Local environmental groups say Oregon’s latest permit regulating waste from factory farms does not adequately protect residents from harmful pollution.

Eastern Oregon has experienced nitrate groundwater contamination for decades, and concentrated animal feeding operations are a known contributor. The permit, issued by the Oregon departments of Agriculture and Environmental Quality, regulates waste from those operations.

Tarah Heinzen, legal director at Food and Water Watch, said the permit was an important opportunity for the state to address nitrate contamination at the source.

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“Unfortunately, the renewed permit is more of the same,” Heinzen said. “We're particularly disappointed that despite all of the attention that this nitrate contamination issue has received, that this permit does not meet that challenge.”

According to an analysis by Food and Water Watch, Oregon’s mega-dairies in 2022 produced waste equivalent to two-thirds of the human sewage created by the entire state.

Nitrates, which are linked to cancer, thyroid problems and pregnancy complications, are found in runoff from the waste and have contaminated nearby drinking water supplies.

Heinzen said the main issue with the new permit is that it does not require farms to monitor the waste they produce, making it impossible to know whether pollution is illegally reaching waterways.

She said monitoring is a linchpin of the federal Clean Water Act, but factory farms have typically not been required to meet that standard.

“On paper, there are requirements for this industry to prevent pollution," Heinzen said, "but in practice, it's almost impossible for us to know if a facility is compliant with those requirements, because they don't have to test.”

Heinzen said Food and Water Watch is still analyzing the new permit, but environmental advocates or community groups could potentially mount a legal challenge.