Hinkley residents press Lahontan board for action on nitrates; board offers informational follow-up
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Summary
Two residents from Hinkley told the Lahontan board their well water remains unsafe from nitrates after years of contact with staff; the board agreed to schedule an informational item with the discharger present to update progress and next steps.
Two Hinkley residents told the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board during the public forum that nitrate contamination has persisted in their domestic wells for more than a decade and requested more decisive action from the agency.
"My water's contaminated. It's poison," said Lauren Pitts, who identified herself as living at 2445 Community Boulevard in Hinkley and said she has been raising the issue with Lahontan staff since 2010. Pitts said she and neighbors cannot use tap water for drinking or hosting grandchildren and urged the board to require dairy dischargers to install treatment systems.
Another resident, Brent Quarterforth, said he has lived at his property since 2001 and described multiple meetings with Lahontan staff in which promised filtration systems did not materialize. Quarterforth said he has been told to "trust us" by staff and alleged the sequence of actions looked like an effort to "get me off their back," adding he believed the situation had been mishandled.
Acting Chair Rob Pierce and other board members acknowledged the residents' frustration and indicated staff are working on the issue. A board member suggested returning the matter to a future meeting as an informational agenda item that would allow residents and the dairy (the discharger) to present perspectives and for staff to unpack strategies and progress since April 2024. The board agreed that an informational update would be appropriate.
No formal enforcement action or vote on this item occurred at the meeting; the residents' comments and the board suggestion to schedule further discussion were the primary outcomes.
The board clerk provided instructions for public participation and how to submit virtual speaker cards for future meetings.