“Running Out of Safe Water”: Nitrates Contaminate Boardman Wells

Boardman, Ore. — For years, families on the agricultural edges of Boardman have relied on private wells for drinking water. In recent seasons those wells have produced an alarming, steady message: nitrate concentrations that exceed federal safety limits. What began as isolated exceedances has unfolded into a regional public-health story — driven by DEQ enforcement actions, state health maps, community organizing and a class-action lawsuit that accuses the Port of Morrow and commercial agribusinesses of contaminating groundwater relied on by dozens of households. opb+1

Residents, state agencies and attorneys describe a chain of practices — including repeated wintertime applications of nitrogen-rich wastewater — that, they say, have pushed a legacy of nitrogen into an aquifer supplying private wells across the Lower Umatilla Basin. Regulators have issued multiple fines and orders; the governor’s office and state public-health agencies have mobilized testing and short-term water delivery; and plaintiffs in federal court argue the harms warrant courtroom remedies. Oregon Government Apps+2Oregon+2

“We don’t know if the baby’s safe to drink this water.”

“I keep bottled water in the kitchen and use a pitcher for tea,” said one Boardman resident who asked not to be named because litigation is ongoing. “You feel powerless when water you used your whole life suddenly might make a baby sick.” That anxiety is precisely why public-health officials and attorneys say elevated nitrates matter: long-term or repeated exposure above the federal maximum contaminant level of 10 milligrams per liter (ppm) can cause acute infant illness and poses risks to pregnant people and other vulnerable groups. Oregon+1

The data: maps, monitoring and trends

In 2024 the Oregon Health Authority released maps that showed clusters of high nitrate readings in domestic wells across portions of Morrow and Umatilla counties, with concentrations particularly dense around Boardman and neighboring towns. Those maps were the product of targeted testing campaigns and state monitoring efforts; they gave a visual backbone to concerns residents had raised for years. The DEQ’s long-term groundwater monitoring network and subsequent trend analyses show rising or persistently high nitrate concentrations at multiple tested wells in the Lower Umatilla Basin. opb+1

The state’s interagency workplan — built with EPA engagement — treats the Lower Umatilla Basin as a priority area for nitrate remediation and community outreach, reflecting the confluence of data, complaints and the potential for ongoing exposure. gaftp.epa.gov

Enforcement history: repeated violations and growing fines

Regulators say the Port of Morrow and some processors have repeatedly overapplied wastewater that contains dissolved nitrogen. In 2022 the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) fined the port $1.3 million for overapplying nitrogen-rich wastewater and failing to adequately monitor applications above a contaminated aquifer. Subsequent enforcement actions and additional fines followed after regulators documented hundreds more permit violations into late 2023 and 2024; combined penalties and settlements have topped the millions as the DEQ stepped up oversight. Oregon Government Apps+1

Port officials and some industry representatives say they are investing in infrastructure upgrades — including storage facilities, anaerobic digesters and a secondary treatment system — and have asked for permit modifications to shift operations and reduce wintertime applications that are most likely to promote leaching. The port’s public statements emphasize the complexity of operations, weather impacts and plans to complete long-term fixes. portofmorrow.com+1

The lawsuit: residents take it to federal court

In February 2024 several residents filed a federal lawsuit alleging the Port of Morrow and commercial farms (and, in some filings, concentrated animal feeding operations) contributed to groundwater contamination through overapplication of fertilizer and wastewater, and that the contamination has made private wells unsafe. Plaintiffs seek injunctive relief, remediation, and damages under various legal theories, asserting the public-health and property harms are widespread enough to support class claims. Recent court filings show the case moving through procedural stages as magistrates and district judges weigh venue and the sufficiency of technical allegations. Oregon Capital Chronicle+1

Law firms representing plaintiffs say permit violations documented by DEQ — including hundreds of exceedances reported during short intervals — support the contention that permitted reuse practices were not properly managed. Industry lawyers argue that permitted activity and complex hydrogeology make single-source causation difficult to prove and stress that upgrades and compliance steps are underway. Bliven Law Firm, P.C+1

Who’s hurt — and what authorities are doing

The people most directly affected are private-well households — many rural, some low-income, and several with limited language access. Local health departments and the Oregon Health Authority have mobilized testing programs and temporary safe-water services, including bottled-water delivery and point-of-use systems for households with confirmed exceedances. Morrow County has set up outreach channels and coordinated with state agencies to connect residents to testing and assistance. Oregon+1

Public officials say those short-term measures are essential but not a substitute for long-term source control and remediation. Hydrogeologic experts note that linking a single well’s nitrate spike to a single application event requires careful temporal, spatial, and chemical tracing; regulators say the pattern of repeated permit violations and clustered high readings strengthens the case for action even if perfect one-to-one causation is technically challenging. Oregon+1

Why this keeps happening: incentives and seasonal risk

The Lower Umatilla Basin is a major food-processing and agricultural hub. Reusing treated process water as irrigation historically reduced freshwater withdrawals and offered financial advantages to processors and growers. But when wastewater containing dissolved nitrogen is applied during times when crops cannot fully uptake the nitrogen — such as winter months — the excess can infiltrate soils and leach into shallow groundwater. DEQ enforcement documents characterize hundreds of instances where application limits or monitoring procedures were not followed, amplifying the risk to the aquifer beneath farmland and processing sites. opb+1

What’s changed recently — politics, permits and emergency orders

Political and regulatory pressure has increased. In early 2025 the governor’s office issued emergency permissions in certain narrow circumstances tied to weather and economic disruption — a move critics said risked undercutting enforcement, while supporters argued it prevented immediate layoffs. Lawmakers and state agencies have debated permit changes, accelerated infrastructure deadlines and broader statewide nitrate-reduction strategies. Meanwhile, the port has continued to request permit adjustments tied to planned capital projects intended to eliminate wintertime applications by a new target date. Oregon Capital Chronicle+1

Gaps that remain — data, health surveillance and remediation

Despite increased monitoring, significant gaps remain. Private well sampling is voluntary, and not all households have regularly tested or shared results. Health surveillance for chronic, low-level exposure effects is limited; clinicians often encounter symptoms that are nonspecific and hard to tie directly to nitrate exposure. Technical questions persist about groundwater travel times, the potential for legacy nitrogen from decades of fertilization, and the most effective remediation strategies for a dispersed contaminant in a heterogeneous aquifer. Oregon+1

What residents and reporters should demand next

— Transparent, accessible data. Full, parcel-level maps of all monitoring well and domestic well results, with dates and consistent units, so residents can see readings over time. GovDelivery
— Public records on application logs. DEQ records and port application logs that show when and where nitrogen-bearing wastewater was applied, and by how much. Oregon
— Independent hydrogeologic review. Third-party studies that model likely flow paths and link application sites to affected well clusters. Oregon
— Equitable remediation. Funding and logistical support for affected households (filters, alternate water, well conversions) while systemic fixes proceed. Oregon

Bottom line

Boardman’s nitrate problem is not an abstract environmental press release. It is a lived, ongoing public-health concern with measurable data, repeated regulatory findings and pending litigation that together make a strong case for continued investigation and urgent remedial action. The evidence collected so far — state maps, DEQ enforcement records, community testing campaigns and plaintiffs’ complaints — points to a pattern of contamination affecting private wells in the Lower Umatilla Basin, and it demands a sustained response that pairs short-term protections for households with enforceable, transparent steps to stop further groundwater loading.