Keizertimes., June 08, 2018, Page PAGE A3, Image 3

JUNE 8, 2018, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A3
Keizer water fuels Salem response to toxin fears
By KEIZERTIMES STAFF
When Salem needed clean
drinking water last week, Keiz-
er stepped up in a big way.
On Tuesday, May 29, the
City of Salem warned residents
six-and-under as well as med-
ically-fragile adults and preg-
nant women not to drink the
water from their taps. An algae
bloom in Detroit Lake led to
cyanotoxins being found in the
Cherry City’s treated drink-
ing water. Cyanotoxins are by-
products of certain algae species
that grow in water. Salem draws
drinking water from the North
Santiam River, where the cya-
notoxins were detected. Soon
help was streaming in from all
over, especially Keizer.
Keizer’s water is drawn from
wells that tap into an aquifer
while Salem’s groundwater
supply flows over the surface
and led to the contamination
from a lake 60 miles upstream,
said Bill Lawyer, Keizer Public
Works director.
Within the first 24 hours of
the warning, Keizer businesses
were among the first to offer
Salem residents free refills of
bottles and jugs. Nigel Guising-
er, owner of Willamette Valley
Appliance, was among the first
to offer refills on social media.
Soon, dozens of businesses,
large and small, were offering
similar services and all were be-
ing championed by the Keizer
Chamber of Commerce. Other
retailers brought in extra sup-
plies as shelves throughout the
area were scraped clean. WinCo
contributed a truckload of ex-
tra water that was distributed at
Marion-Polk Food Share.
Keizer also began pumping
about 3 million gallons a day
of fresh water into the Salem
water system, said Lawyer. The
service was provided as part of
an intergovernmental agree-
ment between the two cities.
Keizer’s Community Emer-
gency Response Team (CERT)
staffed a water station near
Carlson Skate Park for three
straight days, providing in-car
service when the lines allowed.
CERT leader Linda Panta-
lone said members of the team
assisted 470 area residents be-
tween Wednesday, May 30 and
Saturday, June 2, when the ad-
visory was lifted. Those in need
traveled from as far as Stayon to
get bottles refilled.
In addition, the city opened
up a separate watering station
on Bailey Drive Northeast
where contractors and emer-
gency services could refill mo-
bile water tanks.
Help even arrived in the
form of McNary High School
alum Brennen Haskins, who
traveled 12 hours and more
than 750 miles from Great Falls,
Mont., to bring in 107 cases
of water. He distributed them
from the parking lot of Day-
spring Fellowship on Lockhav-
en Drive Northeast.
Haskins graduated from Mc-
Nary in 2010 and is stationed
in Montana as a member of the
U.S. Air Force.
“I was already heading this
way on leave anyway. I saw a
lot of stores in Salem were out
of bottled water or had raised
the price,” Hankins said. “Since
I was heading this way anyway
and I had a bunch of empty
space in the back of my truck,
I bought 25 of my own. The
rest of it came from a couple of
people from the Great Falls area
and the base, just people that I
knew and talked to. The goal
was just to fill the truck mostly
and we pretty much did.”
Four people pulled up to
claim some of Hankins’ haul in
his first 15 minutes on-site.
By the end of the crisis,
thanks were pouring into Keiz-
er from throughout the area. It
left Mayor Cathy Clark beam-
ing with pride at a city council
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
Brennen Haskins, a McNary alum, drove more than 750 miles
on leave from the Air Force and brought with him a truckload
of water.
meeting Monday, June 4.
“I couldn’t be prouder of
being part of this community as
I am right now. I’m so thankful
that this is where I live,” Clark
said.