OAR 603-095-5000: Purpose and Authority

(1) In 1990, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality designated approximately 550 square miles in northern Morrow and northeastern Umatilla counties as a groundwater management area because levels of nitrate in groundwater exceed federal drinking water standards and present serious health risks to vulnerable populations. This area is referred to as the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area (LUBGWMA). (2) Understanding that agriculture within the LUBGWMA provides valuable food and fiber products to communities worldwide, these area rules are intended to prevent or minimize nitrate leaching to groundwater from agricultural activities while also maintaining the economic viability of agriculture within the LUBGWMA. (3) These area rules implement the Umatilla and Willow Creek Agricultural Water Quality Management Area Plans as those plans address nitrate pollution in groundwater and contain actions necessary to prevent or minimize nitrate leaching to groundwater. (4) The Oregon Department of Agriculture’s authority for these area rules is ORS 561.191 and ORS 568.900 – 933.