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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (May 11, 2022)
Lexington celebrates 2nd annual May Day 50¢ VOL. 141 NO. 19 10 Pages Wednesday, May 11, 2022 Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon County talks strategy on nitrate drinking water problem By David Sykes Morrow County has begun mapping a plan to attack the problem of high nitrate levels found in drinking water around the Boardman area. The con- tamination is showing up in wells used for drinking water, and is not a problem for treated city water. At last week’s coun- ty commissioner meet- ing, nearly one-and-a-half hours was spent hearing from experts and others, not only of Morrow Coun- ty’s nitrate problems, but also those of the Yakima Valley, which is experienc- ing similar contamination. A recent $1.3 million fine by the Department of Environmental Qual- ity (DEQ) on the Port of Morrow for excess nitrate application to farmland, spurred the heightened re- newed interest in high ni- trates levels in north coun- ty. While nitrogen does exist naturally in the soil, higher levels, sometimes caused by animal waste, or, in the case of the port recycled water from food processing plants, can cause serious health prob- lems when consumed by humans, especially preg- nant women and their un- born babies. As part of last week’s meeting, commissioners heard results from a recent survey done by county health department officials and others, including Com- missioner Jim Doherty, who went door-to-door in the Boardman area asking questions about water us- age. They asked if people were drinking or buying their water, did they have nitrate filters, health con- cerns that mimicked ni- trate symptoms, and was anyone at the residence pregnant? The county also paid for some water testing in the area. Twenty-seven of those test results were provided to the Heppner Gazette-Times, and, out of those, only two were un- der the safe drinking level of 10 mg/l or milligrams to a liter. The testing was done by KUO, a commer- cial water testing lab in Umatilla which reported the highest measurement of nitrate was 51.2 mg/l. Doherty said in a letter to the editor in this week’s paper he was “surprised” when he was contacted directly by the lab. “The lab technician indicated that if, and when, the re- sults pose an extreme and immediate health concern, that they are duty bound to reach out and forewarn the unsuspecting consumer, so Jean Mendoza of Yakima speaks to commissioners that they might suspend any usage of the water for fear of medical concerns,” Doherty says in his letter. As part of last week’s meeting, Doherty invited Jean Mendoza of Yaki- ma to speak to the com- missioners. Mendoza has extensive experience re- searching and studying a similar nitrate ground wa- ter contamination problem in the Yakima Valley. She has served on the ground- water management board there and is currently a member of the Friends of Toppenish Creek. Mendoza says the con- tamination there can be traced to five large dairies in the area and that her group has experienced “push back” from indus- try groups about how to solve the contamination. She said commercial farm- ing fertilizers have also contribute to the nitrate contamination in drinking water. Mendoza said while the contamination is well documented and does ex- ist, there has been no “po- litical will” to correct the problem. Also speaking to the commissioners was Em- ily Roberts, CEO of the Morrow County Health District. Roberts had been asked to partner with the county Health Department (two separate entities), and provide funding for well water testing. She said the Health District had already set aside money to do testing on the 1,500 private drinking wells she has identified all across Morrow County, and not just the Boardman area. She said at $140 per test the district wants to make testing an annual process and something long term. In addition to nitrates, the tests would also reveal the presence of arsenic and co- liform. “As part of the Dis- trict’s mission to achieve a healthier Morrow County, the District proposes to ini- tiate a free well water test- ing program countywide in partnership with Morrow County,” the Health Dis- trict said in its proposal letter. Also at the meeting was JR Cook, the found- er and director of the Northeast Oregon Water Association. He is an ex- pert on water usage in the area especially in what is known as the Lower Uma- tilla Basin Groundwater Management Area (LUB- GMA) where the high concentrations of nitrates are mainly found. The area spans about 352,000 acres covering northern Mor- row and parts of Umatilla counties, including Herm- iston, Boardman, Irrigon, Stanfield and Echo. The state has been aware of the high nitrate concentrations since at least 1989 when the LUBGMA was estab- lished. Cook said humans were not always the cause of high nitrate levels in drinking water. In addition to water testing, commissioners also talked about various filtration systems available that remove nitrates from drinking water. They range all the way from under sink filters that only service one faucet in the house and are available for around $200, up to more expensive ones that fit on wells and filter all the water. Those can run up to $4,000. Com- missioner Don Russell said he lives in the affected area and when his water tested at 15.2 parts per million, he purchased an under the sink model from Amazon that reduced the nitrate level to 1.2 parts per mil- lion. He said he installed the filter himself and it did not require any special plumbing skills. He added that he tests his water ev- ery two to three years. It was also brought up that cooking with high ni- trate water can be a health risk, and boiling does not remove the contaminate. Mendoza earlier said giv- ing high nitrate concen- trated water to animals can also be bad for their health. Doherty and county Com- municable Disease Coor- dinator Ana Pineyro, when going door to door, one of the questions they asked was how many people pur- chased their drinking wa- ter. Many people did, at a cost of between $80 up to $300 a month for bottled water. Cori Jo Lindsay to perform in Cinderella Those who wish to purchase tickets may email Cori Jo’s moth- er, Leanne, at leanne. lindsay@icloud.com, and indicate how many adults and how many children before Sun- day, May 15. She says she can get tickets, so people don’t have to make an extra trip to Pendleton or risk the show being sold out. Lexington has expe- rienced another great year for their May Day Celebra- tion. Though the weather was less than optimal, they pushed forward and had a great day. It was a day full of excitement, fami- ly, friends, neighbors and newcomers. Grand Marshal Asher, aka “Super Blue Thun- der” had a glorious day. He started the day off with receiving his very special costume made by some lo- cal 4-H sewing club mem- bers. He sported the look all day, wielding his blue lightsaber and laughing at every turn. Asher and his mom started the pack for the first 5K run/walk, which had a great group turn out. The Lexington Fire Depart- ment also put on a great breakfast to fuel everyone for the day ahead. There were kids’ ac- tivities including a bouncy house that thankfully could still be done with the wind that was blowing. The community rallied in many ways to ensure it was safe and fun for the kids. Home- town Tacos, Pappy’s, and Quality Concessions pro- vided a wonderful variety of food as well as some great Kettle Corn from Olde Tyme Kettle Korn. Pioneer Memorial Hospice also had an activity that was greatly appreciated. There were many do- nations of pies, desserts and raffle items to help raise money for Asher. That part was a huge suc- cess and we raised well over what we originally planned so that we could buy the special chair for him. The town appreciates everyone that came out for the event, as well as all the participants in the parade. The community members that worked hard to pull this off leading up to and during the event were amazing. The last minute “can you do?” or “I need help” requests were answered readily with no question or complaint. There was lots of ex- tremely positive feedback on the day and what appre- ciation for what Lexington is trying to establish for the town and residents. “It is all about community, fam- ily and celebration. Folks came and stayed, visited while kids ran and bounced and played games. Friends and family played corn hole and the laughter and friendly banter was a great thing to witness,” stated Mayor Juli Kennedy. “As the mayor of Lex- ington, I want to thank all of you for your support. The council and I are excit- ed for the things we have done and look forward to what great things our com- munity will continue to do in the future,” continued Kennedy. “Finally, on behalf of Asher’s family, which includes parents, sisters, grandparents, aunts, un- cles, cousins, and friends we give our heartfelt ap- preciation for everyone in- volved in this event. To say how amazing our commu- nity is would be an under- statement,” Kennedy told the Gazette. Mayor Ken- nedy is also grand marshal Asher’s grandmother. See page 10 for May Day Photos E L E VAT E YO U R A DV E N T U R E Cori Jo Lindsay CALL 541-989-8221 ext 204 NEW 2022 FOR Cori Jo Lindsay, the daughter of Joe and Le- anne Lindsay, will per- form as Cinderella in the ballet “Cinderella” at the Bob Clapp Theatre at Blue Mountain Community College, Pendleton, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 26, and Friday, May 27, and Sunday, May 28, at 2 p.m. Cori Jo, who attends Baker Web Academy/ho- meschool, has been in bal- let since she was three. May Day Grand Marshal, Asher Schonbachler, waits for the start of the parade in Lexington on Saturday -contributed photo for more information CHECK OUT THE ALL-NEW 2 0 2 2 P O L A R I S L I N E U P. WE’LL HELP YOU LOCK I N W H AT Y O U W A N T. WARNING: Polaris ® off‑road vehicles can be hazardous to operate and are not intended for on‑road use. Driver must be at least 16 years old with a valid driver’s license to operate. Passengers, if permitted, must be at least 12 years old. 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