NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
Page 2A
Friday, June 8, 2018
Climate may have triggered toxic
algae bloom hurting Salem’s water
BRIEFLY
ZACH URNESS
Statesman Journal
SALEM — One of the
hottest and driest months of
May on record may have
contributed to the growth
and spread of the toxic algae
bloom wreaking havoc in
Salem’s drinking water.
The algae bloom was orig-
inally spotted in Detroit Lake
on May 8 and reached highly
toxic levels around May 21,
according to officials.
The record heat and dry
conditions apparently kept the
bloom strong, allowing the
toxins to spread from the res-
ervoir, into the North Santiam
River and finally into Salem’s
drinking water for the first
time at dangerous levels.
Salem issued its second
do-not-drink alert Wednesday
for vulnerable populations
following the discovery, for
the second week in a row, of
high levels of cyanotoxins in
the drinking water.
“We have a toxic algae
bloom at Detroit Lake just
about every year at this time,”
said U.S. Forest Service
Detroit district ranger Grady
McMahan. “In most years,
we get some rain that helps
dissipate the bloom and kind
of clear out the lake. But this
year we just didn’t get rain —
it was sunny and dry for an
entire month which probably
helped it.”
The month of May was
parched by every standard.
It was the fourth-driest and
sixth- hottest May in records
dating back to 1892, National
Weather Service officials said.
In a normal May, the Wil-
lamette Valley and Cascade
Foothills would get 2.5 to 3
inches of precipitation. This
year, only a quarter inch of
rain fell, NWS officials said.
Hot and dry conditions can
fuel the growth and potency
of toxic algae, said Rebecca
Hillwig, natural resource spe-
cialist with the Oregon Health
Authority.
Both Hillwig and McMa-
han said toxic algae blooms
have been more common,
perhaps suggesting a link to
the string of abnormally hot
Connor Radnovich/Statesman-Journal via AP
Robin Jennings from public works wipes sweat from her face while passing out
bottled water at a water distribution site at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem
on Wednesday. A limited no-drink warning for tap water in and around the Oregon
state capital was re-issued Wednesday, reinstating for at least two days guidelines
advising medically sensitive people to find other water sources as a city spokesman
acknowledged a lag in testing for toxins in the water.
and dry spring months Ore-
gon has seen in the past four
years.
“I think it’s fair to say
that factors associated with
global warming — hotter and
drier conditions and a rapid
snowmelt — could definitely
increase conditions that cause
algae blooms,” Hillwig said.
“There’s a lot of factors to
consider, but it’s fair to say
that we have the potential for
more of these type of issues in
the future.”
The first evidence of an
algae bloom at Detroit Lake
occurred May 8, said Lacey
Goeres-Priest, Salem’s water
quality supervisor.
The city regularly tests for
toxins at Detroit and “we had
good results for many days
following” the first evidence
of the bloom, Goeres-Priest
said.
In other words, the bloom
hadn’t turned toxic yet.
As the weather warmed,
the bloom grew and devel-
oped toxins — specifically,
the cyanotoxins known as
cylindrospermopsin
and
microcystin.
Water samples taken May
Corrections
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Partly sunny
Cooler; a few
morning showers
82° 52°
65° 46°
SUNDAY
MONDAY
Clouds and sun, a
shower; breezy
Mostly sunny and
warmer
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
71° 46°
81° 54°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
71° 50°
87° 57°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
82°
76°
104° (1931)
52°
51°
34° (1919)
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"
Trace
0.40"
6.07"
9.26"
6.91"
through 3 p.m. yesterday
HIGH
LOW
86°
77°
102° (2016)
56°
52°
40° (2002)
PRECIPITATION
0.00"
0.00"
0.19"
4.96"
6.42"
5.30"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
New
First
Full
June 13 June 20 June 27
Albany
65/50
Eugene
66/48
TEMPERATURE
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
86° 55°
Spokane
Wenatchee
77/51
78/54
Tacoma
Moses
66/46
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 82/55
77/51
59/49
63/46
78/51
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
64/51
83/52 Lewiston
86/56
Astoria
83/57
59/50
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
67/53
Pendleton 77/48
The Dalles 87/57
82/52
77/55
La Grande
Salem
78/49
67/52
Corvallis
64/48
HERMISTON
Yesterday
Normals
Records
78° 48°
Seattle
66/50
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
71° 51°
John Day
82/48
Ontario
89/58
Bend
77/45
Today
TUESDAY
Partly sunny and
beautiful
65° 49°
PORTLAND (AP) —
A former Oregon first lady
will file for bankruptcy pro-
tection after accumulating
about $125,000 in debts
and penalties during a legal
battle with The Oregonian
newspaper, her lawyer said.
Former first lady Cylvia
Hayes’ lawyer, Eli Stutsman,
said in a court filing Wednes-
day that she plans to file for
bankruptcy this week.
Hayes, who was Gov.
John Kitzhaber’s fiance
when he was elected to
his third term in 2010, also
faces a potential six-figure
fine for violating state eth-
ics laws, The Oregonian/
OregonLive reported .
Hayes and the news-
paper got into a legal bat-
tle after it submitted a pub-
lic records request in 2014
for her emails for an inves-
tigation into her consult-
ing contracts. At the time,
Hayes argued that she
was not subject to public
records laws.
Hayes is expected to
drop an appeal challeng-
ing the $125,000 she was
ordered to pay the news-
paper for its legal fees
since the bankruptcy could
shield her from paying the
full legal costs.
“Appellant will soon
file for bankruptcy protec-
tion and this court’s deci-
sion, whether affirming
or reversing, will not alter
appellant’s decision to file
for bankruptcy protection,”
Stutsman wrote in his
motion.“Either way, win
or lose on appeal, appel-
lant will soon seek bank-
ruptcy protection and there
is no need or benefit for any
party or the court to incur
further time on this matter.”
She was the subject of
influence-peddling scandal
since her consulting busi-
ness had increasingly relied
on government contracts.
In January, Oregon’s
ethics watchdog found that
she misused her position
as first lady and a policy
adviser to secure consult-
ing contracts worth more
than $200,000.
ROCKAWAY BEACH
(AP) — The U.S. Coast
Guard has suspended its
search for a 17-year-old
Colorado boy who dis-
appeared off the Oregon
Coast while boogie board-
ing after he was hit by a
wave.
The Coast Guard said
Thursday in a press release
that the boy’s father,
50-year-old Robert Joseph
Allen, drowned while try-
ing to rescue his son, Sam-
uel Vicente Allen.
The elder Allen’s body
was recovered by a rescue
swimmer but he could not
be resuscitated.
The younger Allen was
presumed drowned in
58-degree water off Rock-
away Beach in central
Oregon.
The Coast Guard says
the teen’s stepmother
called 911 about 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday to say both her
husband and stepson had
disappeared in the surf.
REGIONAL CITIES
Forecast
SATURDAY
Father drowns,
son not found off
Oregon Coast
Burns
80/44
Caldwell
88/57
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
59
82
77
60
80
77
66
79
87
82
77
78
76
80
59
62
89
86
82
67
80
67
77
77
66
83
78
Lo
50
50
45
48
44
48
48
50
57
48
45
49
46
52
48
50
58
56
52
53
43
52
51
45
53
52
51
W
sh
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
r
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
sh
r
pc
pc
pc
sh
pc
r
pc
pc
sh
pc
pc
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Lo
69
82
65
54
58
39
61
60
63
56
69
W
c
t
s
t
pc
r
pc
t
pc
c
pc
Lo
48
36
34
45
30
38
44
44
50
37
30
40
39
44
46
47
47
49
46
49
34
47
44
37
48
48
44
W
t
sh
sh
t
t
sh
t
t
sh
t
t
sh
sh
t
t
t
sh
sh
sh
t
sh
t
c
t
t
sh
c
Sat.
Hi
75
90
86
72
79
57
80
77
84
63
83
Lo
61
81
65
55
59
42
63
61
61
54
66
W
sh
sh
s
pc
pc
pc
t
pc
t
sh
pc
WINDS
Medford
80/52
(in mph)
Klamath Falls
77/45
Boardman
Pendleton
REGIONAL FORECAST
5:06 a.m.
8:42 p.m.
2:25 a.m.
2:44 p.m.
Last
Coastal Oregon: Showers across the north
today; rain and drizzle in central parts. Partly
sunny in the south.
Eastern and Central Oregon: Partly sunny
today; pleasant near the Cascades.
Eastern Washington: Sun and some clouds
today. Spotty showers tonight, except dry
toward the Cascades.
Cascades: Mostly cloudy today; occasional
afternoon rain and drizzle across the north.
Northern California: Partly sunny today;
pleasant at the coast. Mainly clear tonight.
July 6
Western Washington: Mostly cloudy today;
brief showers; however, heavy showers at
the coast.
Today
Saturday
WSW 6-12
NW 6-12
WSW 8-16
SW 7-14
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
2
5
9
9
4
NEWS
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call 541-966-0818 or email news@eastoregonian.com
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COMMERCIAL PRINTING
Production Manager: Mike Jensen
541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
WORLD CITIES
Hi
90
88
88
71
78
58
78
76
78
66
80
EUGENE (AP) —
Global
cryptocurrency
company Ripple will give
$1 million in real money to
the University of Oregon
to support the study of the
digital payment industry.
The
Register-Guard
newspaper of Eugene
reports
San
Francis-
co-based Ripple will give
the university the money in
a five-year agreement. The
university is among 17 to
receive funding from the
company, which is donat-
ing more than $50 million
in all. Ripple will also pro-
vide technical support and
resources.
Uuniversity of Oregon
Provost Jayanth Banavar
says the university feels
very fortunate and that
the money will help in
improve its efforts in this
area.
The newspaper says
Ripple’s donation will sup-
port a new program on
cryptocurrency.
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Sat.
Hi
59
58
56
57
57
53
60
61
71
55
55
55
53
61
56
59
73
68
65
63
59
62
58
53
61
63
68
Oregon gets
funding from
cryptocurrency
Classified & Legal Advertising
1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678
classifieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com
ADVERTISING
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Multimedia Consultants:
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541-278-2683 • kmacias@eastoregonian.com
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541-966-0827 • atreadwell@eastoregonian.com
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Subscriber services:
For mail delivery, online access, vacation stops
or delivery concerns call 1-800-522-0255 ext. 1
— Founded Oct. 16, 1875 —
TODAY
levels were high in Blow-
out Arm — the liver toxin
“microcystin” was tested
at 48.21 parts per billion. A
health advisory is triggered
when levels are 4 parts per
billion.
“It’s not the highest level
of toxin that we’ve ever seen,
but it is high,” Hillwig said.
“If you get a high enough
level, the toxins can travel a
long way downstream, so it
could make sense that that’s
what happened here.”
The toxins at Detroit Lake
led to increased testing by city
officials, including at Geren
Island Treatment Facility on
the North Santiam River.
Those tests showed con-
cerning data.
Tests from May 23 showed
the toxin cylindrospermop-
sin at 6.9 parts per billion —
above the safe threshold even
for adults, according to OHA
officials.
21 came back with results
May 23 that revealed toxin
levels high enough to trigger
a health advisory for Detroit
Lake.
There is, again, nothing
particularly unusual about
that.
Locals often reference the
wildflowers and algae bloom-
ing at the same time of year
— it’s become part of life in
the small tourist town.
Salem officials were con-
fident enough they issued a
press release on May 23 titled
“City of Salem drinking water
remains safe to drink.”
Even so, there were hints
something was different
about this bloom.
Instead of one bloom — as
was the case in 2017 — test-
ing revealed toxic algae in
three different locations at the
lake: Blowout Arm, Heater
Creek Arm and near the dam.
More strikingly, the toxin
Former Oregon
first lady will file
for bankruptcy
1
8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m.
0-2, Low
3-5, Moderate 6-7, High;
8-10, Very High;
11+, Extreme
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. ©2018
-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 and heavy thunderstorms will affect part of the Midwest, while
severe storms rattle Nebraska and the Dakotas today. Storms will dot Florida while rain,
mountain snow and colder air near the Northwest.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 105° in Needles, Calif.
Low 25° in Bodie State Park, Calif.
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
94
90
75
83
83
93
89
78
84
89
72
80
95
93
81
103
70
81
88
94
90
89
86
102
94
81
Lo
65
69
64
67
59
70
59
60
71
64
62
64
75
59
63
76
47
64
75
75
70
71
67
78
72
62
W
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
t
pc
t
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
c
c
pc
pc
pc
t
t
s
pc
pc
Sat.
Hi
91
89
73
83
91
90
77
77
88
89
74
73
96
95
74
98
69
81
87
94
85
87
90
103
94
81
Lo
65
71
63
64
58
70
44
57
73
66
64
61
76
65
60
75
50
66
75
76
68
71
70
75
73
61
Today
W
s
pc
t
t
pc
pc
pc
s
pc
t
c
r
pc
s
r
s
sh
t
pc
pc
pc
t
pc
s
pc
pc
Hi
Louisville
93
Memphis
94
Miami
89
Milwaukee
65
Minneapolis
76
Nashville
95
New Orleans
92
New York City
82
Oklahoma City
91
Omaha
90
Philadelphia
84
Phoenix
108
Portland, ME
77
Providence
80
Raleigh
88
Rapid City
84
Reno
87
Sacramento
87
St. Louis
91
Salt Lake City
89
San Diego
75
San Francisco
69
Seattle
66
Tucson
105
Washington, DC 85
Wichita
91
Lo
72
73
78
56
62
70
74
66
72
72
65
82
50
58
67
58
56
57
74
67
62
57
50
74
70
70
W
pc
pc
t
r
t
s
s
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
t
s
s
pc
s
pc
pc
sh
pc
pc
pc
Sat.
Hi
88
92
87
67
77
92
91
80
95
90
80
110
75
80
90
86
74
79
90
95
76
67
63
104
84
97
Lo
71
74
76
55
64
70
75
62
72
72
63
82
50
57
70
59
42
54
73
59
63
54
48
75
67
74
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
W
pc
pc
t
c
c
pc
t
t
pc
pc
t
s
s
pc
pc
t
pc
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
t
s
t
pc