Water for Eastern Oregon

05/15/2026

We had the opportunity to attend the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission at the SAGE Center in Boardman yesterday and offer public comment on the progress that has been made around water issues in the basin.

Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon DEQ, OWRD, and Oregon Health Authority also provided an informative update on the progress implementing the Nitrate Reduction Plan for the LUBGWMA. You can view and download their presentation here:
https://ormswd2.synergydcs.com/ORMSCMSearchDEQ/Search/RecordViewer.aspx?uri=7060595

03/20/2026

"... these requirements are an important step in showing the public that farmers are responsibly managing nutrients.”

Thank you to OPB for covering this important work.

The new rules follow several years and attempts to address and clean up a decadeslong water pollution problem.

03/11/2026

UPDATED:
As of January 31, 2026, more than 2,100 nitrate tests have been performed, over 290 water treatment systems have been installed, and 621 homes are receiving bottled water delivery. This work was accomplished by boots on the ground efforts like knocking on doors and talking to residents about water quality.

Read more in the new edition of our Flowing Forward series:

For each installment of Flowing Forward, you can expect a transparent and honest analysis of key pieces of the Nitrate Reduction Plan, clean drinking water infrastructure projects, and community outreach efforts that looks at science and facts over ideological claims based on little more than fear t...

03/06/2026

"By formalizing Managing Director services, the Consortium is transitioning from foundational planning to active project implementation — a critical milestone in delivering sustainable, permanent clean water solutions for impacted residents."

Congratulations to Engage2Elevate LLC on joining the Clean Water Consortium. We are looking forward to seeing the important work of this group continue to progress.

Via My Columbia Basin:

BOARDMAN – (News release from Morrow County Clean Water Consortium) The Morrow County Clean Water ...Read More

02/26/2026

Our new blog series Flowing Forward aims to provide a closer and more digestible look, along with expert commentary, on specific areas of progress being made throughout the Basin.

Read the first installment here:

For each installment of Flowing Forward, you can expect a transparent and honest analysis of key pieces of the Nitrate Reduction Plan, clean drinking water infrastructure projects, and community outreach efforts that looks at science and facts over ideological claims based on little more than fear t...

02/11/2026

Great news for the groundwater in the Lower Umatilla Basin. OWRD received over $2.5 million in grants and the state of Oregon has provided its 2025 annual report on the implementation of the Nitrate Reduction Plan.

Read more in our latest blog post:

Water for Eastern Oregon (H2OEO) welcomes the announcement of $2.6 million in new federal funding to support continued groundwater research and protection efforts in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area (LUBGWMA).

01/30/2026

Today, the state released its 2026 progress report for the LUBGWMA Nitrate Reduction Plan. The report highlights the significant efforts the state and stakeholders have undertaken to address groundwater nitrate concentrations in the Lower Umatilla Basin, such as Oregon Department of Agriculture water quality rulemaking development, OWRD well inspections, and DEQ permitting. The report also highlights technological advances being implemented by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Oregon Health Authority to compile groundwater and drinking water data. As of January 1, OHA has conducted more than 2,000 drinking water tests and has installed 289 filtration systems in households. H2OEO has been providing feedback and support on the Nitrate Reduction Plan since its development in September 2024. The state is currently seeking feedback on the Nitrate reduction Plan, with comments requested by February 10: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=Mmk_qnz6tEegzqWYytFhz7TvnBVwttpNmOBDxkOZaYhUN1ZSMzJFU1FGVUNaT0U4SFM4VkNIRjU5VCQlQCN0PWcu&route=shorturl

Read about progress being made and view the whole report in the Oregon DEQ press release:
https://apps.oregon.gov/oregon-newsroom/OR/DEQ/Posts/Post/state-of-oregon-releases-first-annual-progress-report-for-lubgwma-nitrate-reduction-plan

01/20/2026

The city of Boardman is seeking input from our community on their drinking water protection efforts. This Wednesday, there is an opportunity to attend a public meeting to learn about their Source Water Protection Plan.

Register to join the meeting:

Wed, Jan 21 2026, 6 - 7pm GoogleOutlook (ical) Back to Calendar The City of Boardman invites you to attend a public meeting to learn about our Source Water Protection Plan under development and to provide input. Community input during the Source Water Protection Plan development process will help in...

01/19/2026

The "color of water" legislation is a win-win for our region. If passed, it will improve water conservation and aquifer recharge measures because water will be easier to shift from irrigators who don’t need it to those who do, reducing their reliance on groundwater pumping.

Read more in the East Oregonian:

Oregon irrigators want to lower the bureaucratic hurdles for distributing water from the Columbia River, arguing that increasing regulatory flexibility will boost aquifer recharge efforts.

01/12/2026

The Oregon Department of Agriculture wrapped its public comment period for the proposed water quality rulemaking in the LUBGWMA on December 22nd. Public comment on the state's Nitrate Reduction Plan for the LUBGWMA is still open.

Read more about both of these in our latest blog post:

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Agriculture, and Water Resources Department are seeking comments on the state's Nitrate Reduction Plan for the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area.

12/31/2025

Thank you to everyone who worked collaboratively throughout this past year to find responsible long-term solutions to ensure everyone in the Lower Umatilla Basin has access to clean drinking water. We are looking forward to working with local and state partners to make more progress in 2026.