SALEM — Ana Maria Rodriguez dipped a small nitrate test strip into a jar of water collected from her well near Boardman in rural northeast Oregon.

Within seconds, the strip turned a bright shade of pink — indicating high levels of nitrate, a toxic chemical that can cause potentially serious health risks if consumed in excess.

The demonstration was part of a gathering April 17 outside the state capitol in Salem, where residents and community activists demanded action from Gov. Tina Kotek to address longstanding groundwater pollution in the Lower Umatilla Basin.

They called on Kotek to declare a public health emergency for the area in northern Umatilla and Morrow counties, and provide clean drinking water for homes with tainted wells.

“We want to see the authorities step up and do their part,” Rodriguez said. “It feels like the only one that’s done their job is the nitrate, affecting our health.”

Seven residents with contaminated wells made the 200-mile trip to meet with lawmakers and raise awareness of the issue, led by Oregon Rural Action, a La Grande-based nonprofit that has spearheaded outreach.

Officials have known about the situation since 1990, when the state Department of Environmental Quality designated the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Area for elevated nitrate levels.

The Oregon Health Authority estimates there are 4,500 private wells within the area providing water for about 12,000 people.

Yet progress has been frustratingly slow for residents, who worry they have been drinking water with unhealthy nitrate levels for years without knowing it.

Morrow County commissioners declared a groundwater emergency in 2022 after DEQ fined the Port of Morrow $2.1 million for repeatedly over-applying wastewater collected from food processors and other businesses at its industrial park near Boardman, which is used to irrigate nearby farms.

Volunteers from Oregon Rural Action have spent the last year going door-to-door testing water from 540 wells. Of those, 40% exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency’s safe drinking water limit of 10 milligrams per liter for nitrate.

Those who came to Salem brought with them jars of water tested from their own wells, each labeled with their nitrate concentration ranging from 18.5 milligrams per liter to 46.6 milligrams per liter, nearly five times the EPA threshold.

“We’re tired of poisoning ourselves and our children with this water that we’ve been drinking for 30 years that nobody warned us about,” said Boardman resident Mike Brandt. “We need all the support we can get, because we’re all volunteers.”

Carlos Jimenez, who has lived in Boardman for 22 years, said his well has tested four times over the safe drinking water limit for nitrate.

“Our community needs information,” Jimenez said. “We need to be able to test every person’s well.”

About 80% of wells in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area, or LUBGWMA, remain untested.

On April 7, Kotek said she is assembling an interagency team to come up with short- and long-term solutions to the crisis, including representatives from OHA, DEQ, the state Department of Agriculture and Department of Human Services.

Kotek has also promised to visit the area, though no date has been set. A spokesperson for the governor said it would happen “in the coming weeks.”

The state has sent a proposed contract to Oregon Rural Action to support on-the-ground activities, including water testing and screening. Kristin Anderson Ostrom, the group’s executive director, said more funding is needed to do all the work necessary.

Kotek’s proposed budget would allocate $3 million over the next two years for the LUBGWMA, though Ostrom said she estimates it will cost that much per year just to deliver clean drinking water for impacted households.

Kelly Doherty, a cattle rancher whose well has also tested high for nitrates, urged the state to declare a health emergency for the area. She said time is of the essence.

“We’re here to wake up our legislators to the problem that we’re facing,” Doherty said. “We don’t feel that our ask is unreasonable. Water is life, and it’s a basic human right.”