farm operations to rising nitrates in local aquifer
Summary
City and county officials, residents and state lawmakers discussed recent water‑quality testing that officials said points to a nearby Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) game‑farm operation as a principal contributor to nitrate contamination in Centralia's aquifer; city officials urged faster state action and discussed next steps.
City officials, county public‑health staff and state lawmakers met with residents to review results of recent sampling that city staff said identify a nearby game‑farm operation as a primary contributor to nitrate contamination in the Centralia aquifer.
City Manager Mike Thomas briefed council on the March public meeting, where county health and WDFW representatives presented findings and answered questions. Several council members and local lawmakers attended, and many speakers urged more immediate action by the state agency that operates the game farm.
Councilor Wesley and Councilor Chapman said they left the public meeting frustrated with state agency responses and called for quicker, stronger measures. "We need more testing," Chapman said at the meeting while urging state action; Mayor Kelly Smith Johnson and other members pressed the state for accountability. Representative Ed Orcutt and Senator John Braun were present and discussed legislative options with the city and county, staff said.
Public‑health officials and councilors described residents who are buying bottled water and taking other precautions because of elevated nitrate levels in domestic wells that tap the aquifer. County health staffer Misha Henland was cited by city leaders as an active collaborator; city staff said they will continue to meet with WDFW and the county on mitigation and sampling plans.
Multiple councilors said the science presented at the public meeting showed the game farm was the leading contributor to elevated nitrates in the sampling area. Several council members urged residents to contact their state representatives and the director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife to press for an expedited plan. City staff told council they would continue working with WDFW but that elected officials have the option to directly contact the WDFW director and state legislators to press for action.
No formal council motion or regulatory action was taken at the meeting. Councilors discussed possible next steps, including continued sampling, engaging hunters and other stakeholders who use the game farm, and exploring county public‑health options such as a public‑health declaration if conditions warrant. City staff identified communication and legislative outreach as the immediate priorities.
What residents said: At least one public speaker noted an immediate public‑safety implication separate from nitrates — restricted bridge load ratings that limit emergency response vehicle access for a small number of homes — and asked for continued interagency work on that problem.
