Oregon U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley held two town halls in Central Oregon Sunday afternoon.
He first visited Barnes Butte Elementary School in Prineville to meet with Crook County residents.
Senator Merkley discussed his work in Washington D.C. before addressing the concerns and issues that residents have here.
One of the big concerns was the reported contamination of the water supply near a Knife River mining operation in Crook County.
Some neighbors even brought jars of the contaminated water.
The Senator says he will talk to state officials about the situation in an effort to address the issue.
Merkley then headed to Jefferson County to hold a town hall at the Madras Performing Arts Center.
Since taking office in 2009, Senator Merkley has kept his promise to hold an open town hall for each of Oregon’s 36 counties every year. In recent years, many of the events have been virtual amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
