Oregon secures federal funding for further groundwater study in Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area

SALEM, Ore. - The Oregon Water Resources Department will be able to further study groundwater nitrate pollution in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area (LUBGWMA) thanks to $2.6 million in federal funding recently announced by U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden.

The funding will boost the department's efforts to better understand the extent and sources of nitrate pollution, the local hydrogeology, and how groundwater moves throughout the area.

"Access to clean drinking water is a fundamental right that residents in the Lower Umatilla Basin have been fighting for since nitrate levels triggered a groundwater management area designation over 30 years ago," Governor Tina Kotek said. "Our federal delegation's leadership and three years of renewed state, local, and community partnerships have secured new funding and resources that continue to propel immediate, intermediate, and long-term solutions forward."

The recent funding includes:

• $2 million for well inspection and constructing monitoring wells in the LUBGWMA, including design and construction of eight new wells, filling gaps in OWRD's current regional monitoring network with new wells at different aquifer levels.
• $600,000 to complete a groundwater analysis in LUBGWMA, including consumptive water use in the LUBGWMA from 1985-2023.

"We thank U.S. Senators Merkley and Wyden for their dedication and ongoing support to address groundwater data gaps in the Lower Umatilla Basin," said Ivan Gall, Director of the Oregon Water Resources Department. "The funding secured here, along with other federal and state activities, are necessary components to make meaningful progress for people who live and work in the region."

Recently the State of Oregon released the Nitrate Reduction Plan Annual Report, which highlights progress from a multi-agency collaborative effort across state, federal and local governments along with businesses, residents and community groups.

As part of this, OWRD launched a comprehensive backflow education and inspection program to ensure functioning backflow devices are installed on irrigation systems that use groundwater and inject chemicals or fertilizer into the irrigation system. OWRD conducted over 750 inspections at 660 sites throughout the LUBGWMA. At the beginning of the 2025 irrigation season, almost none of inspected irrigation systems were fully in compliance. By the end of September 2025, over 99% were in compliance.

The funding secured by OWRD was part of over $100 million in federal investments recently announced by Sens. Merkley and Wyden. See their media release for more information.