If you live in the
LUBGWMA (an area that includes the towns of Hermiston, Boardman, Irrigon, Stanfield, Umatilla, and Echo), private wells in your community have tested high in nitrate. Drinking water with nitrate levels at or above 10 milligrams per liter can harm your health. There are many different groups working together to make sure you and your neighbors have safe drinking water – this page explains who might be contacting you and why.
Oregon Health Authority (OHA)
The Domestic Well Safety Program at OHA will send you letters with information about nitrate testing. Once testing is complete and your results are available, both OHA and the water testing laboratory will directly mail you your test results. You may also receive other types of mail, including surveys or postcards with important updates or reminders.
Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS)
You can expect to receive phone calls from the Office of Resilience and Emergency Management (OREM) at ODHS. Their job is to help you schedule testing or retesting. If you are receiving free water delivery, the OREM team may also contact you to make sure it is meeting the needs of your household.
Morrow and Umatilla County Public Health Departments
You may receive phone calls or be contacted in other ways by your local county public health department. These staff can help answer questions about testing and available resources. If the nitrate levels in your well water qualify you for free water delivery, you will be contacted about this as well.
Drinking Water Roadmap Project
The Morrow and Umatilla County Planning Departments are currently working with a contractor called GSI Water Solutions, Inc. (and associated partners) to consider expanding public water systems to reach more LUBGWMA residents. You may be contacted by the counties or GSI as part of this work.
Plumbers
If your nitrate test shows a result that qualifies you for a free treatment system, you will receive a letter from OHA providing the names and telephone numbers of approved local plumbing companies. If you are ready to have your system installed, please contact either Hellman Plumbing or Pure N Soft to set up your appointment.
Plumbers may also directly contact residents who qualify for a treatment system. These plumbers can help if your treatment system ever has issues, too.
Water Testing Laboratories
You will receive your test results in the mail from a water testing laboratory, followed by a letter from OHA with more information. While unlikely, you may receive a phone call from a laboratory directly if your water sample shows nitrate at a high, concerning level.
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
DEQ has 30 wells in the LUBGWMA area that they regularly monitor. If your household uses one of these wells, you can expect for them to reach out. If not, you will likely not be contacted by DEQ unless they expand their monitoring efforts.
There are many coordinated actions connected to water issues in your area that are not related to the above public health efforts. You may also hear from the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon Water Resources Department, Oregon State University researchers, individual companies, or law firms, for example.