GRANGER, Wash. (AP) - A long-awaited federal study says Lower Yakima Valley dairies and several farms are "likely" sources of nitrates contaminating private drinking water wells. However, federal officials said the Environmental Protection Agency study released Thursday was limited and doesn't prove a larger trend of nitrate contamination across the entire 576-square-mile area southeast of Yakima known for fruit, livestock and a diverse array of other crops. The report says action is needed, but that it could take years to reduce nitrate levels in residential drinking water wells to safe levels due to the extent of contamination in the Lower Valley. The report singles out five dairies, including several whose lagoons it estimates have leaked millions of gallons of manure into the underlying soil each year.
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