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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (April 2, 1981)
Section SANDY, OREGON THURSDAY APRIL 2 1981 Area News People Home & Garden Features Water testing methods prove to he inaccurate • • •* ’ The Don Obrist quarry in Brightwood has been the scene of recent controversy Staff photo For quarry operation license County approves Obrist application hv TERRI BADER Post Correspondent Despite the effo rts of several Woodland residents, Don Obrist has received an operating permit for his Brightwood quarry Obrist was awarded the permit after a hearing of the Clackamas County Planning Commission last Thursday The permit w ill allow Obrist to con tinue his operations as before with one exception He received permission to add one more pond to his quarry There were a few objections to the Obrist permit Local resident Bob Decker began the controversy with a letter to The Sandy Post in the March 5 edition Decker alleged that the opera tion of the quarry caused ‘excessive noise levels associated with blasting which involves vibrations that shake your house, increased truck traffic which has parents with children con cerned about safety on the roads ” Other concerns were the operation of a rock crusher, pollution of surface-fed spring wells, road deterioration and erosion. Several other residents then spoke out, both pro and con, about the situa Many people spoke out in favor of Obrist and his quarry operations, countering Decker's charges Ed Burke stated that the average daily haul was just five to 40 truckloads and that operations are monitored by the Department of Environmental Quality The weeks following the original Decker letter have been filled with con tro v e rs y and debate But the < lackamas County Planning Commis sion has ended the debate until the per mit renewal comes up again. tion A meeting was scheduled for “ con cerned citizens of Brightwood” to ex press views on the problems Not enough support was drummed up, however, to change the mind of the plar.mng commission Scientists have tested two standard medium or nutritive growing environ methods used to monitor public water ment and incubated for 24 hours to supplies and found both of them allow them to grow into colonies to be seriously flawed identified. That could mean that people in some With the fermentación tube techni parts of the country are drinking water que. water is placed in a test tube cn- which may not conform with the federal taining nutrients and incubated for one Safe Drinking Water Act. to two days. The contents are then The tests were conducted by Oregon tested for gases produced by various State University researchers coliforms. “ Most communities have good water The prim ary problem with both treatment systems and no problems, methods is that the culture mediums do but there are marginal systems in not allow some coliforms to grow pro Oregon and other states where the perly The OSU study was initiated potential for a health hazard exists,” after reports of disease problems in said project director Ramon Seidler. parts of the country had been traced to "Our study suggests operators may not areas shown to have been tested safe. even know if consumers are getting un The researchers developed an off the safe water.” shelf solution and hope to carry their Seidler and the other researchers had work further They have identified in their two year study funded as part of a gredients for culture mediums which larger project supported by a $124,000 help coliforms grow better They have grant from the US. Environmental also obtained a two-year grant of some Protection Agency’s Office of Drinking $115,000 from the National Science Water Research Foundation which w ill allow them to The two techniques commonly used use their acquired knowledge of col to monitor disease hazards in public iforms to devise an effective way of water are the membrane filte r and monitoring drinking water, treated fermentation tube methods, Seidler sewage water and other public waters. said Coliforms, which are present in the Both are considered effective by the intestines of warm-blooded animals, EPA. the agency charged with enforc are transported into surface water by ing the country's six-year-old Safe animal feces. They are normally not Drinking Act The law requires that the harmful level of bacterial "hazard indicator" However, if coliforms are in water, organisms, or coliforms, in public organisms which cause typhoid, diar water be monitored and not exceed one rhea, hepatitisand other illnesses may coliform per 100 m ililiters of water as a be able to survive there also Monitor monthly average. ing coliform levels as a potential Approximately 50 percent of the hazard indicator is cheaper and easier public water treatment plants in the than monitoring all of the organisms in U S. use the membrane filte r system; the water the other half uses the fermentation The OSU scientists are contacting tube method Some plants do their own researchers across the U S. and ar testing and others have the work done ranging for them to test the accuracy of by commercial laboratories. the standard coliform monitoring "These are long standing, very basic methods with contaminated water in methods of monitoring water quality their aareas taught in m ic ro b io lo g y courses Seidler said that many small com throughout the world,” Seidler said munities in the Pacific Northwest use “ We tested them in Oregon and they unfiltered surface water which are pro failed to perform " Coliforms were ne to “ false negative" tests, that is, pro detected in just 20 percent of con ne to passing the standard monitoring taminated water supplies tested at tests but failing when a more effective various western Oregon sites in the culture medium is used OSU experiments. Seidler estimated that five percent of In using the membrane filte r techni the country's public water supplies are que, water is passed through a filte r to "m arginal" in safety and that most trap coliforms The organisms are then water borne disease problems occur in placed in a dish containing a culture those areas. Hoodland happenings Classes begin for Welches Community School spring term Thursday, Thursday, April 2 A senior citizens lunch, sponsored by Loaves and Fishes, will be held at the Welches School library beginning at 11.30 a rn Transportation and further information is available by calling 622 3331. The Mountain Players w ill hold a rehearsal at 7:30 p m at the Wemme Lions Club Friday, April 3 There w ill be no school today at Welches because of a Teacher Work DayConference Day Saturday, April 1 The Mountain Music Society w ill pre sent Carol Ann Wheeler, the first woman national fiddling champion, at 8 p m in the Hoodland Women's Club Call Will Frank 622 3130, for more in- formation .Monday, April • A senior c it iz e n * liiiw h r by A senior citizens lunch, sponsored Loaves and Fishes, w ill be held at the Welches School library beginning at 11.30 a m Call 622-3331 for further in formation or transportation Aerobic Dance class w ill begin at 5 30 p m at the Welches School gym The class is sponsored by Mt Hood Com munity College Community Education Classes and led by Becky Hawley. To register, call 622 3397 There is a small fee for the class Welches Community School w ill spon sor a one time only class called “ First Aid for Choking " The free class w ill be held at 7 p m. in the Welches School library and concentrate on helping par ticipants learn to remove airway obstructions Five consecutive daily sessions, in cluding films, talks and group discus sions w ill highlight the “ Five Day Plan to Stop Smoking." presented by the Seventh Day Adventists. Pastor Terry Vull and Winton Bunnell, M I) , will lead the project which begins tonight at 7:30 p.m in room 13 of Welches School A fee w ill lie charged Tuesday, April 7 Mt H(xxl Community College will hold a day long workshop devoted to the future planning and development of Welches Community School in coopera tion with the college The workshop will be held at the Red Lion Inn at Bowman's from 9 a m to 3 p m in the Green Tee room Call Reva Cox, 622-3397, for more information The Hoodland Chamber of Commerce will hold its monthly board meeting at 11:30 a m at the Red Lion inn at Bowman’s. The Hoodland Women's Club will hold its April meeting today at noon at the Red Lion Inn at Bowman's A fashion show and luncheon w ill be included in the activities Styles from the Red Lion Sportique shop w ill be modeled by Women’s Club members For reserva tions, call Julie Gross, 622 3916, or Renee Knapp, 622 4671. The second meeting of the Five Day Plan to Stop Smoking class will be held from 7:30 to 9 p m , in room 13 of Welches School The following classes will begin tonight at Welches Community School: Regulation Basketball, 6 p m in the Welches gym. Diet and Exercise. 6 pm in the library; Story Telling for children ages 3 to 6, 7 p m in the library, Boat Building. 7 p m in room 20, Bike Maintenance, 7 p m in room 12; and Regulation Volleyball, 7:30 pm in the gym To register, call 622 3397. The Mountain Players w ill hold a rehearsal at 7:30 p m at the Wemme Lions Club Wednesday. April 8 Welches Community School Tiny Tots The Mt. Hood Lions Club w ill hold a group w ill meet from 10 a m to noon. general meeting at the club building in The group is designed for mothers with Wemme at H p m The Lions Ladies babies or toddlers and allows them to Auxilliary w ill meet at 8 p m in the spend a morning with their neighbors rear of the building while their children develop play skills Call Louise Hoyt. 622 3752. for informa Thursday, April 9 tion and meeting location A senior citizens lunch, sponsored by W elches C o m m u n ity School's Loaves and Fishes, w ill be held at the Aerobic Dance class w ill be held from Welches School library beginning at 5:30 to 7 p m in the Welches School 11:30 a m Transportation and further gym information is available by calling The third meeting of the Five Day 622 3331. Plan to Stop Smoking w ill be held from The Mt Hood Pre-School Co-Op will 7:30 to 9 p m in room 13 of Welches present an art show and open house at School the Hoodland Women's Club from 3:30 The Mountain Music Society will hold to 8 p.m. Artwork from the pre school a Contra Dance at the Hoodland w ill be on display in the main room of Women's Club on Salmon River Road the building and refreshments will be beginning at 8 p m Fred Brueing will served The open house is free. call the steps at the dance, which is for Registration forms for the 1981 82 pre children and adults Tickets are school year w ill be available. available at the door. Call Will Frank, 622-3130. for further information <( nntinued on Page 4 1 and hy TOM FITTI \RTV For The Post Portland society made the drive out the new highway to take part in the ceremonies The principal speech was given by Frank Branch Riley, It s easy to see how the Vista House was named Perched one of Portland's best known lecturers on a basalt c liff 725 feet above the Columbia River, the A strange mix of dignitaries attended the festivities, in stone structure offers sweeping views of the gorge cluding H L Pittock. president of the Vista House Associa ( row n Point seems a natural place to pause on the scenic tion and builder of the Pittock Mansion, several survivors < olumbia River Highway, offering a refreshing break and a of the Whitman massacre, veterans of the Grand Army of chance to drink in the gorge's beauty So thought Samuel the Republic; the 443rd Squadron under Commander Lt U ncaster, the engineer who designed and built the Colum Richard Ageton. and the Royal Rosanans, complete with bia River Highway their white suits Others also found the view breathtaking "A t Crown The ceremony concluded with a pageant called “ The Point there is to be had a wonderful view down the rive r.” Wilson Flag " said early day geologist Ira Williams in the 1928 "History of Columbia River Valley" by Fred Ixx-kley “ . The Colum It capitalized on an earlier dedication at the Vista House bia« si proxim ity is so deceptive that it would seem a stone site One of two ceremonies dedicating the Columbia River vigorously tossed would land in its waters ” Highway was held there on the afternoon of June 7, 1916 Lancaster first proposed building the Vista House in 1915 The usual congratulatory speeches were made, rose petals as the highway was nearing completion He intended the were spread over the site and loganberry juice was drunk in stone structure to serve as a memorial to pioneers, an deference to Prohibition At 5 p m President Woodrow observation building and a public comfort station WiIson, sitting in his White House office, touched an electric “One is in a far more favorable position at Crown Point to button which unfurled a flag at Crown Point Cannons fired study the region on both sides of the river than at any other a 48 gun salute That same flag was used in the Vista House place reached by the highway." Williams wrote. dedication almost two years later The same enthusiasm U ncaster put into the highway Uncaster had one more vison for the Vista House, one carried over to the Vista House project He even furnished that he never realized In 1924 he tried, unsuccessfully, to plaps for the building's interior decoration have the "Oregon Pony," the first locomotive in the Nor Multnomah County built the three story stucture between thwest. placed next to the Vista House 1916 and 1918 A private group called the Vista House Portland and Multnomah County donated the building to Association also contributed money the state in 1938 for use as a state park Until this month the The many sided domed building was located on the top of interior of the structure was leased to a concessionaire for a Crown Point at a loop in the highway where the road circled gift ship the point and began its descent to Latourell Falls This summer the US Forest Service, in cooperation with May 5. 1918, was the date set for the dedication of the the state parks division, w ill operate the Vista House as a Vista House A rrowd of well wishers and members of public information and interpretive center i ,e j . J .k This history 1918 photograph shows f rown Point'« Vista under rm s tru rtio n • s .-.W
