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Committee hears overhaul of Groundwater Quality Management Act to speed detection and response
Summary
Senate Bill 11 54 B would update Oregon’s 1989 Groundwater Quality Protection Act by requiring coordinated agency assessments, appointing a lead agency and interagency team, creating earlier "yellow‑light" intervention steps, and strengthening transparency and public reporting for areas of groundwater contamination.
Senate Bill 11 54 B would modernize the Groundwater Quality Protection Act of 1989 by clarifying agency roles, requiring a governor‑appointed lead agency and interagency team, and establishing a multi‑stage response framework that prompts early, voluntary local action before designation of a critical groundwater area.
Jeff Huntington, senior policy advisor to Governor Kotek on natural resource issues, told the House Rules Committee that groundwater supplies about 95% of Oregon’s freshwater and that roughly 80% of groundwater withdrawals go to agriculture. “Approximately 80% of all Oregonians are getting…
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