Mittelsdorf

The Port of Morrow announced it will invest up to $200 million in improvements to comply with a modified permit for using industrial wastewater.

The port in a press release Friday, Dec. 2, announced the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality granted the modified permit.

“Even though the Port is responsible for approximately 3.5% of the nitrates found in the Lower Umatilla Ground Water Management Basin, our responsibility as environmental stewards is to do everything possible to ensure industrial wastewater remains a community asset,” Lisa Mittelsdorf, the port’s executive director, said.

To meet the DEQ’s requirements, the port proposed building new wastewater storage lagoons with a 1.5-billion-gallon capacity by Nov. 1, 2026.

“The added capacity will hold large amounts of wastewater during winter months and allow the port to meet restrictions on winter wastewater application,” the press release stated.

The DEQ is modifying the port’s existing Water Pollution Control Facilities permit from Dec. 21, 2017, which allows for the land application of industrial wastewater from food processors, energy generators, data centers and job-intensive industries at the port. Not reusing that water, according to the port, would be waste.

“The major change in the modified permit is effectively disallowing land application of wastewater in the non-growing season from November through February,” the press release states.

The port also reported it is building three anaerobic digesters to treat high-nutrient wastewater, and the first unit is nearly complete. All three will be online by November 2023. And the port will add oxidation ditches by July 2025 to provide secondary treatment for water from the anaerobic digesters.

“These deadlines may change based on supply chain issues, which would cause a need for a modification,” according to the press release.

The port also reported its board of commissioners “declined to appeal the modified permit despite expressing concerns to DEQ over aggressive deadlines and the agency’s calculations of nitrogen levels in land-applied discharges.”

Meeting those deadlines will “require swift start-up and completion of wastewater infrastructure upgrades,” the press release states, and commissioners have instructed port staff to pursue funding sources for the $150-$200 million investment to comply with modified permit provisions, including applying for state of Oregon funds and federal funds from the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act administered by the Environmental Protection Agency.