The Oregon Nitrate Reduction Plan outlines an unprecedented collaborative effort that spans four state agencies working in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Morrow County, Umatilla County, city governments, businesses, residents and community groups. This plan supersedes the first and second LUBGWMA Action Plan.
The State of Oregon is dedicated to rigorously evaluating the effectiveness of these efforts, continuously monitoring progress, and adjusting strategies as needed to ensure lasting results.
To maintain transparency and accountability, the State of Oregon will produce annual reports detailing the progress of these efforts, guided by the metrics established to measure success.
Annual Report
Oregon’s first annual report for the Nitrate Reduction Plan for the LUBGWMA outlines progress on the state’s public health response and long-term strategies to reduce groundwater nitrate concentrations.
Progress Report Highlights
- ODA made significant progress towards establishing new groundwater protection rules for irrigated agriculture operations in the LUBGWMA.
- DEQ required and enforced wastewater permit conditions that better protect groundwater, including the phasing out of winter irrigation, expanded monitoring and reporting, and infrastructure upgrades.
- OWRD launched a comprehensive backflow education and inspection program to ensure that a functioning backflow device was installed on irrigation systems that use groundwater and inject chemicals or fertilizers into the irrigation system.
- OHA strengthened LUBGWMA partnerships in 2025 by hiring a bilingual local coordinator, streamlining meetings based on partner feedback, and expanding Spanish-language engagement spaces.
Joint-agency collaboration
DEQ, ODA, and OWRD share leadership responsibilities to collaboratively guide and implement the Nitrate Reduction Plan in the LUBGWMA. Read the Nitrate Reduction Plan join-agency memorandum of understanding to find out more about each agency’s roles, responsibilities, and decision-making process.
Public feedback and next steps
Thank you for submitting your feedback on the Nitrate Reduction Plan. Comments closed on Feb. 10, 2026. With your comments and the first annual report completed, our next step is to incorporate new and updated activities since first publishing the plan. All comments and responses will be included as an appendix in the updated plan.
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