Drinking Water

In a recent city council meeting, some residents and one councilman suggested the issue be put before the voters, but the mayor said constituents had asked the council to make the decision.

The Salem City Council unanimously approved an emergency declaration Monday night to help it prepare for a potential drinking water shortfall next year.

A plan to help endangered salmon could put the drinking water that close to 200,000 Salem residents and business customers rely on at risk. It could also have drastic impacts on Salem’s water filtration system and could limit firefighting resources in the region.

City officials say the reservoir drawdown could pose a threat to local drinking water and firefighting resources.

With nitrate pollution in the Lower Umatilla Basin’s groundwater showing little sign of slowing down, Morrow County is moving forward with a more immediate solution: connecting affected residents to public water systems.

Defendants argue that the new state plan means federal courts don’t need to get involved.

The city of Vancouver is less than a quarter of the way to securing enough funding to mitigate toxic “forever chemicals” from its drinking water by 2029.

Oregon released its Nitrate Reduction Plan, an eight-year multi-agency effort to reduce nitrate contamination in Morrow and Umatilla counties by 2031.

The city of Kennewick, Washington, has found “forever chemicals” in its drinking water. These PFAs chemicals can be harmful to your health.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek promises "a new day" to residents affected by three-decade nitrate crisis in Eastern Oregon’s Lower Umatilla Basin.