Wallowa Lake

Wildlife will have easier access to the waters of Wallowa Lake thanks to a gift from an Oregon nonprofit.Kathleen Ackley is the executive director of the…

For the better part of a month, Joseph, in Oregon’s northeastern corner, has been associated with the toxic herbicide Agent Orange, which the military used liberally during the Vietnam War. National headlines suggested barrels of Agent Orange were found in nearby Wallowa Lake. That's not the case.

After almost 10 months of waiting, residents of Joseph, Oregon, can feel more confident drinking their water and swimming in nearby Wallowa Lake, according to lab test results released Thursday.

The Environmental Protection Agency has begun removing potentially contaminated barrels from Wallowa Lake. Despite initial fears, the barrels seem to have been full of lake water, though the EPA is waiting for test results to confirm that the water and barrels are indeed clean.