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Maps highlight nitrate contamination in Eastern Oregon drinking water
OPB August 2, 2024
State officials are inching closer to understanding the scale of nitrate pollution in Eastern Oregon drinking water. That is after the state released data that pinpoints the location of where contamination is found in the region, but local advocates say the map fails to protect residents’ privacy.
The Oregon Health Authority released updated data, including four maps, that show the scale of nitrate contamination in domestic well water in Morrow and Umatilla counties. Groundwater in the region has been polluted with nitrate contamination for more than 30 years. It was designated a groundwater management area in 1990 known as the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area or LUBGWMA.
If ingested at levels of more than 10 milligrams per liter, nitrate contamination can cause health effects like respiratory infections, thyroid dysfunction and stomach or bladder cancer, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
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Agua Segura en la Comunidades Rurales
Petición
Safe Rural Water Communities Petition
Estamos trabajando juntos para mejorar la calidad del agua en nuestra comunidad rural. Sabemos que en nuestra área los resultados de los niveles de nitratos han sido muy elevados en los pozos y en el agua subterránea, nosotros apoyamos el agua de emergencia y las pruebas de pozos y el tratamiento del agua hasta que podamos convertirnos en una comunidad de agua rural segura.
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We are working together for safe drinking water in rural communities. In our area with high nitrates in the groundwater and drinking wells, we support emergency water, well testing and water treatment until we can become a Safe Rural Water Community.
