Crook County moves forward in addressing ongoing concern over potential water contamination

(Update: adding comments from Central Oregon LandWatch, statement from Knife River)

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Residents living near the Knife River gravel mine outside Prineville have raised concerns for years about possible contamination in their well water. Some have reported health issues — for both humans and livestock — and even black sludge in their household supply.

State regulators, including the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, say the exact source of any contamination remains unknown.

Now, a new step forward: the Crook County Planning Commission voted April 22nd to refer the issue to a third-party hearings officer. That officer will determine whether further action on Knife River’s mining permit is needed.

“Community members have been urging the county to take some sort of formal action for years now,” said Robin Hayakawa, a staff attorney with Central Oregon LandWatch. “Even getting to this stage is a step in a positive direction.”

The advocacy group says it stepped in over what it describes as a lack of urgency and transparency surrounding the issue.

“When you can't drink the water that's coming out of your tap, it's a pretty urgent situation. What we saw was a lack of urgency, possibly a lack of transparency, and a good opportunity for our organization to step in and bring attention to what we think is one of the most troubling issues taking place in Central Oregon today," Hayakawa said.

Central Oregon LandWatch says its focus is not on identifying the source of contamination, but on whether Knife River is complying with local land use rules tied to its mining permit.

“There’s plenty of evidence that Knife River doesn't respect the terms and conditions of that permit,” Hayakawa said.

Knife River disputes those claims.

In a statement to KTVZ News, the company said any contamination is naturally occurring and linked to the region’s volcanic geology, predating its operations. They added that independent experts and DEQ testing have shown consistent, safe results.

Knife River maintains it is in compliance with all permits, operating with integrity, and not impacting groundwater.

Meanwhile, state and federal officials — including Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley — have called for faster testing and clearer answers for affected residents.

With the third-party review now underway, both sides say they hope it will bring clarity to what many describe as a slow-moving but deeply impactful issue in Crook County.

The full statement from Knife River, along with a PDF they provided for additional information, is below:

"Crook County and the Crooked River Caldera have a volcanic history. This resulted in pockets of groundwater throughout the caldera that contain naturally elevated levels of certain metals. This has been a known condition for decades, far predating Knife River’s operations. No one caused this issue. But we absolutely understand wanting to find the source, and the source is volcanic activity that predates all of us.

Independent experts have sampled the water at the site from before we began operating there to the present day, and the results have been consistent. In addition to the testing that has been conducted at the site for the past nine years, we have drilled more sampling wells under DEQ’s guidance. DEQ has tested from those wells, and an independent expert has tested from those wells, with the results sent to separate labs for evaluation.  Not only have the results been consistent with each other, but they are also consistent with the results from nine years ago, before we began operating there. We will continue to go the extra mile to sample and test and stand behind the science that shows we are not impacting the groundwater.

To be clear, we are in full compliance with our permits. Last week, the Crook County Planning Commission voted to engage a third-party hearings officer to consider if there is cause to have a hearing on this. We will continue to work with the county through this important process and demonstrate that we are operating with integrity, we are complying with our permits, and our operations are not impacting the groundwater. " - Chris Doan, Vice President of Operations, Knife River.