PGE, Tillamook Hit With Class Action Over Alleged Nitrate Contamination in Wells, Groundwater

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A proposed class action lawsuit alleges that Portland General Electric (PGE) and Columbia River Processing (“Tillamook”) send millions of gallons of high-nitrate wastewater to the Port of Morrow, which, in turn, allegedly dumps the contaminated water onto farmland, leading to extreme nitrate contamination in nearby private wells and public water systems.

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The 42-page class action lawsuit claims that PGE and Tillamook knowingly contribute to high levels of nitrate contamination, as the Port of Morrow, which runs an industrial wastewater treatment and disposal system, allegedly dumps the water directly onto land in Morrow and Umatilla Counties, Oregon, before the water percolates down into the Lower Umatilla Basin’s groundwater.

According to the filing, PGE and Tillamook, through their industrial processes, generate millions of gallons of high-nitrate wastewater each year, which is then sent to the Port of Morrow for disposal. Portland General Electric, which runs the power plant known as Coyote Springs, sends approximately 900 million gallons of wastewater to the port every year, and Tillamook, which operates a cheese production facility, sends approximately 360 million gallons, the suit adds.

Although the Port of Morrow has a wastewater disposal permit, the lawsuit alleges that it is a “repeat and unrepentant violator” of its discharge permit. The filing states that the port has violated its permit more than 2,000 times since 2015 and was still receiving violations as recently as October 2025.

The lawsuit summarizes that “despite knowing that the high-nitrate wastewater [PGE and Tillamook] transfer to the port will be improperly managed, both defendants continue partnering with the Port to discard their wastewater.”

The class action lawsuit asserts that the Port of Morrow’s practice of dumping excessive high-nitrate wastewater onto fields has devastating effects for people living in Oregon’s Morrow and Umatilla Counties. The suit further explains that the high-nitrate wastewater gradually seeps into the groundwater of the Lower Umatilla Basin, which then moves downgradient to areas of lower water pressure.

Per the complaint, groundwater in the Lower Umatilla Basin is contaminated with nitrates to an extent that the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has declared it a “Groundwater Management Area.” This designation is only given when nitrate levels in groundwater exceed the federal safe drinking water standard, which is set at 10 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of water, the lawsuit states.

Alarmingly, samples taken from wells in the Groundwater Management Area contained nitrates in concentrations of 40mg/L of water or more, which is “more than four times the federal safety threshold,” the filing states. In 2022, the case says, Morrow County declared a state of emergency because local wells showed “dangerous” levels of nitrate contamination.

High levels of nitrates in wells and public water systems can cause significant damage to the human body, the suit emphasizes. Nitrates prevent red blood cells from carrying oxygen throughout the body, which the lawsuit points out is “particularly dangerous for infants.” Additionally, excessive nitrates in the body can cause congenital disabilities, respiratory disease, and kidney problems, and are a direct cause of many cancers, including colon, kidney, stomach, thyroid, or ovarian cancer, the lawsuit states.

“Everyone who ingests high-nitrate water is impacted at the cellular level, even if they do not show obvious signs of disease,” the lawsuit stresses. “This is because the body converts approximately 5 to 10% of ingested nitrates into nitrites, and these nitrites form carcinogenic compounds known as nitrosamines.”

Nitrosamines in the body then “destabilize DNA and increase[s] its breakage rate, leading to base mispairings and ultimately cancer development,” the suit relays.

Moreover, the suit alleges that groundwater quality in the Lower Umatilla Basin has “deteriorated” as the Port of Morrow has continued violating its wastewater disposal permit. According to the filing, of the wells that the DEQ has tested, 24 percent in Umatilla County and 44 percent of the wells in Morrow County contained nitrate levels exceeding 40mg/L, more than four times the safety cut-off of 10mg/L.

According to the class action lawsuit, PGE and Tillamook continue to send their high-nitrate wastewater to the Port of Morrow, despite knowing that the port flagrantly disregards safe wastewater disposal guidelines.

The complaint states that the plaintiffs in this case reside in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area (LUBGWMA) and reported such high levels in their tap water that they have resorted to using bottled water for cooking and drinking, at significant expense.

The PGE and Tillamook class action lawsuit seeks to cover anyone in the LUBGWMA whose wells have been contaminated with nitrates as a direct and proximate result of PGE’s and Tillamook’s actions.

The lawsuit aims to prevent PGE and Tillamook from further polluting the groundwater supply, as well as to provide financial assistance to homeowners or renters who need to install alternative filtration systems or water supplies. Additionally, the suit seeks medical monitoring for any individual residing in the LUBGWMA whose water has been severely contaminated with nitrates.

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