On Monday, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek declared a state of emergency for Morrow and Umatilla counties, due to the economic risks posed by ongoing wastewater issues. High levels of precipitation and a lack of adequate lagoon storage capacity left the Port of Morrow without space to accept more wastewater from food processing and other industrial facilities. Kotek said that would lead to shutdowns and worker furloughs, potentially for the long term.
“Morrow and Umatilla counties are key to our state’s agricultural production – directly and indirectly employing thousands of Oregonians, and feeding not just Oregonians, but families across the globe.”
Under her declaration, the Port will be allowed to discharge wastewater into fields in the Lower Umatilla Basin – under certain conditions, and only through the end of February.
“I did not make this decision lightly. We must balance protecting thousands of jobs in the region, the national food supply, and domestic well users during this short period of time during an unusually wet winter.
“I have been very clear in my expectation that all entities involved in the creation and reuse of wastewater in the Lower Umatilla Basin work with federal, state, and local partners in our shared goal of reducing the nitrate groundwater contamination in the basin. This remains unchanged,” Kotek stressed. “I expect partners in this ecosystem, along with the counties, will continue to explore connections to public water systems and other drinking water solutions for impacted residents in both the near and long term.”
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