LOCAL: Several wounded in Milton-Freewater shooting | PAGE A5
TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2022
146th Year, No. 105
OHS seeks
$800,000
to help
Boardman
residents
Commissioner Jim
Doherty pushes back
on claims about what
the state is doing
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
BOARDMAN — Boardman
residents needing better water
fi lters and more well testing due
to nitrate contamination could get
state help this fall.
The Oregon Health Author-
ity plans to ask the Legislature’s
Emergency Board in September
for $800,000 to help address the
water crisis in northern Morrow
County.
Morrow County Commis-
sioner Jim Doherty, however,
sought a bigger contribution from
the state.
Doherty on Aug. 11 sent a letter
to Rep. Greg smith, R-Heppner, to
ask the governor and Emergency
Board for $4 million in the Oregon
Health Authority or Oregon
Department of Environmental
Quality budgets to “implement an
in-depth and culturally relevant
community outreach, education
and communications strategy to
address immediate, short term
and ongoing public health eff orts
in the Lower Columbia Basin as a
result of high and extremely high
nitrate levels in domestic wells.”
Doherty said since he made
that request, Smith reported Gov.
Kate Brown requested $800,000
for well water monitoring and
better fi lters.
$1.50
WINNER OF THE 2022 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
On the green,
in the green
Wildhorse CEO
says Epson Tour
event will have
wide-ranging
positive eff ects
Left: Wildhorse Resort and Casino
CEO Gary George stands outside the
clubhouse at Wildhorse Golf Course in
Mission on Aug. 11, 2022. George was
instrumental in helping Wildhorse
land a spot on the Epson Tour, which
starts Monday, Aug. 29.
Isabella Crowley/The Observer
The need for better fi lters
Erica Heartquist is the commu-
nication offi cer for OHA’s Public
Health Division. She explained
Morrow County and its partners
have distributed point-of-use
water fi lters — that is, systems
that attach to a drinking water tap
in the home — that don’t fi lter out
enough nitrates.
“Post-installation testing
of several systems by Morrow
County found that all systems
reduced nitrates, but some did not
reduce levels below the Environ-
mental Protection Agency health
advisory level of 10 milligrams
per liter of water,” according
to Heartquist. “Such systems
may also reduce other common
domestic well water contami-
nants, such as bacteria and lead.
OHA’s request to the legisla-
tive Emergency Board will be
for point-of-use water fi ltration
systems that are specifically
certified to reduce nitrates to
levels at or below 10 mg/l.”
See Boardman, Page A6
Kathy Aney/East Oregonian, File
Jim White, of Pendleton, tees off March 31, 2022, at the Wildhorse
Golf Course, which Sept. 2-4 hosts the Wildhorse Ladies Classic,
the 17th stop on the Epson Tour’s 2022 schedule, welcoming
professional female golfers from all over the United
States and more than 30 countries.
By ISABELLA CROWLEY
The Observer
M
ISSION — Wildhorse Golf
Course expects to draw more
than 2,000 people to the
Pendleton area at the end of
August for a weeklong golf tournament
that culminates with the fi rst Ladies
Professional Golf Association
qualifying tournament in Oregon.
The Wildhorse Ladies Classic, an Epson Tour event, will
be Sept. 2-4 at Wildhorse Golf Course. According to Gary
George, CEO of Wildhorse Resort & Casino, the golf course
will host a stop on the tour for two years with the option for
a third.
“This is the inaugural event, so we’re pretty excited about
it,” he said.
Following the attempted robbery turned shootout on
Aug. 17, the Umatilla Tribal Police Department informed
Wildhorse that there is no on-going threat to the resort,
casino or community.
“To our knowledge, there are no specifi c threats directed
toward the Epson Tour or specifi c players, but WRC Security
will be prepared to deal with any situation,” George said.
According to George, there already was an Epson Tour
Security Preparedness plan in place for the tournament to miti-
gate a number of potential threats.
Wildhorse security, tribal police and emergency medical
service will be onsite for the entire week of the tournament.
Driving the economy and
international media exposure
There are 132 contestants competing in the Epson Tour
during the stop in Umatilla County. Each contestant is
supported by an entourage of three to fi ve individuals, which
means the tournament is bringing upwards of 600 people to
the Pendleton area just with players, staff support and family
members.
George said he believes a lot of people from the surrounding
area will make the day trip or weekend trip to enjoy the tour-
nament, further increasing the number of people.
The economics will not be limited to Wildhorse Resort &
Casino, but will spill over to local business, George said. Tour-
nament organizers put together a fact sheet for players with
hotels, restaurants and other stores.
See Epson Tour, Page A6