Crook County Domestic Wells

Background

A number of residents in rural areas near the community of Prineville (Crook County) have raised concerns about contaminants in their domestic (private) well water. These include concerns about human health, animal health, plumbing and appliances, and the odor, taste, and appearance of well water. Local and state officials contacted the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to ask whether OHA could help answer community questions about possible health risks from using the water for drinking, cooking, bathing and other daily uses.

November 2024 Update: 

DEQ's contractors have sampled about 60 domestic wells in the community. The focus of the study is metals, and those results will not likely be available until early 2025. However, DEQ's contractors also tested for total coliform (bacteria), and those results are expected throughout the last week in November and first weeks of December.

OHA will notify households that tested positive for total coliform by sending emails or letters. This notification will include information about recommended next steps and resources to address this problem. Total coliform in well water does not necessarily mean that people drinking the water will get sick, but it does mean that germs are getting into the well somehow. At any time, some of those germs entering the well could be pathogenic (disease-causing). The health effects associated with pathogenic bacteria in well water are gastrointestinal with symptoms like stomach cramping, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.

The total coliform results are becoming available throughout November and December 2024. OHA will be sending  communications to households on a rolling basis as the data come in. OHA will only send communications to households with positive results for total coliform. 

The results for the rest of the things DEQ's contractors are testing for, like metals, will become available in early 2025. At that time, OHA will start drafting a Health Consultation report for the community based on the results. OHA will plan to have that draft ready later in 2025. Households will receive their own individual well results before OHA starts drafting its Health Consultation report. 

Previous Work 

In order to assess whether the well water in this area poses a risk to human health, OHA will need to know  what harmful chemicals are in the water and in what amounts. OHA relies on data from environmental testing laboratories and environmental agencies like the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) or Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Those organizations produce data about what is in the environment, and OHA evaluates the data to understand what it means for public health.