BOARDMAN, OR – The Port of Morrow is looking at alternative secondary water treatment options since it will no longer be applying industrial wastewater to farmland during winter months.
“We made decisions about secondary water treatment when our DEQ permits allowed us to continue to apply water during the winter season until 2026,” explained Port of Morrow Executive Director Lisa Mittelsdorf. “When the Port decided to end winter application a year early, it accelerated construction of lagoons large enough to store water during the winter season.”
“Since we no longer will apply water during the winter season, we can focus secondary treatment on the water that is used for land application for crops,” Mittelsdorf said. “There are other options that can achieve an optimal balance of nitrate levels that is beneficial to our farming partners and meets the requirements of our permit.”
The Port processes wastewater from local food processors for reuse as irrigation for five farms near the Port’s Boardman site. Nitrates in wastewater supply nutrients to crops and allow the farmers to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers.
“It doesn’t make sense to treat our water to a point that our farming partners would be forced to apply chemical fertilizers during the growing season to replace the nutrients removed through treatment,” Mittelsdorf explained.
The original cost estimate for secondary treatment was $150 million. Inflation raised that estimate even higher. “We have a different combination of factors now,” Mittelsdorf said. “Anaerobic digesters have been built, and storage lagoons are under construction. It’s reasonable for the Port to reexamine secondary water treatment options to achieve the maximum good for the most cost-efficient price.”