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B2 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2019 Associated Press An aerial applicator sprays a fi eld. Oregon regulators have seen reduced pesticide levels in key waterways. Pesticide levels drop in key Oregon waterways By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press Pesticide levels in some key Oregon waterways have dropped to a fraction of their former concentrations due to changes voluntarily adopted by farmers, according to environmental regulators. Monitoring by Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality has found that grow- ers are willing to alter spray regimens to achieve successful water quality results. “Overall, we’ve seen improvements in a number of agricultural areas, particularly in the Columbia plateau. We’ve seen agricul- ture respond to the data,” said Kevin Mas- terson, the Department of Environmental Quality’s toxics coordinator. About 50% of the waterway sites tested under an interagency “pesticide steward- ship partnership” program showed progress in pesticide detections and concentrations during the 2015-2017 sampling period, compared to the previous biennium. Roughly 27% of the tested sites showed declines in water quality from pesticides, while 23% showed no change during that time, according to data compiled by the department. Those numbers don’t tell the whole story, however, because the monitoring is tar- geted toward streams where pesticides are detected, while those without occurrences are dropped from testing, said Masterson. “It is a targeted monitoring program,” he said, adding that the water quality improve- ments are noteworthy given that regulators are focusing on areas with problems. “What we don’t fi nd is as important as what we do.” The monitoring program has resulted in signifi cant reductions in pesticide levels in such watersheds as the Walla Walla, where the concentration of diuron herbicide has effectively fallen to zero from a maximum level of 18.9 micrograms per liter and an average level of 1.5 micrograms per liter in 2010. When presented with the diuron data, the local irrigation district stopped treat- ing ditches with the herbicide during dry periods and instead switched to mechani- cal removal and spot-treatment with a less- toxic and -persistent chemical, Masterson said. Concentrations of the malathion insecti- cide have likewise plummeted in the Wasco basin, where cherry growers are now more reliant on weather stations to time their spraying, according to the department. Aerial applications now occur on the inte- rior of orchards while areas near streams are sprayed by hand. Not every waterway under scrutiny has seen a decrease in pesticide levels — those in the Willamette Valley, for example, have generally seen concentrations rise and fall without a clear trajectory, said Masterson. “In a lot of areas, we haven’t seen sus- tained trends for pesticides of interest,” he said. “Even though it’s a challenge in some watersheds, it’s been a success in others.” Decreasing pesticide levels in water is generally more straightforward in regions primarily dedicated to certain crops — Walla Walla for apples, Hood River for pears, Wasco for cherries — compared to those where agricultural land use is less uni- form, said Kirk Cook, pesticide steward- ship specialist at the Oregon Department of Agriculture. “Those are usually where we have a wide diversity of crops grown and chemi- cals used,” he said. For the same reason, more progress has been seen among farmers compared to more numerous city dwellers, who are more dif- Empty-handed dinner guest Dear Annie: I live in the Midwest. My igating the loss. He had attended a multi- husband and I have a good friend who dines week grief class years before and shared this with us quite often, usually once or twice a event. week, as well as on holidays. She is a long- A petite woman faithfully attended grief time friend. The problem is this: She classes each week for a long time never brings anything with her when and never spoke a word to the group. DEAR asked to dinner. She never asks us Finally, at the close of the class, ANNIE to her place for a meal. She never she spoke saying, “I’d like to say offers to buy dinner when we go out, something.” Everyone stopped maybe once a year. She never offers talking, almost in disbelief. The room to bring carryout. She is fairly close was quiet. She continued: “Profound and watches our house when we are grief of a spouse is like accidentally out of town, which we appreciate. and signifi cantly cutting your arm. It How do we proceed with solving hurts really bad and seems that you this problem without alienating her? ANNIE LANE may never stop the bleeding. But Creators — Hungry you do. Not too long after, you bump Dear Hungry: The next time the wound and the scab comes off. you invite her over for dinner, sim- It bleeds and hurts for a long time, ply say, “Oh, by the way, would you please and then begins to heal again. This process bring an appetizer” (or dessert or side dish). repeats itself over and over for a long time. Mention it as though it’s the most natural One day, you look at your arm and see a ten- thing in the world. There’s no reason for you der scar that will be part of you for the rest to feel awkward. It’s perfectly appropriate. of your life. The scar is there, but it doesn’t If you have any hesitations, just imagine if hurt like when it was a new wound, and the the tables were turned — that you’d been bleeding has stopped.” dining at a friend’s house for years and then I’ve shared this with so many since it was she casually asked you to bring something to fi rst told to me. It seems to resonate with dinner that week. Would you feel indignant? anyone who knows the loss of a beloved No. If anything, you’d perhaps feel embar- spouse. rassed that she had to ask. Thanks for all you do every day to help so Dear Annie: I lost my wife of 42 and 1/2 many people you don’t even know and will years in late 2014. I met her when she was never meet. — Rob R., Jacksonville Beach, 15, started dating when she was 17, and I Florida married Shirley when she was 20 and I was Dear Rob: Your letter brought tears to 21. A friend of 41 years had previously lost my eyes. Thank you for passing on this wis- his wife and stepped in to assist me in nav- dom. I’m so sorry for your loss. fi cult to communicate with on a large scale, said Masterson. “We’ve been able to see major declines in agricultural areas that we haven’t been able to see in urban areas.” Farmers have generally taken pride in seeing a positive response from their efforts to keep pesticides out of water, Cook said. “Any regulatory action that you take is gen- erally something that is forced on them. Peo- ple are going to react negatively to some- thing that is forced on them.” There’s also an incentive to take volun- tary action because growers know that a lack of improvement could result in regula- tory action that cuts off access to pesticides, he said. For pesticides subject to the federal Clean Water Act, exceeding benchmarks for concentrations in water could result in a more restrictive “total maximum daily load” process than the current voluntary approach, he said. Exceeding benchmarks for other “pesti- cides of concern” identifi ed by Oregon reg- ulators could also cause those chemicals to be pulled from the market if voluntary action were ineffective, Cook said. “That would not be available for the applicator community to use,” he said. “Our goal is to not have that happen.” 2019-2020 | 30TH SEASON COLUMBIAFORUM Tuesday, October 29, 2019 6 pm Appetizers • 6:30 pm Dinner • 7 pm Program Ten myths about climate change Are extreme weather events getting more extreme? Do we have 11 years before the window to “solve” climate change closes forever? Is it all just natural variability, with humans playing at most a bit part? And what about the Blob? Scientists began studying climate change over 100 years ago, and have uncovered many fascinating secrets about the Earth’s complex climate system. As heat-trapping gases accumulate, understanding and predicting the behavior of this complex system becomes ever more important, and often the science (sometimes very well-established, sometimes fresh and untested) plays out in the public sphere as never before. Come hear the state of the science of climate change, from the global scale to the Astoria area, from someone who has studied the subject for over 20 years. And bring your own questions. Philip Mote is vice provost and dean of the Graduate School and remains active in the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute (OCCRI) and the NOAA-funded Climate Impacts Research Consor- tium (CIRC) for the Northwest. He is very active in leadership of the 60,000-member American Geo- physical Union, as President of Global Environmental Change, member of the Council, Vice Chair of the Council Leadership Team, and a member of the Board. Philip was the founding director (2009-19) of OCCRI and remains involved in communicating climate science within Oregon. He earned a B.A. in Physics from Harvard Uni- versity and a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington. Columbia Forum Sponsors: • The Astorian/Coast River Business Journal • KMUN • Cannery pier Hotel and spa • Craft3 • OSU seafood experiment station Philip Mote, Oregon State Climatologist COLUMBIAFORUM 2018-19 RSVP by Friday, October 25, 2019 For reservations, to become a member or be added to contact list: Call 503-325-4955 or email forum@dailyastorian.com Forum to be held at (new location): Chef Chris Holen’s NEKST EVENT 175 14th St., Ste 100 Astoria Foot of 12th St. Use back-in parking To Attend: Members: Dinner & Lecture $25 each; Lecture only free. Non-Members: Dinner & Lecture $35 each; Lecture only $15 each Appetizers available at 6pm. Dinner will be served at 6:30pm. Lecture will begin after dinner.