Committee hears overhaul of Groundwater Quality Management Act to speed detection and response

Senate Bill 11 54 B would modernize the Groundwater Quality Protection Act of 1989 by clarifying agency roles, requiring a governor‑appointed lead agency and interagency team, and establishing a multi‑stage response framework that prompts early, voluntary local action before designation of a critical groundwater area.

Jeff Huntington, senior policy advisor to Governor Kotek on natural resource issues, told the House Rules Committee that groundwater supplies about 95% of Oregon’s freshwater and that roughly 80% of groundwater withdrawals go to agriculture. “Approximately 80% of all Oregonians are getting their drinking water solely or in part from groundwater,” Huntington said, noting that close to a million residents are not connected to a community water system and about 350,000 Oregonians rely on private domestic wells.

Under the bill, agencies would use a green/yellow/red model: a proactive “yellow light” would prompt assessment and convening of a local advisory committee to pursue voluntary mitigation before problems require formal, regulatory action. If a critical groundwater area is declared, the bill would require an agency action plan and a public‑health response plan, public sharing of the data underlying a designation, biannual reporting to agency governing boards and the Legislature, and development of a resourcing request for implementation.

Huntington and other supporters emphasized that the bill does not change existing agency authorities but organizes them to act more quickly and transparently. Huntington said the bill requires data used for remedial decisions in a designated area to come from certified laboratories and to be made available in raw form to the public.

Supporters from local organizations and environmental groups said the measure improves coordination and elevates community engagement. Justin Green, executive director of Water for Eastern Oregon, said the interagency team and the state’s response in the Lower Umatilla Basin demonstrate the model’s potential to improve outcomes. Caleb Lay of Oregon Rural Action urged stronger mandates, saying the bill had been pared back and that agency staff need clear directives to act in crisis situations.

The committee held a public hearing; no vote was taken. Sponsors said the measure was designed to be flexible to local conditions and to allow the agencies to request funding for responses through the governor’s budget or the Emergency Board.