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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 13, 2016)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Friday, May 13, 2016 Fight over plan to bottle water in Cascade Locks is on ballot By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press CASCADE LOCKS — This little town, set below steep, forested mountainsides at the bottom of the Columbia River Gorge, stubbornly persists, eight decades after a dam was built downstream, drowning the navigational locks that gave the place its name and main income. Today, unemployment in Cascade Locks is 19 percent, four times the rate of the rest of Oregon. Many businesses have gone the way of the Scenic Winds Motel, whose cabins are crumbling, the roofs greening with moss, a no trespassing sign posted underneath towering irs. So when Nestle, the Swiss transnational company, approached with a plan to build a water bottling plant from a local spring — plus a promise of 50 jobs and annual revenues of hundreds of thousands of dollars — town leaders jumped at it. So did many of the 1,200 residents. But the opposition — including residents, Native American tribes and orchard owners — has grown so ierce that the project landed on Oregon’s May 17 primary ballot. It’s now one of the primary’s most heated battles. Measure 14-55 asks the voters of surrounding Hood River County to ban the commercial production and transport of bottled water. The campaign has pitted neighbor against neighbor and demonstrates Cascade Locks’ bigger dilemma of AP Photo/Don Ryan In this May 5 photo, Oxbow ish hatchery manager Erin AnDyke looks out over crystal clear spring wa- ter from Little Herman Creek, which feeds the hatch- ery facility in Cascade Locks. A proposal for Nestle to build a water bottling plant in Cascade Locks is set to be one of the most heated battles in the state’s May 17 primary. Town leaders and some residents want it, but others are iercely opposed. generating income without spoiling the jaw-dropping scenery that makes the place special. Blue signs opposing the project and red ones in favor are staked in lawns and afixed to fences all over town. “Right now, we have two groups of people ighting tooth and nail over it. I’ve lost friends over it, just because I put up a sign saying no to the measure,” said Heather Greene, a bronze sculptor whose large-than-life statue of Sacagawea adorns a city park. She wants Nestle there. Farm and orchard owners have noted Hood River County experienced drought in 2015. Water bottlers would compete with their orchards and farms for the growing population of the town of Hood River and its shrinking water supply, they said. But rainfall isn’t consis- tent across the county. Cascade Locks has water to spare, said city manager Gordon Zimmerman. The town gets an average of 77 inches of rain a year. That’s about 2.5 times more than Hood River, the county seat, located about 20 miles east on Interstate 84. Nestle’s plan to use 118 million gallons of water per year — which probably wouldn’t happen before 2020 if its allowed — would require some juggling. The company would pay Cascade Locks an undetermined amount for the water. But the town must irst swap well water for spring water with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The state, which uses the spring-fed Little Herman Creek for its Oxbow Hatchery, has already agreed to trade. Hatchery manager Erin AnDyke noted that the crystal-clear spring water is pathogen free and is gravity-fed into the hatchery, while the city water will be from a well and must be pumped uphill. Pumps can break down, he noted. “We’re dealing with a live product down there,” AnDyke said. “You go to bed thinking, ‘Are they going to be all right?”’ The city would then sell its new share of spring water to Nestle for its Arrowhead bottled water, branded as sourced from mountain springs. In drought conditions, Nestle, which would be entitled to 0.5 cubic feet per second of spring water, could be using half of the low, though it could be only one-tenth after wetter months, AnDyke said. Studies by the ish and wildlife department and one commissioned by Nestle say the hatchery won’t be adversely affected, and that conditions will be virtually unchanged for wild salmon swimming in the Columbia that use Herman Creek Cove to cool off during hot weather. Many folks aren’t buying it. They also object to trucks making 200 trips a day to and from the plant, which would be in a business park and not next to the springs. Oregon was the irst state to enact a bottle bill, in 1971, to encourage recycling. Many here reject contributing to plastic waste. Didn’t receive your paper? Call 1-800-522-0255 before noon Tuesday through Friday or before 10 a.m. Saturday for same-day redelivery 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211 Ofice hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed major holidays To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255 or go online to www.eastoregonian.com and click on ‘Subscribe’ East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published daily except Sunday, Monday and Dec. 25, by the EO Media Group, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Periodicals postage paid at Pendleton, OR. Postmaster: send address changes to East Oregonian, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Single copy price: $1 Tuesday through Friday, $1.50 Saturday REGIONAL CITIES SATURDAY TODAY Mostly sunny and very warm Not as warm 82° 50° 71° 52° SUNDAY MONDAY Mostly cloudy, a shower; cooler Partly sunny and warmer TUESDAY Sunny to partly cloudy PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 63° 51° 72° 49° 72° 49° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 85° 54° 77° 55° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 83° 70° 102° (1931) 55° 46° 29° (1916) PRECIPITATION 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date 0.00" 0.17" 0.45" 4.57" 3.61" 5.60" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH Yesterday Normals Records LOW 86° 72° 99° (1993) 44° 46° 31° (2012) PRECIPITATION 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date 0.00" 0.59" 0.46" 3.57" 2.16" 4.48" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today First Full May 13 May 21 5:26 a.m. 8:18 p.m. 12:26 p.m. 1:44 a.m. Last New May 29 76° 52° 76° 52° Seattle 82/56 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 68° 53° June 4 Today Spokane Wenatchee 73/49 80/56 Tacoma Moses 83/51 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 82/56 76/49 75/51 84/49 85/57 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 85/53 81/56 Lewiston 86/57 Astoria 82/53 67/50 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 87/56 Pendleton 78/49 The Dalles 85/54 82/50 88/58 La Grande Salem 81/49 84/52 Albany Corvallis 82/50 81/52 John Day 86/55 Ontario Eugene Bend 87/53 79/52 80/49 Caldwell Burns 86/49 81/46 Astoria Baker City Bend Brookings Burns Enterprise Eugene Heppner Hermiston John Day Klamath Falls La Grande Meacham Medford Newport North Bend Ontario Pasco Pendleton Portland Redmond Salem Spokane Ukiah Vancouver Walla Walla Yakima Hi 67 82 80 60 81 78 79 80 85 86 80 81 79 88 57 60 87 85 82 87 82 84 73 78 85 81 85 Lo 50 45 49 49 46 49 52 51 54 55 45 49 48 57 49 53 53 55 50 56 46 52 49 48 55 56 57 W pc pc pc c pc pc pc s s pc pc pc pc pc pc pc s s s pc pc pc s pc pc s s NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Sat. Hi 60 72 62 57 70 70 61 69 77 70 61 71 69 67 56 59 81 77 71 66 66 62 72 66 65 70 80 Lo 49 43 41 49 40 45 50 48 55 45 40 48 46 51 48 52 51 53 52 54 42 51 51 46 53 53 56 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. W sh pc t sh pc pc sh pc pc pc t pc pc c sh sh pc pc pc sh c sh pc pc sh pc c WORLD CITIES Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Hi 76 87 82 67 79 60 71 68 77 76 75 Lo 51 78 69 44 51 40 45 58 55 55 62 W pc pc c pc pc s t s pc s s Sat. Hi 57 87 92 56 78 63 56 66 77 77 73 Lo 52 80 73 41 53 44 39 56 57 56 58 W sh c s pc t s pc t pc s pc WINDS Medford 88/57 (in mph) Klamath Falls 80/45 Boardman Pendleton REGIONAL FORECAST Today Saturday NNE 6-12 N 6-12 N 7-14 NW 6-12 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. 1 4 7 7 4 Jacob Arnold will remain the head coach of the Herm- iston High School varsity lacrosse team and Krystofer Lopez will coach the junior varsity team. Incorrect infor- mation appeared on Page 3A and 1B of the May 11 edition of the East Oregonian. The East Oregonian works hard to be accurate and sincerely regrets any errors. If you notice a mistake in the paper, please call 541-966-0818. COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Manager: Mike Jensen 541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com Copyright © 2016, EO Media Group Forecast Corrections NEWS • To submit news tips and press releases: • call 541-966-0818 • fax 541-276-8314 • email news@eastoregonian.com • To submit community events, calendar items and Your EO News: email community@eastoregonian.com or call Tammy Malgesini at 541-564-4539 or Renee Struthers in at 541-966-0818. • To submit engagements, weddings and anniversaries: email rstruthers@eastoregonian.com or visit www.eastoregonian. com/community/announcements • To submit a Letter to the Editor: mail to Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com. • To submit sports or outdoors information or tips: 541-966-0838 • sports@eastoregonian.com Multimedia Consultants • Jeanne Jewett 541-564-4531 • jjewett@eastoregonian.com • Terri Briggs 541-278-2678 • tbriggs@eastoregonian.com • Dayle Stinson 541-966-0806 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com • Stephanie Newsom 541-278-2687 • snewsom@eastoregonian.com • Audra Workman 541-564-4538 • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • Chris McClellan 541-966-0802 • cmcclellan@eastoregonian.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES Local home delivery Savings off cover price EZPay $14.50 41 percent 52 weeks $173.67 41 percent 26 weeks $91.86 38 percent 13 weeks $47.77 36 percent *EZ Pay = one-year rate with a monthly credit or debit card/check charge www.eastoregonian.com PORTLAND (AP) — A man who joined the security team during the takeover of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon has pleaded guilty to stealing government property. Scott Willingham was with occupation spokesman Robert “LaVoy” Finicum on Jan. 15 when Finicum took down surveillance cameras at a substation near Burns. Willingham is the irst refuge defendant to enter a guilty plea, but he’s not one of the 26 people scheduled to go to trial later this year in the larger conspiracy case stemming from the 41-day takeover. Under a plea agreement, Willingham is expected to face six months in prison. He’s agreed to undergo a mental health evaluation and spend up to several months at a residential re-entry program. The Oregonian reports that Willingham said “absolutely, without question” when a federal judge asked Thursday if entering the guilty plea was the right decision. Classiied & Legal Advertising 1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678 classiieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com ADVERTISING Advertising Director: Jennine Perkinson 541-278-2683 • jperkinson@eastoregonian.com Subscriber services: For home delivery, vacation stops or delivery concerns: 1-800-522-0255 — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — In April, Orvie Danzuka, a leader of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, appeared before the Cascade Locks City Council and cited global warming, salmon die-offs and water conserva- tion as reasons to reject the bottling plant. “I was told by my elders that if you start selling your resources, then they’ll go away,” he said amid the pounding of drums and chants and ululations from tribal members. Nestle — also facing a battle in drought-hit southern California over its long-standing use of spring water in San Bernardino National Forest — says it’s being unfairly singled out by Measure 14-55. The proposal would “limit our ability to pursue good jobs in a clean industry for Cascade Locks,” the company says. Dave Palais of Nestle pointed out only 1.38 gallons of water are required to produce one gallon of Nestle bottled water, compared to an average of ive gallons of water for one gallon of beer. Thunder Island Brewery sits right along the Columbia, near where the Bridge of the Gods — part of the Paciic Crest Trail — links Oregon to Washington. Head brewer Brian Perkey said the brewery uses municipal water and pays for it. But for Perkey, the main issue is not water. “I see no place on this green earth for water in a plastic bottle,” he said. “Why would I want to support people putting water into a plastic bottle for proit?” Standoff defendant pleads guilty to stealing cameras 1 Coastal Oregon: Partly sunny today; however, more clouds in the south; pleasant across the north. Eastern and Central Oregon: Partly sunny and very warm today. Partly cloudy tonight. Eastern Washington: Mostly sunny today. Partly cloudy tonight. 8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m. Cascades: Partly sunny and warmer today. 0-2, Low 3-5, Moderate 6-7, High; 8-10, Very High; 11+, Extreme Western Washington: Partly sunny today. Northern California: Partly sunny today. A passing shower at the coast tonight. The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ num- ber, the greater the need for eye and skin protection. Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2016 -10s -0s showers t-storms 0s 10s rain 20s flurries 30s 40s snow ice 50s 60s cold front 70s 80s 90s 100s warm front stationary front 110s high low National Summary: Rain will soak New England, while showers and locally gusty storms extend from the mid-Atlantic to the Gulf Coast and Southwest states today. Severe storms will erupt over the central Plains. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 103° in Thermal, Calif. Low 18° in Angel Fire, N.M. NATIONAL CITIES Today Albuquerque Atlanta Atlantic City Baltimore Billings Birmingham Boise Boston Charleston, SC Charleston, WV Chicago Cleveland Dallas Denver Detroit El Paso Fairbanks Fargo Honolulu Houston Indianapolis Jacksonville Kansas City Las Vegas Little Rock Los Angeles Hi 85 81 65 73 50 79 87 65 89 73 66 67 84 72 68 91 78 48 83 86 68 90 74 97 82 75 Lo 58 56 54 52 34 54 56 56 63 52 41 51 66 44 47 65 56 29 72 67 45 62 43 72 59 59 W s s r t pc pc s r t pc r pc s s pc s pc c c t s t t s s pc Sat. Hi 82 82 67 74 56 79 83 72 88 63 52 56 76 65 56 90 79 52 84 87 54 88 57 96 73 72 Lo 57 53 48 46 40 52 52 50 61 41 36 39 58 43 36 65 55 36 73 66 38 59 41 68 52 59 Today W pc s t t c s pc pc s t pc sh t pc sh pc s pc pc t c s s pc pc pc Hi Louisville 73 Memphis 79 Miami 87 Milwaukee 63 Minneapolis 50 Nashville 76 New Orleans 86 New York City 66 Oklahoma City 81 Omaha 71 Philadelphia 73 Phoenix 103 Portland, ME 64 Providence 67 Raleigh 79 Rapid City 54 Reno 85 Sacramento 79 St. Louis 77 Salt Lake City 84 San Diego 72 San Francisco 65 Seattle 82 Tucson 99 Washington, DC 76 Wichita 82 Lo 55 58 73 40 34 55 67 57 52 38 56 77 49 54 55 29 56 52 47 59 62 53 56 69 57 47 W s s s sh sh s pc r s t r s r r t pc pc pc s s pc pc pc s t t Sat. Hi 60 70 89 51 52 68 87 73 62 60 75 100 70 72 81 56 74 77 61 84 70 67 73 95 75 61 Lo 44 51 73 36 35 43 68 48 46 37 47 74 47 48 49 32 45 53 43 60 62 54 53 67 49 46 Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. W c s t c s s s t sh s t s pc t s c pc pc s pc pc c c s t c
