U.S. Water News Online
EUGENE, Ore. -- Water samples collected in the southern Willamette Valley over the past three years show thousands of residents drinking from wells contaminated by nitrates, state officials said.
The source of the contamination wasn't clearly established. But it likely included fertilizer runoff, livestock manure and leaky septic tanks.
Because of the abundance of nitrates in shallow well water in Lane, Linn and Benton counties, the Department of Environmental Quality has proposed creating the first groundwater management area in Western Oregon.
The area would include the cities of Coburg, Junction City, Harrisburg and parts of Monroe.
Tests showed nitrate levels in more than 10 percent of wells in the area approach or exceed the federal government's safe drinking water standard.
The federal standard for nitrate in public water supplies is 10 milligrams per liter, but levels exceeding 7 milligrams are cause for concern, said state geologist Audrey Eldridge.
``There are a lot of folks in the southern Willamette Valley who are drinking groundwater, and a lot of that groundwater is contaminated with nitrate,'' Eldridge said.
The Department of Environmental Quality found widespread nitrate contamination at levels greater than 7 milligrams per liter, she said.
High nitrate levels in drinking water may be harmful to people and animals, although the long-term effect on adults is not well understood. Infants and pregnant or nursing women are considered vulnerable.
Nitrates can interfere with the ability of blood to carry oxygen to vital tissues in infants younger than six months. This can lead to ``blue baby syndrome,'' a rare condition that can be fatal in extreme cases.
Infants may be especially vulnerable if fed with formula mixed with contaminated well water.
Some research suggests that nitrate may play a role in spontaneous miscarriages and in the development of some cancers in adults.
Residents of the southern valley ``should be curious about their water quality,'' Eldridge said. ``If I had a shallow well, I would want to test my water.''
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