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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 2017)
This Monday photo provided by KATU- TV shows a wildfire as seen from near Stevenson, Wash., across the Columbia River, burning in the Columbia River Gorge above Cascade Locks. A lengthy stretch of highway Interstate 84 remained closed Tues- day as crews battle the growing wildfire that has also caused evacuations and sparked blazes across the Columbia River in Washington state. Tristan Fortsch/KATU-TV via AP WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 141st Year, No. 232 WINNER OF THE 2017 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD One dollar Brown: Wildfire threatens water, power systems By ZANE SPARLING Capital Bureau Staff photos by E.J. Harris LEFT: Smoke from Pacific Northwest wildfires hangs in a haze Monday at 2:19 p.m. over Pendleton. RIGHT: Air quality took a turn for the worse Tuesday at 11:58 a.m. as smoke from the Eagle Creek fire and others in the region spread into the Columbia Basin. SMOKED IN Local air quality alert in effect until noon Friday East Oregonian The layer of smoke that has settled over Oregon is here to stay — at least until the end of the week. Residents can expect low air quality until Friday across northeast Oregon as wildfires continue to rage in the Pacific Northwest. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued an air quality alert until noon Friday for all of Eastern Oregon. Fine particles in smoke can cause burning eyes, runny nose and aggravate other serious health prob- lems, such as chronic heart and lung disease. Smoke can also limit visibility. People should limit outdoor activity while the alert is in effect, especially children, the elderly and those with respiratory problems. The Oregon Health Authority and Umatilla County Public Health Department issued similar See SMOKE/8A Staff photo by E.J. Harris Third graders watch the movie “Cinderella” during recess on Tuesday at Washington Elementary School in Pendleton. Due to poor air quality from wildfire smoke, outdoor activities were canceled by the district. TROUTDALE — Gov. Kate Brown said the Columbia River Gorge has already suffered a “devas- tating impact” from the Eagle Creek wildfire — and the blaze is still 0 percent contained as of Tuesday evening. “We’re very concerned, obviously, about the Bonne- ville power grid and the Bull Run watershed being at risk,” Brown told reporters Tuesday. “(The gorge) is a special place for many of us, and we’re very concerned about the impact.” The fire, reportedly caused by a teen setting off fireworks, has jumped roughly 13 miles in 16 hours, Brown said, and about 400 homes have been evacuated in rural Multnomah County. No structures have been destroyed. Also in East Multnomah County, another 850 home- owners have been warned there is a medium-level chance of an evacuation order, while roughly 4,000 homes in eastern Troutdale are at the lowest level of emergency readiness. Troutdale Mayor Casey Ryan, who has been briefed on fire conditions, said the chance of a larger evacuation order remains “slim.” “The wind is supposed to pick up tonight. It’s an East Wind, which is unusual for this time of year,” he said in an interview. “If that happens, and it’s a lot, it could affect us.” See FIRE/8A Stanfield tables nuisance ordinance for stinky plant Council waiting for city attorney to review it By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian Stanfield’s city council considered a new nuisance ordinance on Tuesday to address ongoing issues with odor, but decided to wait to take action until the city’s attorney has finished reviewing it. The council has fielded numerous complaints from citizens at its last few meetings about a rotten odor hanging over the city since a fire burned up odor-fighting equipment at dehydration plant run by 3D Idapro Solutions. Residents Tuesday described it as a “puke smell” and “like vomit.” An ordinance presented by City Manager Blair Larsen on Tuesday specifies that the city would consider an odor a nuisance if it received at least three written complaints about it within a 12-hour period. The ordinance also allows for use of odor-detection equipment if the city decides at a future date to purchase some. A second ordinance changes vague wording about pursing the maximum fine allowed under state law to classifying the offense of violating the odor ordinance as a Class A violation punishable under state law by a fine of up to $2,000 per day. “This has some more teeth,” Larsen said. Councilors said they liked the ordinance but wanted to make sure the city’s attorney believed it would hold up in court before signing off on it. They also suggested that while the city is updating its nuisance codes it should update the language on noise violations, too. See STANFIELD/8A EO file photo Stanfield City Council held off Tuesday on creating a new nuisance ordinance to address ongoing issues with odor from the 3D Idapro Solutions plant.
