Thursday, January 13, 2022
OFF PAGE ONE
East Oregonian
DEQ:
MLK:
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Continued from Page A1
The port reported it
received notification from
DEQ on Jan. 10 of an assess-
ment of a civil penalty for
violations of its wastewater
disposal permit. According
to the release, the port will
work in collaboration with
DEQ toward finding solu-
tions.
“The Port takes this
matter seriously and looks
forward to help from DEQ,
working together as environ-
mental stewards, to develop a
long-term solution that will
be a win-win for Port indus-
tries, local farmers and the
region,” according to the
statement.
“The Port of Morrow has
been working cooperatively
with DEQ on the content of
this action,” Port of Morrow
Executive Director Ryan
Neal said in the press release.
“We look forward to jointly
developing a resolution.”
Under a DEQ water qual-
ity permit, the port collects
nitrogen-rich wastewater
from food processors, stor-
age facilities and data centers
at its industrial parks near
Boardman, which it then
reuses to irrigate neighboring
farm fi elds growing potatoes,
onions and other high-value
crops.
But according to the
agency, the port violated its
permit more than 1,000 times
from 2018 to 2021, exceeding
the limit on how much nitro-
gen can be safely applied to
farmland and resulting in 165
tons of excess nitrogen in the
fi elds.
Leah Feldon, DEQ deputy
director, said these are “seri-
ous violations of water qual-
ity regulations that are in
place to protect public health
and the environment.”
The Port of Morrow is
Oregon’s second-largest
port, behind only the Port of
Portland. It is in the Umatilla
Basin of Nor theaster n
Oregon, where in 1990 the
state declared a groundwa-
ter management area due to
high levels of groundwater
nitrates exceeding 7 milli-
grams per liter.
High levels of nitrates in
drinking water are linked
with serious health concerns,
particularly for babies and
pregnant women. Ground-
water is used as a primary
source of drinking water
across the basin, which
spans northern Umatilla and
Morrow counties — includ-
ing the cities of Hermiston,
Boardman, Irrigon, Stanfi eld
and Echo.
Historically, the sources of
groundwater contamination
in the Lower Umatilla Basin
Groundwater Management
Area are fertilizer used on
irrigated farmland, confi ned
animal feeding operations,
livestock pastures, food
processing wastewater and
septic systems, according to
DEQ’s press release.
“The existing nitrate
contamination in the basin’s
groundwater means everyone
in the region has to do their
part to reduce this contam-
ination,” Feldon said. “The
Port of Morrow has not been
doing its part, and DEQ looks
forward to working together
to correct these violations
and protect our aquifers from
future contamination.”
DEQ also alleges the port
failed to monitor nitrogen at
application sites on 121 sepa-
rate occasions each year from
2018-20.
“The faith-based commu-
nity is called to represent
the heart of God, which is
love, unity and equality,”
Jordan said. “The church is
supposed to lead by example
in these areas, not the world.”
Pastor Patty Nance of the
Hermiston United Method-
ist Church also highlights
the importance of peace and
inclusivity, which is why
her congregation readily
opens its doors to host the
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
program. King, she said,
preached hope for a better
tomorrow through nonvio-
lent civil action.
King’s efforts and the
response of people march-
Patty Nance/Contributed Photo
People gather for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Peace
March on Jan. 20, 2020, in downtown Hermiston. This year’s
event is Monday, Jan. 17, which includes a program in the
Hermiston United Methodist Church.
PO Box 1 • 101 Olson Rd. • Boardman, OR 97818 • 541-481-3014
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to repeat itself,” Carbage
said. “We want peace, even
in Eastern Oregon and our
small community of Herm-
iston.”
Jordan agreed, saying
everyone can take an active
role to effect change on a
daily basis. It’s simply, he
said, a matter of perspective.
“Begin to view each other
through the eyes of God,”
Jordan said. “Every individ-
ual is valuable in the eyes of
God.”
Everyone is invited to get
involved with the Hermiston
Cultural Awareness Coali-
tion. It meets at 2 p.m. on
the second Saturday of each
month at the Hermiston
United Methodist Church.
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com.
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ing in the streets, Nance said,
helped shine a spotlight on
the teachings of Jesus Christ.
And, she said, King’s legacy
has had a lasting impact.
“Faith com munities
began to look at the inher-
ent racism within their own
walls,” Nance said. “While
it has been a slow and ardu-
ous journey, that glimmer
of hope that King shared so
long ago still burns bright in
many of our faith communi-
ties.”
While Carbage said prog-
ress has been made in regard
to racial division, it’s import-
ant to continue to be diligent
in promoting peace. Continu-
ing the work and remem-
bering the nonviolent and
peaceful leadership King
stood for is paramount, he
said.
“We don’t want the past
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