Centralia’s city council is fed up! Despite WDFW’s promises, local leaders are calling for the immediate closure of the Bob Oke Game Farm, blaming it for severe nitrate contamination in our water. Are “mitigation efforts” just delaying the inevitable, or is a permanent solution the only way to safeguard our drinking supply for future generations?

Centralia, Washington finds its local government in a deepening conflict with the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) over the future of the Bob Oke Game Farm. Despite the absence of an official vote, the Centralia City Council has clearly aligned, expressing a strong collective opinion that the WDFW should immediately close the facility, which they adamantly believe is the primary source of severe nitrate contamination impacting the region’s vital water supplies.

The contention centers on the WDFW-operated game farm, a facility responsible for breeding and raising between 40,000 and 45,000 pheasants each year. Local officials attribute the widespread nitrate contamination in Centralia’s drinking water to the extensive operations of this pheasant farm. This critical issue has propelled the city council to take a firm stance, underscoring a pressing public health crisis and demanding accountability from the state agency.

During a recent council meeting, Centralia City Manager Michael Thomas and Public Works Director Andy Oien updated members on WDFW’s proposed mitigation efforts. These efforts include planting over 100 poplar trees to obstruct nitrate flow, a voluntary commitment to meet Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) requirements by March 2026, and a 40% reduction in bird numbers. Additionally, the WDFW has reportedly improved waste systems and relocated birds to minimize impact on the most productive aquifer areas.

Despite these reported actions, Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston and the councilors voiced profound frustration, characterizing the WDFW’s response as “woefully inadequate” and prone to “delay and obfuscation.” The officials took particular offense to the WDFW’s characterization of the farm’s impact as merely one of multiple “contributing factors” to the nitrate contamination, a sentiment that resonated with previous meetings and amplified their dissatisfaction.

The council expressed a clear desire for formal action, with Mayor Smith Johnston suggesting the city formally adopt a resolution calling for the game farm’s closure. This would involve writing letters to the Governor, the Department of Ecology, and the WDFW to explicitly convey Centralia’s unified stance, emphasizing that the current mitigation efforts are too slow and insufficient to address a dire public health issue impacting water quality.

Councilors further highlighted the perceived lack of urgency from the WDFW. Public Works Director Oien admitted that the effectiveness of the mitigation efforts remained uncertain, while Mayor Smith Johnston referenced a previous estimate of seven to 19 years for groundwater nitrate improvements. This extended timeline deepened the council’s dismay, prompting Councilor Norm Chapman to symbolically display a cup labeled “Warning: WDFW Nitrate H2O” to draw attention to the ongoing crisis.

Council members articulated deeper concerns, with Councilor Max Vogt branding the operation a “bird mill” that has jeopardized human life since the 1950s and questioning the fundamental purpose of its existence. Councilor Mark Westley emphasized the need to determine the full extent of soil contamination and press WDFW for concrete results, stressing that simply closing the farm should not serve as a “get out of jail free” card without addressing the lingering contaminants in the environment.

While WDFW has explored relocation options, presenting 59 properties across 19 counties with criteria like transportation costs and environmental impact, city officials and local residents remain largely unconvinced. The ongoing dialogue with residents of Mayberry Road and surrounding areas, who expressed their dissatisfaction, underscores the community’s continued concern about the long-term impact of the Bob Oke Game Farm on Centralia’s water quality and the environment.