Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, August 3, 2022 -- SEVEN
Harvest Report
Senators announce funding to
‘Lot of grain out there this year’ test wells
The North Lex elevator last week, a couple days after filling up and wheat began going on
the ground.
With wheat harvest
well underway in Morrow
County, reports from the
field show a very good crop
this year. “There’s a lot of
grain out there this year,
especially compared to
last year’s drought reduced
crop,” Morrow County
Grain Growers General
Manager Kevin Gray told
the Gazette-Times. Gray
said compared to last year’s
drought reduced crop farm-
ers are seeing yields above
average, “with some that
are just excellent,” he em-
phasized.
Gray said the quality
this year is good too. “The
soft white wheat quality
has been really good with
lower protein, which our
Asian customers like, and
excellent test weights,” he
reported. “Speaking of test
weights, we’ve seen them
as high as 66 lbs. per bush-
el, which says that growing
conditions during seed fill
were ideal and which pro-
duced very dense kernels,”
he explained.
Harvest is running a
little bit later than usual
this year, Gray says. “With
the cool, wet weather this
spring, harvest was about
ten days later than normal in
getting started. I anticipate
that many of our customers
north of Ione should fin-
ish up with harvest by the
middle of August,” he said.
Gray says wheat producers
south of Ione will most
likely be harvesting into
late August, while many
growers towards Condon
will most likely be going
into September to get fin-
ished up.
Oregon Senators Ron
Wyden and Jeff Merkley
announced they have se-
cured funding that will go to
Morrow County and Uma-
tilla County to help with the
nitrate contamination in ru-
ral domestic well drinking
water. The congressional
direct spending allocation
will be used to test wells
and to study longer term
solutions and options for
rural residents who rely on
individual wells for their
drinking water.
“This federal funding
will help Morrow County
move beyond the short-
term nitrate emergency and
help us work towards lon-
ger term solutions. The Sen-
ators support during the ni-
trate emergency has been so
valuable. This new source
of significant funding will
allow Morrow County to
develop a standardized
data and testing program to
monitor rural wells and also
study long term solutions
to clean drinking water for
rural residents. I appreciate
the collaboration with our
Umatilla County Commis-
sioners and look forward
to working together” said
Morrow County Commis-
sioner Melissa Lindsay.
Commissioner Lindsay and
Commissioner Dorran of
Umatilla County worked
with a staff of individu-
als from both counties to
make the request of federal
dollars.
This is welcomed sup-
port,” said Morrow County
Commission Chair Jim
Doherty, who, in consort
with staff, has spent count-
less hours over the past few
months directly involved
in the emergency efforts to
test water in households and
provide them with clean
drinking water. However,
according to Commissioner
Doherty, “Morrow County
will continue to vigilantly
push the State of Oregon for
long-term, permanent sup-
port to remedy the negative
health effects of high nitrate
levels in rural domestic
wells.” Since the emergen-
cy declaration we are finally
receiving attention and re-
sources from state agencies.
The Lower Umatilla Basin
Groundwater Management
Area (LUBGWMA) has
been in place for almost
40 years and not until the
declaration have we had
support from the Oregon
Health Authority and the
Oregon Department of En-
vironmental Quality.”
Morrow and Umatilla
County have participated
in the LUBGWMA volun-
teer committee since 1990
when the state declared
the area due to high levels
of nitrates. The LUBGW-
MA committee is currently
in the process of imple-
menting the Second Ac-
tion Plan, designed to re-
duce nitrate contamination
from a number of sources,
septic systems, fertilizer,
land application of waste
water, washout from the
Umatilla Army Depot and
feedlots. Funding for the
LUBGWMA has been al-
most non-existent over the
years, primarily in the form
of a part time employee to
test a small sample of wells.
In addition to the LUB-
GWMA committee, Uma-
tilla and Morrow County,
together with help from
stakeholders, were able to
secure direct legislative
funding to more scien-
tifically study the source
of nitrate contamination.
Known as the LUBGWMA
Subcommittee, the bi-coun-
ty effort will soon have an
OSU scientist working on
a study of historical data.
“Commissioner Lindsay
has advocated tirelessly for
the research and has been
actively involved in the
subcommittee efforts,” said
Chair Doherty.
“We are getting closer
to where we need to be
to address the short term
and long-term groundwater
problems. Our immediate
priority is public health
and ensuring rural residents
have clean, safe, potable
water. We remain vigilant,
however, in our commit-
ment to study the sources of
pollution and to seek long
term remedies. We sincere-
ly appreciate the support of
Senator Wyden and Senator
Merkley and their staff.”
dle-type dog at Three-Mile
Canyon Farms in Board-
man. MCSO retrieved the
dog and transported it to
Pet Rescue.
-MCSO received report
of a physical fight of around
six individuals at the splash
pad in Boardman.
-MCSO received a re-
quest from a subject on
S.W. Wyoming in Irrigon as
to how to proceed after his
dog killed his neighbor’s
chickens. MCSO made
contact and advised him
of the steps that needed to
be taken
-MCSO received re-
quest for extra patrol at the
Ione City Park for subjects
spinning cookies on the
grass.
-MCSO received re-
quest for extra patrol for
criminal mischief at the
Oregon Department of Fish
& Wildlife on Hwy. 74,
Heppner.
-MCSO received re-
quest for extra patrol on
Hwy. 74, Irrigon, concern-
ing thefts and/or tampering.
-MCSO completed ve-
hicle checks at the Umatilla
National Wildlife Refuge,
Irrigon, and Silver Creek
Contracting on Hwy. 74,
Heppner.
Sheriff’s Report
The Morrow County Sheriff’s Office has released the following information:
July 14: Morrow
County Sheriff’s Office re-
ceived a report of a dog near
Pettyjohn’s that is barking
and has been a nuisance for
a long time.
-MCSO officer report-
ed two possible disabled
vehicles at Paterson Ferry
Rd. and Hwy. 730, Irrigon.
-MCSO received report
from a Heppner subject that
someone had used their
credit card for under $5
at a store in Heppner and
then tried to make a bigger
purchase for $187 that was
canceled. The owner can-
celed the card and tried to
advise the store authorities,
but they told her that she
had to make a report with
her local agency first.
-MCSO received report
from the Irrigon Shell Sta-
tion that a person in a green
Honda had been parked
there about an hour and
seemed intoxicated. MCSO
responded and determined
that the driver was waiting
to meet the PO and did not
appear intoxicated.
-MCSO received report
of a loose Palomino horse
on Hwy. 74, south of Cecil.
MCSO was unable to locate
the horse.
-MCSO received report
of a domestic disturbance
on California Lane in Ir-
rigon, with the wife being
abusive toward the hus-
band and the reporter who
worked for adult protective
services. She was reported
to be pushing the caller.
-MCSO received re-
quest for a behavioral
health transport for a fe-
male patient to Cedar Hills
Hospital in Portland.
-MCSO received report
of people parking their
truck in a no-parking zone
on Court St. near Hager.
MCSO responded but re-
ported that there were no
No Parking signs.
-MCSO received report
of two Husky dogs with
Doberman coloring missing
on Kangaroo Court Lane in
Irrigon.
-MCSO received report
of a motor vehicle accident
on Hwy. 207 in Lexington
with a vehicle, not on its
wheels, blocking one land.
MCSO, Oregon State Po-
lice, Heppner Ambulance,
Ione Fire Department and
Heppner Fire responded.
The patient refused trans-
port.
-MCSO received report
of a domestic disturbance
and request for emergency
medical services to check
on a screaming child in a
vehicle on I-84 Boardman.
-MCSO received re-
quest for a deer to be picked
up on Highway 74, Hep-
Nursery Sale
20% off all Perennials,
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Morrow County Grain Growers Green Feed & Seed
Heppner - 242 W Linden Way - 541-676-9422
The City of Heppner will be
mailing out the annual
Drinking Water Quality Report
this week.
The report can also be found at
cityofheppner.org
pner. The call was referred
to another agency.
-MCSO received re-
port from a subject that his
nephew, who was on proba-
tion and has warrants, was
seen walking by Hermiston
Glass.
-MCSO received report
from a Lexington resident
that someone took out his
mailbox and he suspects it
was his neighbor by the tire
tracks seen. The incident is
under investigation.
-MCSO received report
of a brown Jeep Cherokee
speeding down S.E. Utah
Ave in Irrigon, heading
toward 10th.
-MCSO received report
from a subject at the Mor-
row County Government
Center in Irrigon that a male
in a grey pickup came by,
slurring his words and ap-
pearing intoxicated. MCSO
was advised but was out of
position.
-MCSO received re-
port of a stray brown poo-
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