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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2018)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2018 Governor deploys National Guard, declares Salem water emergency Triggered by algae bloom in Detroit Lake By DIRK VANDERHART Oregon Public Broadcasting AP Photo/Nicholas K. Geranios Federal agencies are reviewing options for dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers. Feds study options for managing dams on Columbia, Snake rivers More than a dozen options By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press Three agencies are con- sidering 13 options as they develop a draft environmen- tal impact statement for oper- ating the federal dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers. The options range from making no changes to cur- rent operations to breach- ing dams on the lower Snake River. The study also includes maintaining current barge navigation on the rivers and providing the authorized irri- gation water supply for the Columbia Basin Project. U.S. District Judge Michael Simon in 2016 ruled that federal gov- ernment plans for operat- ing facilities violated the Endangered Species Act. He ordered the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Army Corps of Engineers and the Bon- neville Power Administra- tion to study new alterna- tives to protect threatened and endangered fish. Under the National Envi- ronmental Policy Act, the environmental impact state- ment must address long- term operations of the 14 federal dams in Idaho, Ore- gon, Washington state and Montana. The agencies held an update webinar and confer- ence call Wednesday to dis- cuss their progress. The agencies will evalu- ate the impacts of the alter- natives on resources and include potential variations due to climate change, said Lydia Grimm, BPA senior policy adviser. Among the alterna- tives under study is one that requires no action, meaning it would maintain current dam operations. Another alternative would weigh the benefits and trade- offs of removing the lower Snake River dams, Grimm said. Environmental groups claim breaching the dams would benefit the fish, while farmers argue it would make the river unusable for trans- porting wheat downstream to market and transporting sup- plies upriver. ‘We want to make sure we’re looking at the water operations that will help fulfill that current authorized water supply.’ Lydia Grimm BPA senior policy adviser Navigation is an autho- rized purpose for the sys- tem. The study objective is to maintain navigation, not change or improve it, said Rebecca Weiss, of the Army Corps. The agencies will use what they learn in the studies to shape a preferred alterna- tive, Grimm said. “We want to make sure we’re … getting to the right combination and have the complete answer,” she said. They will provide another update in the fall. Some alternatives may not create the needed ben- efits or could have greater impacts, so the agencies will also consider ways to miti- gate them, Grimm said. During the public scop- ing process, the agencies received comments on the importance of the river sys- tem for agriculture and irri- gation, which is being stud- ied, said Sonjoa Kokos, bureau ecosystems analysis program manager. The public will have the opportunity to comment on the draft in March 2020, she said. A final statement is slated for March 2021 with a record of decision set for September 2021. The objectives of the environmental impact state- ment include improving the survival rates for protected adult and juvenile salmon, resident fish and lampreys and providing an “adequate, efficient, economical and reliable” power supply. The agencies also want to minimize greenhouse gas emissions from power pro- duction and meet the autho- rized water supply obliga- tions, Grimm said. “There’s already autho- rization in the Columbia Basin Project for expanding irrigation for crops, agricul- ture and other purposes,” she said. “We want to make sure we’re looking at the water operations that will help ful- fill that current authorized water supply.” Are You Losing “Family Care”? I’M HERE TO HELP! Steve Putman Medicare Products 503-440-1076 putmanagency@gmail.com www.medicarehelpsus.com Licensed in Oregon and Washington Gov. Kate Brown has declared an emergency and mobilized Oregon National Guard soldiers in response to an ongoing water quality situa- tion in and around Salem. Brown’s office said Thurs- day the troops would bring large portable water tanks — known as water buffaloes — to the Salem area to ease a shortage of bottled water. On Tuesday evening, the city announced officials had detected low levels of cyano- toxins in the drinking water supply. The toxins, caused by an algae bloom in Detroit Lake, can cause health problems if ingested by young children and people with compromised immune systems. The Oregon Health Authority has also rec- ommended that Salem-area hospitals not expose patients to procedures using tap water. “I want to ensure safe drink- ing water is available to all res- idents of Salem and Marion County,” Brown said in a state- ment. “I’m directing Oregon’s Military Department to deploy clean water stations and pro- vide additional support to the community as conditions con- tinue to be closely monitored to ensure the health and safety of Detroit Lake water users.” The drinking water warn- ing issued by Salem officials on Tuesday prompted a run on bottled water in area supermar- kets and has led to reports of price-gouging. Brown’s office began look- ing into the possibility of mobilizing the National Guard on Wednesday. The governor made the decision Thursday morning. It’s unclear how many Molly J. Smith /Statesman-Journal Pallets of water and individual water bottles are seen in the warehouse of Marion Polk Food Share in Salem. The National Guard will hand out free water to residents who can’t drink tap water contaminated by an algae bloom. troops will be deployed to the area, or for how long. The governor’s office says it’s sending 10 water stations to five locations within the cities of Salem and Stayton. Salem’s water system serves a population of around 200,000 — including the communities of Turner and Stayton. Declaring an emergency in Marion and Polk counties isn’t a prerequisite for call- ing in National Guard troops, one official said, but helps pay for the deployment. It will also allow Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum to investi- gate whether price gouging has occurred during the water advisory due to “abnormal dis- ruption of the market.” Goug- ing in such circumstances is defined as 15 percent or more above the normal price. According to spokes- woman Kristina Edmunson, the Oregon Department of Justice has received 15 to 20 complaints about price goug- ing since the water notice was issued. They include reports of a Safeway charging $25 for cases of bottled water, and of a gas station in Brooks charging nearly $48 per case. A video posted to Facebook on Tuesday — just hours after the alert went out — shows cases of water sitting on the floor of the Brooks station, with makeshift prices scrawled in printer paper and taped onto them. Salem said new water test results received Thursday showed cyanotoxin levels had not improved. IVANOFF, Willard Celebration of life Sunday, June 3rd from 1 to 5 p.m. Clatsop County Fairgrounds 92937 Walluski Loop We the Ness Family would like to thank each one of you for all your support for our family at this time. Our hearts are so full from all of your love. Thanks to all the people who worked on the celebration for Ken. There are no words that can express our Thank You! And for all the truckers that made the tribute for Ken so so special. This community is awesome. God Bless each of you. We love you. The Kenneth Ness Family
