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PRESS RELEASE - West Glen Community Feasibility Study
*** PRESS RELEASE ***
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
On October 15, 2025, Morrow County held a third community outreach meeting for its technical feasibility study on providing clean drinking water to the West Glen and Paul Smith communities. These unincorporated communities, located south of Boardman, depend on residential domestic wells that are impacted by elevated levels of nitrate. Bottled water has been delivered to these communities since 2022 through coordinated efforts of Oregon Health Authority and Morrow County. The technical feasibility study was made available through a grant from Business Oregon and provides a 10% engineering review of options.
Over 70 community members attended the meeting at the SAGE Center, with a large contingent being from a local group identified as ‘West Glen United’. Participants reviewed safe drinking water options from the feasibility study along with new information that has been gathered since the first meeting was held in June. The study reports that connecting to nearby City of Boardman’s water system would be the most feasible solution for safe water while allowing residents to retain their personal wells for irrigation purposes. As part of the meeting, representatives from Morrow County, City of Boardman, Oregon Water Resources Department, and consultants were available to answer questions. Many community members expressed hesitation about connecting to City water as well as frustration that their wells have been impacted by factors out of their control. Matt Jensen, Morrow County Administrator, stated, “We hear you and are working towards finding solutions.” At the end of the meeting, members of the West Glen United group secured a promise to have representatives meet to negotiate further considerations.
While this meeting concludes the County’s technical feasibility study, discussions will continue with the Morrow County Clean Water Consortium assuming coordinating efforts. The Consortium was formed in early 2025 as an intergovernmental entity with support of Morrow County and the Port of Morrow and is committed to collaborating with residents to explore options, address concerns, and develop solutions to provide safe drinking water. State and local organizations have already provided over $5 million to the Consortium for projects to assist residents impacted by nitrate issues within Morrow County
For more information, please contact Matthew Jensen, County Administrator, at (541) 240-0750. Information from all three meetings and the feasibility study can be found at https://www.morrowcountyor.gov/bc/page/morrow-county-clean-water-consortium
Attachments: Frequently Asked Questions (provided at the community outreach meeting)
