Quotes from the Past

“It's really quite remarkable,” the governor said. “I don't believe anybody four years ago would have believed there was a solution short of rebellion or a $200 million sewer.” The new neighborhood will cover pine groves and fields along U.S. Highway 97 between La Pine and Wickiup Junction into 1,650 lots, parks and a school site. … Owners of undeveloped property in the 125 square-mile area from Sunriver south to the county border will be able to exchange the right to build on their parcels for the right to build on lots in the new subdivision, said George Read, Deschutes County planning director. (Bulletin 9/29/2000)

Morgan said that they looked at a variety of scenarios, and determined that wells in the area would be seeing measurable increases in nitrates in 10 to 30 years. By 2020, “it would be bad and getting worse,” he said. (Bulletin 12/21/1006)

The total cost of upgrading systems in about 6,400 La Pine area homes is now estimated at anywhere from $43 million to $65 million, said Barbara Rich with the county's environmental health division. (Bulletin 3/1/2007)

Scientists from the USGS recently completed a three- dimensional computer model that predicts how nitrates from leaky septic systems are affecting La Pine's aquifer. That study is being peer-reviewed … (Bulletin 10/8/2007)

County staff have said converting sewer systems would cost $200 million – or $19,000 to $28,000 per lot. (Bulletin 5/16/2007)

USGS geochemist Hinkle … “We're not a regulatory agency,” he added. “We just provide the science to people who ask.. We don't try to get involved in the political issues.” (Bulletin 10/29/2007)

The groundwater moves very slowly, so it could take a century for the aquifer to become too contaminated to use, said Stephen Hinkle, a hydrologist with the USGS. (Bulletin 11/6/2007)

...the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality opened up the possibility of sewer systems in rural areas of south Deschutes County by declaring that nitrates will eventually pose a health hazard if nothing is done. “We believe these concerns are first and foremost a public health issue than a land use planning issue.” … Pedersen went on on to ask Deschutes County to establish areas in the south county that may be eligible for sewer systems, and wrote that the request was in accordance with Goal 11 of Oregon's land use objectives. (1/12/2008)

Two state agencies told Deschutes County to move forward with the ordinance, also known as the “local rule,” … “The answer is 'yes,' said Joni Hammond … Hammond and Doug White, a community services specialist with Oregon's Department of Land Conservation and Development, also agreed that the DEQ should work with property owners interested in forming sewer districts in areas of south Deschutes County, such as Sunriver and La Pine. (Bulletin 1/31/2008)

“We know some nitrate is making it into the river,' said Steve Hinkle, a hydrologists with the U.S. Geological Study … “But we don't know how much, and we don't know how vulnerable the river is.” (Bulletin 3/28/2008)

Yet DEQ Deputy Director Joni Hammond said recently that her agency does not have enough staff to make its own rule to deal with nitrate contamination if voters repeal the Deschutes County ordinance. (Bulletin 10/25/2008)

“I had felt that six months was ample time for a state agency to come up with what they would like to do for protecting the groundwater,” Commissioner Tammy Baney said Monday. (Bulletin 11/17/2009)

The DEQ has also found elevated levels of nitrates in several other communities across the state. In three cases, the DEQ stepped in to work with local communities on plans to address the contamination and so far, all three programs are voluntary. They do not mandate investments in equipment or force the communities to take cleanup actions. (Bulletin 4/23/2009)

If a sewer system is one of the answers, the agency could work with an existing sewer district on expansion plans, or work with the county on the development of a new district, Nigg said. (Bulletin 6/24/2010)

DEQ officials said they had no plans for how to handle the nitrate contamination from septic systems in southern Deschutes County. (3/11/2009)

Deschutes County Commissioner Tammy Baney also said the DEQ had not informed her why the agency withdrew, although she added in an , “It is in line with the inconsistent messages we receive from DEQ almost daily....” (Bulletin 12/12/2010)

The director of Oregon’s environmental agency told local officials Wednesday that a committee of citizens tasked with preventing groundwater pollution is making progress. “They seem to be cooking along,” Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Director Dick Pedersen said Wednesday during a meeting with Deschutes County commissioners. It’s time for the committee to “start moving the recommendation ball down the hill,” Pedersen said. (Bulletin 7/29/2011)

The state’s Department of Environmental Quality will continue to take the lead in keeping the Deschutes and nearby groundwater clean, and officials say that effort is sure to include most if not all the county’s septic system requirements. (Bulletin 3/11/2011)

Nitrate levels in southern Deschutes County are up, down and flat over the past 16 years, according to test results recently released by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. (Bulletin 2/5/2012)

“Officials say the situation is not yet a public- health risk, but the Committee has called for further study on the potential impacts to the Little Deschutes River. They say the rural areas require urban sewage solutions.” (KTVZ.com/AP, 8/3/13)

“After three years of examining the decades long issue, the committee, which the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality set up for advice, is calling for further study. The study would start with a search for concentrations of nitrates and then expand to other contaminants.” (Bulletin, 8/3/13)

“The committee has the opportunity to present the work they’ve done and make recommendations," Unger said. “After this, it will be up to the DEQ to take the report and turn it into the next steps they believe are necessary."

Déjà vu?