REGION
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
East Oregonian
Page 3A
PENDLETON
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Array would be
installed near airport
steep hill north of Interstate 84,
west of Airport Road. The land was
previously used for grazing cattle.
A report from the Federal Avia-
tion Administration determined
there is no potential hazard to air
travel, and the Oregon Department
of Transportation says glare from
the panels will not affect drivers
on I-84. Evan MacKenzie, with the
city planning department, said there
were no other special conditions
imposed on the developer.
Cypress Creek Renewables now
has two years to obtain a building
permit.
“Basically, they’re good to go,”
MacKenzie said.
Jason Carr, spokesman with
Cypress Creek Renewables, said
By GEORGE PLAVEN
East Oregonian
A California-based startup
company plans to break ground
sometime next year on a utility-scale
solar farm just west of Pendleton.
Cypress Creek Renewables will
build a 6-megawatt solar facility
on 44 acres of bare industrial land
leased from the Eastern Oregon
Regional Airport. The project
received its conditional use permit
Oct. 1 from the Pendleton Planning
Commission.
Solar panels will run along the
IRRIGON
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Getman has gone missing.
On Feb. 10, a news station
After a second full in Utica, New York
day of searching, the trail reported Getman went
appears to have gone cold missing in his pickup truck
for a missing Irrigon man from the nearby city of
with Alzheimer’s disease Little Falls. He was found
who walked away from safe the same day by New
home at about 2 a.m. York State Police in Marcy,
New York, 33 miles away.
Monday.
Matlack said he will
John Getman, 78, was
last seen near the Irrigon talk again with the family
on Wednesday.
Fish
Hatchery
Temperatures in
between 8 a.m. and
Irrigon Tuesday
8:20 a.m. Monday,
night
were
three miles north-
expected to fall
west of town. He
to 42 degrees,
was spotted earlier
with
winds
that
morning
gusting as high
walking
west
as 44 mph.
on
Washington
“We’re just
Avenue.
hopeful we’ll
A
helicopter
get a lead today
ÀHZLQIURP6DOHP Getman
from someone
on Tuesday to
scout the surrounding area, who might have seen him,”
including the Umatilla he said.
Getman is described as
National Wildlife Refuge.
Morrow County Sheriff 6 feet tall, 190 pounds with
Ken Matlack said the very short gray hair, brown
search so far has come up eyes and no facial hair.
He was last seen wearing
empty.
“We still have no idea a heavy brown Carhartt
where he is,” Matlack jacket, brown plaid shirt,
said. “At this point, we blue jeans and sneakers.
don’t have a whole lot of Apart from Alzheimer’s,
he has no other serious
options.”
Authorities have issued medical problems.
In addition to the aerial
all-points bulletins in
Oregon, Washington and search, Matlack said volun-
Idaho, and alerted truck teers on horseback rode
stops from Biggs Junction east from Irrigon to the
to Ontario in case Getman Umatilla County line, but
was picked up somewhere found no sign of Getman.
along the road. Police also Deputies used a patrol
checked with local hospi- boat to check the banks of
tals from The Dalles and the Columbia River from
Pendleton to Walla Walla Irrigon to Boardman, but
found nothing.
and the Tri-Cities.
There was a report
Matlack said they’ve
received no other tips or Monday afternoon of an
elderly man walking on
sightings since Monday.
“We’re hoping we will old highway 30 near Fred-
get calls from somebody erickson Farming, though
who’s seen him. It’s not Matlack said they could
too late for that,” he said. QRWFRQ¿UPLWZDV*HWPDQ
Anyone with infor-
“But the reality is that time
isn’t our friend anymore. mation on Getman is
We need to catch a break.” asked to call the Morrow
Getman came to Irrigon &RXQW\ 6KHULII¶V 2I¿FH DW
from New York in February 541-676-5317.
———
to live with his sister and is
Contact George Plaven
unfamiliar with the area.
gplaven@eastorego-
Matlack said Getman gets at
confused when he can’t nian.com or 541-966-
0825.
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By GEORGE PLAVEN
East Oregonian
the company launched less than
two years ago and focuses solely
on solar power. In addition to Cali-
IRUQLD&\SUHVV&UHHNKDVRI¿FHVLQ
Arizona, North Carolina, Missouri
and New York.
The project applicant is tech-
nically NorWest Energy 9 LLC, a
subsidiary of Cypress Creek. They
also have two more solar arrays
under development east of Bend.
“It goes without saying Eastern
Oregon has plentiful sunshine,”
Carr said. “That is certainly one of
the attributes we were interested
in.”
Another appealing feature of
the Pendleton airport land was
FORVHSUR[LPLW\WRD3DFL¿F3RZHU
substation where the electricity
could connect to the grid. Carr said
they have already worked out a
15-year purchase agreement with
3DFL¿F3RZHUDVUHTXLUHGIRUTXDO-
ifying renewable energy projects
under the Public Utility Regulatory
Policies Act.
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asked Oregon regulators to limit
the length of so-called PURPA
contracts from 15 years to just
three years, Carr said their existing
contract would be grandfathered in
should that rule be changed.
At six megawatts of electricity,
the solar panel should generate
enough power for 1,200 homes.
The development is expected to
generate $42,000 in annual tax
revenue for the city.
“We’ve seen the city of
Pendleton overall has been very
proactive when it comes to utilizing
solar,” Carr said. “I think there’s
just an understanding of what solar
can bring to the community, not
only providing clean energy but tax
revenue as well.”
Meanwhile, Umatilla Electric
Cooperative began work Nov. 3
to build a 1-megawatt solar farm
east of Umatilla. The co-op bought
80 acres from the Port of Umatilla
south of Highway 730 in April. The
array is expected to take up only six
acres of that site.
———
Contact George Plaven at
gplaven@eastoregonian.com
or
541-966-0825.
Flowering rush flourishes along Columbia
Regulations delay removal
of irrigation-clogging weed
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
EO Media Group
Flowering rush, an aquatic weed that
clogs irrigation canals, has spread to
multiple new sites near McNary Dam
along the Columbia River since its
discovery in the area last year.
Meanwhile, the federal government
must again clear environmental regu-
latory hurdles before removing new
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below the dam, which is under the juris-
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the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
“Because we’re part of the federal
government, we have to follow federal
laws and regulations,” said Diana Fred-
lund, spokesperson for the Army Corps’
Portland District.
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on the Oregon side of the Columbia River
in August 2014, with surveys eventually
locating 15 sites near McNary Dam.
That portion of the river is governed
by the Walla Walla District of the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, which had
to obtain approval under the National
Environmental Policy Act, the Endan-
gered Species Act and the Archeological
Resources Protection Act to remove the
weed with diver-assisted suction hoses.
“This should be straightforward.
We’re just going in and by hand removing
some small sites,” said Tim Butler,
Oregon Department of Agriculture’s
noxious weed program manager.
By the time the agency cleared those
hurdles and scheduled a dive team to
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August 2015, the weed had expanded to
45 total sites in the area.
While divers were able to treat 39 of
those sites, six of them were growing
on the Columbia River below McNary
E.J. Harris/EO Media Group
Diver Andrew Hannes, with the Army Corps of Engineers out of
Portland, gestures while searching for flowering rush on the bottom of the
Columbia River near Umatilla in August 2015.
Dam, which means they come under the
purview of the Army Corps’ Portland
District, said Mark Porter, an integrated
weed management coordinator for ODA.
For that reason, the process of
obtaining clearance under NEPA, ESA
and ARPA must now be repeated by
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unlikely to occur in time for the patches
to be removed before next year, he said.
The agency expects that the regulatory
processes will be completed over winter,
when the plants disappear below the
water line, so they can be covered with
mats or removed when they re-emerge
next spring, said Fredlund.
“We do want it to keep it from
becoming a bigger problem,” she said.
The Army Corps’ Walla Walla District
can continue removing the weed without
re-clearing regulatory barriers, and its
experience is expected to speed up the
Portland District’s compliance with those
statutes, said Damian Walter, wildlife
biologist for the agency.
Apart from sites on the Columbia
5LYHUWKHUH¶VDODUJHSRSXODWLRQRIÀRZ-
ering rush upriver on the Yakima River
in Washington, which state regulators are
attempting to control, he said.
“There is a constant source currently
in the system,” Walter said. “We’ve got
to address the source of it.”
As part of long-term plans to battle
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University is studying predatory beetles
in Central Europe that feed on the weed’s
roots in that region, limiting its spread.
The weed poses a serious threat if it’s
able to enter irrigation systems along the
Columbia River or its tributaries, said
Porter. Flowering rush grows so thickly
that it greatly slows the movement of
water and changes aquatic ecosystems.
“This plant seems to be a very
aggressive aquatic invader. This isn’t just
another weed,” he said. “It has the big
potential to do some harm.”
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Tri-City Herald
possible motive for the deaths
of David Perez-Saucedo, Abigail
Torres-Renteria and Victoria
Torres. The trio were found dead
in August 2014 after going to
Umatilla.
Worried that he may be
linked to the killings, Marquez
WHVWL¿HG KH WKUHZ WKH JXQ RII D
A former co-worker
of Francisco Resendez
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that the triple murder
suspect from Umatilla
returned a revolver with
blood on it shortly after the
Resendez Miranda
killings.
$UFKLH0DUTXH]WHVWL¿HG
he gave his .38-caliber
revolver
to
Resendez
McKay Creek Estates
Miranda hours before the
presents:
three Pasco victims were
shot in a Benton County
FRUQ¿HOG
Marquez
apparently
gave the gun to Resendez
Miranda after a break-in at
Join us as we host a lecture series to
the accused killer’s Umatilla
increase safety awareness on fall prevention,
apartment.
common home injuries and provide solutions
The break-in is a
to keep you and your loved one safe!
bridge into the Columbia River.
The revolver has not been
found.
The trial is entering its third
week. Resendez Miranda is
charged with three counts of
aggravated murder.
The prosecution is expected to
rest its case this week.
SAFETY
FIRST
S
SafetyMan says
“Always be Safe to Ensure an Active
& Independent Lifestyle”
THANK
YOU
to everyone who made the
Living with Lower Cholesterol
Don Horneck
Memorial
Run & Banquet
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 3:30 PM
Join us for an afternoon to increase your understanding of cholesterol levels
and how proper diet and nutrition can be combined with exercise and
medications to keep your cholesterol levels in check. Learn the consequences
and risks to your health when cholesterol reaches unhealthy levels.
a success!
A special thank you to our sponsors:
Advance Directives
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 3:30 PM
What is an Advance Directive? When a loved one is diagnosed with
Alzheimer’s Disease there are many questions. One of the most confusing
aspects can be the legal documents that need to be signed while your loved
one can still make decisions.
Hermiston Agricultural
Research & Extension Center
PLATINUM
Threemile Canyon
Farms, LLC
GOLD
K&L Madison LLC
Simplot Grower Solutions
Brookside Laboratories
Wilbur Ellis
AgriNW
SILVER
Mike & Kay Schmitt
Ag Source
Riverpoint Farm
Walmart
BRONZE
Two Rivers Terminal
Hermiston Foods
Edward Jones
Donations & Services: Columbia Crest, Mercer Canyon, Bergevin Lane Vineyards,
Haas Brewing Company, Swire Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Rock Hounds of Hermiston,
Office Max, Guardian Angel Homes, Kuhn Law Office
Thank you to the many volunteers! There were many behind the scenes individuals who gave their gener ous
time and talents. All proceeds go towards OSU scholarship fund in memory of Don Horneck.
For more information or to RSVP, call us at (541) 276-1987 or visit us today!
McKay Creek Estates
1601 Southgate Place
Pendleton, Oregon 97801
www.PrestigeCare.com