Science to inform management in the Southern Willamette Valley's Groundwater Management Area (GWMA).
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This presentation will cover recent research in the GWMA. The primary topics for this presentation will be an analysis of the trends in well water nitrate concentrations from 2006-2018 in the GWMA area, using data from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality's water sampling program. The primary finding is that despite a fair amount of attention and effort related to reducing groundwater nitrate contamination, well nitrate concentrations have increased since about 2012. EPA will also present the results of a RARE project that will be completed at the end of FY20 that measured nitrate leaching from production farmland in order to understand how on the ground practices influence nitrate leaching. This presentation will allow EPA to communicate with the local community, including a number of farmers in the area, about the findings, implications and possible explanations for our study results.