Oregon leaders agree the Lower Umatilla Basin’s nitrates are a crisis. But the funds aren’t there

Alejandro Figueroa & Antonio Sierra | OPB | May 15, 2025

“For years, Oregon state agencies, local governments and committees have hashed and rehashed plans to clean up a decades-long nitrates pollution problem in northern Morrow and Umatilla counties. While nitrate levels continue to rise, there’s one constant: These groups say they need more resources and money to get the job done.

Whether they‘ll get it in the near future is not clear.

“The challenge is this is obviously a long-term and expensive project,” state Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, told OPB. “And we don’t have much bandwidth for expensive projects right now with taxpayer money.’’