BOARDMAN — The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality on Jan. 11 announced it fined the Port of Morrow in Boardman $1.3 million for repeatedly over-applying agricultural wastewater on nearby farms in an area with elevated levels of groundwater nitrates.

Port of Morrow Executive Director Ryan Neal said the port takes the matter seriously and was working to develop a long-term solution to the problem for the benefit of port industries, local farmers and the region.

Neal suffered a heart attack and died Jan. 17. He was 40.

The Port of Morrow is Oregon’s second-largest port, behind only the Port of Portland. It is in the Umatilla Basin of Northeastern Oregon, where in 1990 the state declared a groundwater management area due to high levels of groundwater nitrates exceeding 7 milligrams per liter.

Investigative reporting revealed the DEQ knowingly let the port pollute year after year, contributing to drinking water contamination for thousands.

The reporting showed the port from 2007-09 violated its wastewater application permit 42 times, applying an excess of 3,670 pounds of nitrogen per acre on fields across three farms. The DEQ imposed no fine.

Research from the National Cancer Institute reports consuming water with nitrate up to even 5 parts per million over long periods of time can increase the risk of colon cancer, stomach cancer and several other cancers.

DEQ in 2015 fined the port $129,000 for violations in 2012-14 as the port again sought to expand acreage for its disposal program. A fine of $8,400 came in 2016 for building a wastewater storage pond without state permission.

Between 2018 and 2021, regulators found the port violated its water quality permit more than 1,000 times by regularly over-applying the recycled water on fields growing crops such as corn, potatoes and onions.

Morrow County on June 9 declared an emergency in response to contaminated drinking water and distributed bottled water to affected residents. The DEQ on June 17 announced it increased the $1.3 million penalty to a little more than $2.1 million.

The county began installing 350 water filters in homes for Boardman area residents who relied on well water. More than 100 Boardman residents attended a meeting Sept. 15 to demand the state guarantee access to safe drinking water in Morrow County.

An interpreter read testimony from Maria Elena Martinez, a mother of six, who suffered two miscarriages in recent years. Her tap water was tested and came back with a result of 26 parts per million of nitrate, more than double the safe legal limit.

“No one had ever warned me about the danger,” she said. “Something must be done to protect our communities.”

The outcry over the nitrate pollution spurred the DEQ on Nov. 4 to appoint new members for the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area committee to address the mounting concerns about hazardous nitrate contamination in local drinking water.

The port on Dec. 2 announced the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality granted a modification to the port’s permit for using industrial wastewater. To comply with the permit, the port has to complete major wastewater infrastructure upgrades, including building new wastewater storage lagoons with a 1.5-billion-gallon capacity by Nov. 1, 2026.

The port reported it would invest $150 million to $200 million to comply with a modified permit for using industrial wastewater.

Port of Morrow Executive Director Lisa Mittelsdorf said the port is responsible for having created a small amount of local nitrate pollution. Even so, she said, the port is “committed to cleaning up our water” and is committed to good stewardship.

“I think the message we want to send is that our industry is well aware of the commitments that the port will be making and that we intend to get this done,” she said.

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