Last week, a $6.2 million settlement was made between Madison Ranches and residents living in Morrow and Umatilla Counties whose wells were polluted with nitrates. The Lower Umatilla Basin has been grappling with high levels of nitrates for decades, affecting drinking water in wells in various communities. Food processors and farms using fertilizers are regarded as the source of the problem. J.R. Cook is the founder and director of the Northeast Oregon Water Association. He joins OPB’s Think Out Loud to share an irrigator’s perspective on the issue and solutions they would like to see.

In the Hermiston and Boardman area, there are more than seven active data centers owned and operated by Amazon Web Services. Last year, the city of Hermiston annexed 800 acres of land to AWS, paving the way for more in the future. And while some have shared concerns about the environmental impact these data centers have, they have brought their communities millions of dollars. For the city of Hermiston, Amazon’s operations have funded renovations to the library, a new city hall and most recently, a water treatment facility for Umatilla County. Mark Morgan is the assistant city manager of Hermiston. He joins OPB’s Think Out Loud to share the impact Amazon dollars have had on the community.

For three decades, many residents in Eastern Oregon’s Umatilla basin have been drinking nitrate-polluted drinking water. Some residents blame nearby food-processors and farms that use nitrogen-rich fertilizers for the issue. Listen to OPB’s Think Out Loud to learn more.

An Oregon farm settled this week with residents of the Umatilla Basin who filed a class action lawsuit over nitrate-contaminated groundwater in the region. Madison Ranches Inc. was one of six defendants still named in the case as of Tuesday.

A grassroots group in Boardman have gathered signatures for a petition demanding “fair and just” terms for safe drinking water in their homes.

BOARDMAN – In a “show of unity and strength,” West Glen United / West Glen Unidos announced that an overwhelming majority of their neighborhoods have signed a petition demanding “fair and just” terms for safe drinking water in their homes. 

In a letter addressed to the Morrow County Clean Water Consortium, which is leading a plan to extend Boardman city water to the neighborhood, West Glen United highlighted its ongoing concern - the additional costs to residents.

For nearly four decades, families in the Lower Umatilla Basin have been drinking contaminated water while billion-dollar companies expanded around them.

We are Oregon Rural Action - everyday people who simply want clean water to drink, fresh air to breathe, and an economy that lets us provide for our families. Eastern Oregon, this place we call home, brings us together around these shared values.

It’s been over four years since West Glen tap water tests revealed its well water was contaminated with dangerous levels of nitrates.

We all deserve to trust that our water is safe to drink, but Lower Umatilla Basin locals have been forced to live without safe drinking water for decades.