MORROW COUNTY
Wednesday, august 10, 2022
HeRMIstOnHeRaLd.COM • A11
Merkley, Wyden, secure $1.7M for water crisis
Hermiston Herald
Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and
Jeff Merkley announced July 29 they
secured $1.7 million for Morrow
County to address drinking water
contamination in Boardman.
The money comes from the fiscal
year 2023 Senate appropriations bill.
Merkley, as chair of the Senate Interior
Appropriations subcommittee, along
with Wyden, identified the funding
for this critical community-initiated
project that will help residents of
Morrow and Umatilla counties have
greater access to clean drinking water.
Morrow County in a statement re-
ported the funds will pay for the test-
ing of wells and to study longer-term
solutions and options for rural resi-
dents 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 longer term
solutions,” Morrow County Com-
missioner Melissa Lindsay said in a
press release. “The senators’ support
during the nitrate emergency has been
so valuable. This new source of sig-
nificant funding will allow Morrow
County to develop a standardized data
and testing program to monitor rural
wells and also study long term solu-
tions to clean drinking water for
rural residents.”
Erick Peterson/Hermiston Herald, File
Ana Pineyro, Morrow County communicable disease and emergency preparedness co-
ordinator, and Morrow County Commissioner Jim Doherty look at results from a rapid
test July 14, 2022, on drinking water in a Boardman home. U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and
Ron Wyden announced July 29 they secured $1.7 million for testing wells and to study
longer-term solutions to the Boardman water problems and options for rural residents
who rely on individual wells for their drinking water.
She also said she appreciated the
collaboration with the Umatilla
County Board of Commissioners. She
and Umatilla County Commissioner
Dan Dorran worked with staff from
both counties to make the request for
federal dollars.
Morrow County Commission Chair
Jim Doherty in the press release called
the funding “welcomed support.”
Doherty and staff have spent many
hours the past few months directly
involved in the emergency efforts to
test water in households and provide
them with clean drinking water. How-
ever, he said, “Morrow County will
continue to vigilantly push the state
of Oregon for long-term, permanent
support to remedy the negative health
effects of high nitrate levels in rural
domestic wells.”
Morrow County Board of Commis-
sioners on June 9 declared an emer-
gency over the contamination. The
move came in the wake of the Oregon
Department of Environmental Quality
in January issuing a $1.3 million fine
against the Port of Morrow in Board-
man for years of violating its waste-
water permit and allowing hundreds
of tons of excess nitrogen onto area
farmlands above the already contam-
inated basin. The DEQ on June 17 in-
creased that fine to $2.1 million.
“Since the emergency declaration,
we are finally receiving attention and
resources from state agencies,” accord-
ing to Doherty. “The Lower Umatilla
Basin Groundwater Management
Area 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 De-
partment of Environmental Quality.”
Morrow and Umatilla County have
participated in the LUBGWMA vol-
unteer committee since 1990 when the
state declared the area due to high lev-
els of nitrates. The LUBGWMA com-
mittee is in the process of implement-
ing the Second Action Plan to reduce
nitrate contamination from a number
of sources, septic systems, fertilizer,
land application of wastewater, wash-
out from the Umatilla Army Depot
and feedlots, according to the press
release. Funding for the LUBGWMA
has been almost nonexistent, pri-
marily in the form of a part-time em-
ployee to test a small sample of wells.
In addition to the LUBGWMA
committee, Umatilla and Morrow
counties, together with help from
stakeholders, were able to secure di-
rect legislative funding to more sci-
entifically study the source of nitrate
contamination, the press release
stated. Known as the LUBGWMA
Subcommittee, the bi-county effort
soon will have an Oregon State Uni-
versity scientist working on a study of
historical data.
Doherty also credited Lindsay for
advocating for the research and her
involvement in the subcommittee ef-
forts.
“We are getting closer to where we
need to be to address the short-term
and long-term groundwater prob-
lems,” he stated. “Our immediate pri-
ority is public health and ensuring ru-
ral residents have clean, safe, potable
water. We remain vigilant however, in
our commitment to study the sources
of pollution and to seek long term
remedies. We sincerely appreciate
the support of Sen. Wyden and Sen.
Merkley and their staff.”
Boardman bans psilocybin, approves emergency medical services
BY JOHN TILLMAN
Hermiston Herald
Boardman City Council at its meet-
ing Aug. 2 banned psilocybin manufac-
ture and service centers in the city.
Rick Stokoe, assistant city manger
and police chief, explained Resolution
No. 17-2022 further referred prohibi-
tion of the hallucinogenic fungal drug
to voters on the November general
election ballot. Umatilla County, Pend-
leton and Hermiston previously ad-
opted bans on psilocybin and referred
them to the electorate.
While Oregon voters statewide ap-
proved psilocybin manufacture and
service in 2020, Umatilla and Morrow
County opposed the measure by nearly
two to one. The law allows cities, coun-
ties and other local jurisdictions to ban
psilocybin production and distribution
within their boundaries, if approved by
voters.
Morrow County staff drafted an or-
dinance in July to implement a psilocy-
bin ban and refer the matter to the vot-
ers. The county board had previously
expressed its desire to refer to voters
whether psilocybin manufacturing and
centers should be allowed in the county.
The board held a public hearing July
13 on the ordinance and adopted it,
banning psilocybin manufacture and
service in the county. Referring the
matter to the voters is on the agenda for
the Aug. 10 meeting, Morrow County
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Sheriff’s Office catches homicide, kidnapping suspect
Hermiston Herald
Morrow County sheriff ’s
deputies the night of Thurs-
day, Aug. 4, caught a Washing-
ton homicide and kidnapping
suspect.
Franklin County Sheriff ’s
Office in Washington reported
its deputies the evening of
Aug. 4 received a third-party
report of a missing female
who may have been dead in
the area of First Avenue in the
hamlet of Mesa, Washington.
Deputies found the body
near a residence and discov-
ered two children younger
than 12 were missing from the
home and likely in danger.
“Deputies quickly suspected
foul play and detectives were
activated,” according to the
Franklin County Sheriff ’s Of-
fice.
That night at about
11:30 p.m. Morrow County
sheriff ’s deputies near Irrigon
located a vehicle related to the
homicide and kidnapping in-
vestigation in Mesa. Inside the
vehicle, deputies discovered a
suspect and the two missing
children, who were unharmed.
Deputies took the female
suspect into custody, Franklin
County also reported, and she
will make an initial court ap-
pearance in Oregon.
The sheriff ’s office handed
over the two children to the
Oregon Department of Hu-
man Services until authori-
ties can locate their relatives.
The Washington State Patrol
Crime Scene Response Team
will be assisting detectives
with processing the crime
scene in Mesa, and Oregon
State Police is assisting with
the vehicle in Irrigon.
Franklin County Sheriff ’s
Office also asked anyone
with information related
to this case to contact detec-
tives at 509-405-5131 or
509-792-2448.
District Attorney Justin Nelson said.
Stokoe also said the adopted an in-
tergovernmental agreement for emer-
gency medical services between the city
and Boardman Fire Rescue District.
“Boardman Fire and Rescue doesn’t
yet have a transport license,” Stokoe
said, “but will provide EMS response
for the city.”
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