Amazon reaches $20.5 million settlement in LUBGWMA contamination lawsuit
By Griffin Beach on Wednesday, April 1st, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – Legal counsel representing residents in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area announced a preliminary $20.5 million settlement with Amazon Data Services on Tuesday, addressing a lawsuit that alleged the company’s data centers contributed to nitrate contamination in Morrow and Umatilla counties.
The settlement funds are designated to help affected residents access clean drinking water through private well improvements or public infrastructure projects.
“We appreciate Amazon taking the first step toward solving the nitrate pollution problem, but the work is far from over,” said Steve Berman, managing partner and founder of Hagens Berman and co-counsel for the proposed class of plaintiffs.
Hagens Berman is also involved in a separate, active class-action suit against the Port of Morrow and several other entities, including Lamb Weston, Threemile Canyon Farms, and Columbia River Processing, a subsidiary of Tillamook.
Amazon maintains that while the cooling water supplied to its facilities may already contain nitrates, the company adds no additional material to the water before it is discharged into canals or the Port of Morrow.
“We don’t agree with the allegations in the lawsuit, and we sought an early settlement because we wanted to focus our time and resources on supporting the community rather than on litigation,” said a spokesperson for Amazon.
Advocates for affected residents suggest the settlement is only a partial victory for a community that has struggled with water quality for years.
“This is a first step for people exposed to almost four decades of toxic drinking water, but it is not justice; it does not begin to meet the extent of the harm in this ongoing public health and environmental crisis,” said Kristin Anderson Ostrom, Executive Director of Oregon Rural Action.
