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. All riders should always wear helmets, eye protection,
and protective clothing. Always use seat belts and cab nets or doors (as
equipped). Never engage in stunt driving, and avoid excessive speeds
and sharp turns. Riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix. All riders should take
a safety training course. Call 800-342-3764 for additional information.
Check local laws before riding on trails. ©2021 Polaris Inc.