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Benton County health staff outline expanded domestic well-testing program and warn of rising nitrates
Summary
County environmental health staff told the Planning Commission that a new domestic-well testing program funded through state partnerships will begin soon and that nitrate levels in parts of the Southern Willamette Valley groundwater management area are a continuing concern.
Scott Kruger, Benton County Environmental Health Program Manager, told the Benton County Planning Commission that the county is ramping up a domestic well-safety program in partnership with Oregon State University and the Oregon Health Authority that will start testing hundreds of private wells for bacteria, nitrates and arsenic.
Kruger said the county expects funding to reach roughly 400 homes once contracts are complete. He told commissioners the program follows smaller grants the county used to fund testing of about 100 homes in prior rounds through grants of roughly $3,000–$5,000.
“The nice thing you can do is you can do it double fast,” Kruger said of the posted recordings and materials; later he described himself succinctly as “I’m the water guy,” reflecting his role as the county delegate for the Oregon Health Authority’s drinking water services.
Why this matters: groundwater in much of Benton County is served by private wells and small public systems; Kruger told the commission the…
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