GRANGER, Wash.-- A new agreement between several Yakima Valley dairies and the Environmental Protection Agency will help reduce groundwater nitrate contamination.
The agreement is a legally binding contract that holds the five dairies responsible for making sure people living in the area have clean drinking water.
The EPA identified the dairies as the source of major nitrate contamination. Those dairies will now will work with the EPA to fix the problem.
"They're committed to working with the EPA. I mean, these are family farming operations that have been in the community for decades, and they want to do the right thing by their neighbors," said Paul Queary, a spokesperson for the dairies.
Under the agreement, the dairies, in part, must help to provide new wells for some residents and continue testing groundwater for eight years to make sure the contamination is reduced.
