OFF PAGE ONE
Thursday, July 21, 2022
East Oregonian
able levels, but filters require
more frequent changing
— maybe once every three
months, rather than every
year or more.
Doherty said these filters
in the future may be adjusted
so they can protect from other
contaminants, including arse-
nic, lead and coliform bacte-
ria. For now, however, such
work is outside the county’s
scope.
“That’s outside of our
emergency, which is a nitrate
emergency,” he said. “In the
short term, we just want to get
something that will pull these
nitrates out.”
He added it is a “great
idea” for homeowners to test
their wells for other contam-
inants.
Filters:
Continued from Page A1
Uskoski said this partic-
ular installation was simple.
Many of these installations
are easy, he added, and they
are within the ability of
DIY-inclined homeowners.
However, this is not the case
for every situation, he said.
“Everyone is a little differ-
ent,” he said.
Installation could, he said,
become complicated at some
homes. And some people, he
added, might lack the ability
or knowledge to perform any
installation at all, even the
“easy” ones.
He said the filtration
systems will need mainte-
nance, including a change of
filters between one and three
years, depending on the level
of nitrates in filtered water.
According to Doherty,
this first installation was
necessary, though many
other homes might be in even
greater need.
“Sad to say, this one was
one of the low ones, at 28
(parts per million),” he said
of Kurtz’s home.
He added different agen-
cies have varying levels of
acceptability. Some groups,
he said, take issue with water
that has nitrate levels over 5
ppm. The new filtration units,
Doherty said, make water
safe to drink; water processed
through them has a negligible
nitrate level in most cases.
“If you get some of those
extremes that we’re getting,
like a 68 or 70, the filters do a
great job, but the higher you
get, the harder it is to pull
down,” he said.
He added the systems still
can reduce nitrates to drink-
Nitrate problems
started years before
Kurtz said she had mostly
avoided drinking her well
water, as she preferred the
taste of bottled water and
flavored drinks. That said, she
has consumed a fair amount
of well water, she said; Kurtz
cooked with it, used it for
making coffee and even swal-
lowed it in her shower.
“It looked like water,” she
said.
It didn’t look as though it
was unsafe to drink, she said,
as it was clear. Kurtz said that
she felt especially protected
by heating it, but she now
knows that boiling the water
doesn’t remove nitrates.
For decades, she drank the
water and believed she was
not in great danger, she said.
In 1978, according to
Kurtz, she moved into her
home. At the time, she tested
the water. She said she was
told that she would be fine
drinking the water if she
used a water softener. Kurtz
Erick Peterson/East Oregonian
Ana Pineyro, Morrow County communicable disease and emergency preparedness coordina-
tor, and Morrow County Commissioner Jim Doherty look at results from a rapid test of drink-
ing water in a Boardman home on July 14, 2022. Prior to the installation of a water filtration
system, water from the kitchen tap had a nitrate level of 28 ppm. After the installation, the
nitrate level was nearly undetectable and safe for drinking.
added that only recently she
learned that a water softener
alone would not make her
water safe.
She said she doesn’t blame
contaminated water for all of
— Gary Klinger, Boardman homeowner
her health woes. Still, she
added, it may have contrib-
uted to some of her problems.
Nitrate consumption has
been linked to ill health in
people with low immunity,
including children, pregnant
women and individuals who
B2H:
Continued from Page A1
Continued from Page A1
“There are only two
places on earth like this:
here and in France. It’s good
drainage for the berries, and
the minerals are good for
their flavor.”
Terri Deleon and Nelly
Ochoa seem to agree. On
Friday, July 15, the two
friends were plucking away
as fast as they could in the
U-pick operation, undeterred
by an evening sun beating
down without mercy.
“It’s something fun to
do,” Deleon said. “I mostly
pick for desserts, my blue-
berry bread and jam.”
Ochoa, who would gather
more than 8 pounds of juicy
goodness, gave a knowing
nod. “My blueberry salad,”
she said. “It’s good.”
This year, the fruit is $4
a pound at the U-pick price,
and most people come to
harvest large quantities for
freezing, Heather Alarcon
said, noting there are about
two more weeks to this
season.
The business also sells
sorted and prepackaged
blueberries.
Bluewind Berry Farm
grows Duke and Chandler
blueberries, chosen for their
pollination compatibility.
The Chandler berry is
known for its sweet and
exceptionally large fruit,
according to World Fresh
Exports Inc., while the Duke
is an early ripening variety
and a “favorite among retail-
ers for its sweet flavor, large
berry size and firmness.”
The varieties take up 2 of
the nearly 10 acres owned by
the Alarcons.
The hope and plan is to
cultivate more. Gabriel Alar-
con just ended his truck-
ing business and expects to
devote his working hours to
the farm operation, he said.
That said, their sons are
not necessarily interested in
farming the fruit, Heather
Alarcon conceded.
“In fact, the oldest one told
“In terms of this being
a normal number — it’s
absolutely not,” ODOE
senior siting analyst Kellen
Tardaewether said. “This
is the biggest case that the
council has ever seen.”
Fourteen parties filed
those exceptions. Though
numbers have changed
since 2020, the remaining
exceptions were reviewed
in the Proposed Contested
Change Order. The PCCO
was completed May 31,
reviews the appeals on the
project and offers a solution
for them.
The time frame already
has passed for any remain-
ing parties to file exceptions
against the project, so now
Tardaewether and her team
can examine the case at
hand. The siting analyst said
this is one of the “biggest,
most complicated” cases
she’s ever seen.
The council will go
over and review the PCCO
at its July 22 meeting.
Tardaewether said the next
meetings will help the coun-
cil reach its final decision.
There is not a scheduled
time for any meetings after
July 22, but the decision
should come in two to four
months.
“For those very curious
about what will happen, just
know we really are working
on it,” Tardaewether said.
The 2022 blueberry crop is
bountiful and delicious, Mil-
ton-Freewater farmers Heath-
er and Gabriel Alarcon say.
BLUEBERRY
BANANA
SMOOTHIE
Heather Alarcon, co-
farmer at Bluewind Berry
Farm, said she whips
these up as a variation of
the banana milkshakes
her mom, Yvonne Oleson,
created.
Three cups of milk or
milk replacement.
One frozen banana.
“The bananas are the
sweetener, so freeze
them when they are a
little older and sweeter.
Peel, chop into 1-inch
chunks and freeze in
bags,” Alarcon said.
“You can also just freeze
the whole banana and
peel before using, but it’s
a chilly process.”
One cup of frozen
Bluewind blueberries.
Add milk to blender,
cover and turn to a high
setting. Add fruit a bit at
a time and blend until
frothy. Serves three to
four.
us from the beginning this was
a bad idea. But he’s the one out
here helping me today.”
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sible people, she said, are long
gone, and they were probably
acting with the best knowl-
edge they had at the time. No
one, she said, could’ve known
that they would have harmed
“I SHOULD BE ABLE TO DRINK FROM MY HOSE
AND NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT.”
Berries:
Sheila Hagar/
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
are already sick.
Pineyro showed up at her
home one day recently and
asked to test the water. Kurtz
welcomed her to do that.
Pineyro said she was going
The opposition
Jim Kreider is one of
the 37 exceptions noted by
Tardaewether and one of the
driving forces against the
B2H line. He and his wife
Fuji Kreider spearhead the
Stop B2H Coalition, a group
that believes Idaho Power
Co. can look into other
options rather than put the
line through the Eastern
Oregon area.
Located outside of La
Grande, the Kreiders said
they believe they know the
area best, claiming Idaho
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door to door, and her visit to
Kurtz was just one of many.
Kurtz said she is happy for
receiving the filter, and she
doesn’t blame any person or
industry for actions they may
have taken to put nitrates in
her water. Many of the respon-
her or anyone else, she said.
Standing at Kur tz’s
bedside, Doherty said he
agreed with her assessment.
He added that companies
doing business in the area
now are operating with better
practices, and they, too, are
concerned about the well-be-
ing of local people.
“Twenty-five or 30 years
ago, when this desert was
blossoming, folks just went
out every year and put on 200
or 300 pounds of nitrogen.
It’s just what they did. Now,
they’ve got precision measur-
ing and dispensing of fertiliz-
ers,” he said. “I think they’re
using best practices.”
Doherty said he favors
action that keeps businesses
open, while also improving
their techniques.
Another Boardman home-
owner, Gary Klinger, said
he received a water filtra-
tion unit, too. According to
Klinger, however, he was
responding to a much lower
nitrate level than Kurtz. He
said county officials tested
his water and found his nitrate
level to be 5 ppm.
For years, he said, he has
used the water for cooking
and drinking, but he “didn’t
think anything about it.” He
thought it was safe.
After hearing about local
concerns about nitrates, he
said, he looked further into
it. According to Klinger,
though some agencies would
consider his water drink-
able, he would rather be safe
than sorry, which is why he
asked for the filtration system,
which was provided free of
charge.
His complaint, he said, is
that the filter is only for his
kitchen. He said he would
prefer a system that would
remove nitrates from all his
water, regardless of where he
received it.
“I should be able to drink
from my hose and not have to
worry about it,” he said. “I’m
grateful for what I have. Don’t
get me wrong. I’d just like it to
be a little different.”
people down,” Fuji Kreider
said. “That’s their tech-
nique, to wear us down.”
A mong t he swat h
of complaints, both the
Kreiders and the coalition
list several other options for
the line, including burying
it underground and increas-
ing the production of other
transmission lines out of
state.
The superhighway
East Oregonian, File
A fence line traces the approximate route of the Boardman
to Hemingway transmission line Feb. 2, 2022, along the
edge of Richard and Jean Hemphill’s family property near
Pilot Rock.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
The Friday, July 22 meeting is from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The
Boardman to Hemingway transmission line is one of many
items on the docket for the council, with others ranging
from wildlife protection to carbon dioxide emissions.
For those interested in attending the meeting, the event
is available online. People who want to participate may
address the council during the public comment portion
and at other designated agenda points. For more infor-
mation, visit www.oregon.gov/energy/facilities-safety/
facilities/Pages/Council-Meetings.aspx.
Power has connected the
residents of La Grande on
this issue.
“It’s become a hotbed
of resistance,” Jim Kreider
said.
The group has met with
state leaders such as U.S.
Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff
Merkley, discussing differ-
ent ideas.
One of the main points of
contingency is the perceived
effect of the climate. The
group claims clearing out
for the project will destabi-
lize soils and increase the
risk for endangered species,
all while being louder than
safety standards for many
households.
These complaints have
not subsided for either the
Kreiders or their many other
partners in the coalition,
though others have waned.
“During the period,
rulings and motions, it wore
Sven Berg is the commu-
nications director at Idaho
Power. He said the company
has dealt with other oppo-
sition groups in the past
— especially from Eastern
Oregon — but they have
come to understand each
other.
Idaho Power is one of
the operators of the B2H
and owns 45% of the line.
Along with PacifiCorp, the
companies hope the line
can become a “clean-energy
superhighway.”
Du r i ng the wi nter
months, Berg said custom-
ers in Portland need more
power to handle the peak.
Another goal for the
company is to increase the
nation’s Western grid, some-
thing increasingly import-
ant as both wind and solar
power continue to rise.
“We have to build the
grid for peak need, not aver-
age need.” Berg said, “We
have to keep homes and
businesses at room tempera-
ture.”
Even with opposition to
the project. Idaho Power’s
goal has not changed since
its filing in 2018. In fact, its
tenacity towards the project
has only gotten stronger.
“The more we study, the
more we are convinced that
this is the best option for the
Pacific Northwest,” Berg
said.
With a response from
the DOE in the coming
months, Berg said Idaho
Power is sticking to its plan
of a 2023 start date. He said
he hopes that by October the
company will get a building
permit across to the Oregon
side of the project.
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