NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
A2
Thursday, December 9, 2021
Regulators OK $7.5 million for water projects
“That is something we hear
from time to time from grantees
experiencing especially in recent
times increasing costs,” said Becky
Williams, grant program manager
for the Oregon Water Resources
Department, which oversees the
program, at the commission’s meet-
ing Friday, Dec. 3.
Though the agency does have
a process for project managers to
request additional grant funds,
such an increase would still require
another authorization from the
commission, Williams said.
Staff at OWRD have been tell-
ing applicants to consider the
possibility of inflation during their
budget-setting process, said Kim
Fritz-Ogren, OWRD’s manager of
planning, collaboration and invest-
ments.
“We have been really emphasiz-
ing and giving that advice to folks,”
she said.
Commissioner Joe Moll, exec-
utive director of the McKenzie
River Trust nonprofit, suggested
OWRD should have the author-
ity to increase grants modestly, by
5-10%, to account for inflation with-
out having to return for commission
approval.
“I would certainly advocate for
that kind of discretion,” Moll said.
The commission voted unani-
mously to recommend that OWRD
explore the possibility of making
such adjustments.
“We would need clear delegation
of authority from the commission,”
Fritz-Ogren said. “Then we would
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
SALEM — Oregon regulators
authorized about $7.5 million for
water projects, though much of the
grant funding was awarded provi-
sionally until more state money
becomes available.
The Oregon Water Resources
Commission unanimously voted
to immediately grant $1.8 million
for a Deschutes County irrigation
modernization project and a Jack-
son County water supply protection
project.
The commission also approved
$5.7 million in grant funding for
four other projects, though the
funding can’t be disbursed until
the state government raises money
by selling lottery revenue bonds
in May.
The state only has about $3.2
million remaining in its water
supply development fund after
a lottery bond sale was canceled
earlier this year due to a shortfall
in lottery revenues caused by the
coronavirus pandemic.
However, lawmakers authorized
another $30 million for water proj-
ect grants, with funding becom-
ing available when $15 million in
lottery bonds are sold next spring
and another $15 million are sold in
the spring of 2023.
The delay between the autho-
rization for the projects and the
time money will be available has
raised questions about potential
cost overruns in light of inflation
and supply shortages.
Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press, File
A center pivot irrigation system sprinkles water on alfalfa growing in Oregon. The Oregon Water Resources Com-
mission on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, approved $7.5 million in grant funding for six Oregon water projects, though
much of the funds won’t become available until next spring.
develop policies and procedures
for how we would make those deci-
sions.”
Since the water supply grant
program became operational in
2016, the commission has autho-
rized 28 projects totaling $28.7
million.
Following is the grant funding
approved for this year’s slate of
six projects:
Forecast for Pendleton Area
TODAY
FRIDAY
| Go to AccuWeather.com
SATURDAY
Cloudy with a
couple of showers
Mostly cloudy
41° 33°
46° 39°
SUNDAY
Cloudy, a little rain;
breezy
MONDAY
Rain and drizzle in
the morning
Cloudy with a
shower possible
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
49° 36°
49° 31°
49° 35°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
47° 37°
50° 43°
57° 37°
47° 32°
53° 35°
OREGON FORECAST
ALMANAC
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Seattle
Olympia
45/40
33/27
44/25
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
42/33
Lewiston
45/40
48/36
Astoria
46/39
Pullman
Yakima 43/27
44/36
39/31
Portland
Hermiston
45/40
The Dalles 47/37
Salem
Corvallis
45/36
Yesterday
Normals
Records
La Grande
36/30
PRECIPITATION
John Day
Eugene
Bend
45/38
41/30
34/29
Ontario
42/25
Caldwell
Burns
53°
39°
43°
29°
72° (2015) -10° (1972)
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
Albany
45/37
Trace
0.04"
0.25"
5.11"
3.94"
7.77"
WINDS (in mph)
40/27
36/21
0.05"
0.24"
0.36"
7.62"
12.26"
12.09"
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Pendleton 33/24
46/39
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
HERMISTON
Enterprise
41/33
49/38
48°
35°
42°
29°
67° (1915) -11° (1972)
PRECIPITATION
Moses
Lake
43/36
Aberdeen
33/23
40/28
Tacoma
Yesterday
Normals
Records
Spokane
Wenatchee
43/37
Today
Boardman
Pendleton
Medford
39/33
Fri.
WSW 8-16
WSW 8-16
SW 7-14
WSW 8-16
• $530,000 for an irrigation ditch
piping project in Wallowa County
proposed by the Trout Unlim-
ited nonprofit and a local cattle
company.
• Nearly $3 million to replace an
outdated water treatment facility
in John Day, with a new plant that
allows wastewater to be reused.
• $1.4 million for an irrigation
ditch piping project proposed by
Tumalo Irrigation District, which
has a total cost of more than $6
million.
• $2 million for an irrigation
ditch piping project in Deschutes
and Crook counties proposed by a
conservation group and local irri-
gation districts.
• $93,500 to create a fish passage,
allowing for stream channel habitat
restoration in Lake County.
Road signs aim to improve winter safety
The Observer
BAKER CITY — The
Wallowa-Whitman National
Forest has installed new,
brightly colored signs at
several road junctions to
remind travelers that some
routes are passable only
to snowmobiles and other
specialized vehicles during
winter.
Although signs have been
posted on these roads in the
past, stating that they weren’t
maintained for winter travel,
drivers have continued to get
their vehicles mired in deep
snow occasionally.
“The driving factor push-
ing us towards installing extra
signage at these locations has
been the recent uptick with
search and rescues involving
Wallowa, Union, Grant and
Baker counties,” said Dan
Story, roads manager for the
south zone of the WWNF.
“We carefully considered
the language, colors, and
placement of these signs to
help more people under-
stand that wheeled vehicles
cannot safely pass through
these roads while they are
covered with snow. Signs are
bright yellow or orange to get
the driver’s attention before
entry.”
Signs have been installed
on the Wallowa Mountain
Loop Road at 39 Road and
Highway 86 junction and 39
Road and Salt Creek Summit;
3955 Road just north of the 39
Road junction on the Imnaha
River; 73 Road (Anthony
Lakes Highway) at the town
of Granite, a four-way inter-
section, and Grant County
Route 24 junction; and 73
Road (Anthony Lakes High-
way) at the 43 Junction (the
road to Grande Ronde Lake).
Story said an increase
in search and rescue calls
can be partially attributed
to increased winter travel
through the mountains, fail-
ures of GPS directions to
account for winter condi-
tions, improvements in snow-
mobile grooming technology,
making snowmobile routes
look passible when before
they would have been buried
under several feet of snow,
more miles of groomed routes
that connect with state high-
ways, and, in many cases, a
lack of preparation for back-
country winter travel by
motorists.
The new signs will provide
valuable and potentially
life-saving information to
motorists before they attempt
to drive wheeled vehicles
over impassable routes and
roads on the way to popular
destinations, Story said.
“We carefully considered
the language, colors, and
placement of these signs to
help more people understand
that wheeled vehicles cannot
safely pass through these
roads while they are covered
with snow,” he said. “Signs
are bright yellow or orange
to get the driver’s attention
before entry.
Road managers will
uncover these warning
signs when snow conditions
become impassable this
winter, maximizing the time
that roads remain open to
wheeled vehicles. Signs will
be removed or covered after
snowmelt allows reopening
of the roads.
SUN AND MOON
Klamath Falls
37/18
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
7:24 a.m.
4:11 p.m.
12:13 p.m.
10:32 p.m.
First
Full
Last
New
Dec 10
Dec 18
Dec 26
Jan 2
NATIONAL EXTREMES
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 87° in Key West, Fla. Low -19° in Wakefi eld, Mich.
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
IN BRIEF
ODFW reports five goats
killed in Elgin wolf attacks
ELGIN — Five goats were killed by
at least one wolf in the Elgin area during a
two-day period in late November, according
to a report from the Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife.
The first death was reported Nov. 27, when
the owner reported that morning the animals
had broken out of their night pen within a
44-acre private pasture. One goat was found
dead and one was injured.
The morning of Nov. 28, four more goats
in the Elgin area were found dead and two
more were injured. The five dead goats,
which each weighed 30 to 150 pounds, were
two adult females, two yearling females and
one kid.
ODFW determined wolf attacks were
responsible for the goat deaths and injuries.
“The size, location and severity of inju-
ries are consistent with wolf depredations,”
according to the ODFW report.
GPS location data indicated a radio
collared wolf was at or near the site of both
attacks.
Both wolf attack events are attributed
to the Balloon Tree Pack, according to the
report.
The Balloon Tree Pack was responsible
for killing 12 ewes and injuring two guard
dogs protecting sheep north of Elgin earlier
this fall, according to ODFW investigations.
That pack’s breeding pair produced pups
for the first time in 2020, with at least three
surviving through the end of that year.
An employee of a sheep rancher found
three dead adult ewes on Sept. 29 on a private,
timbered pasture, according to ODFW.
Officials from ODFW and from the federal
USDA Wildlife Service agency arrived on
Sept. 30 and found four more dead ewes.
Wildlife Service employees then found
three more dead ewes on Oct. 1, and one dead
and one injured ewe on Oct. 4. Workers euth-
anized the injured ewe that day.
— EO Media Group
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
-10s
-0s
0s
showers t-storms
10s
rain
20s
flurries
30s
snow
40s
ice
50s
60s
cold front
E AST O REGONIAN
— Founded Oct. 16, 1875 —
70s
East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday,
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.
Copyright © 2021, EO Media Group
90s
100s
warm front stationary front
110s
high
low
Circulation Dept.
For mail delivery, online access, vacation stops
or delivery concerns call 800-781-3214
CORRECTIONS: 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.
ADVERTISING
Classified & Legal Advertising
Regional Sales Director (Eastside) EO Media Group:
Classified advertising: 541-564-4538
• Karrine Brogoitti
Legal advertising: 541-966-0824
classifieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com
541-963-3161 • kbrogoitti@eomediagroup.com
211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211
333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211
Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed major holidays
EastOregonian.com
In the App Store:
80s
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Multimedia Consultants:
541-564-4531
Local home
delivery
Savings
(cover price)
$10.75/month
50 percent
541-966-0827 mbarnes@eastoregonina.com
52 weeks
$135
42 percent
• Audra Workman
26 weeks
$71
39 percent
541-564-4538 • aworkman@eastoregonian.com
$37
36 percent
Business Office
EZPay
13 weeks
Single copy price:
$1.50 Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
• Melissa Barnes
NEWS
• To submit news tips and press releases:
call 541-966-0818 or email news@eastoregonian.com
• To submit community events, calendar items, engagements,
weddings and anniversaries: email community@eastoregonian.com,
call 541-966-0818 or or visit eastoregonian.com/community/
announcements.
• To submit sports or outdoors information or tips,
email sports@eastoregonian.com.
COMMERCIAL PRINTING
• Dayle Stinson
Commercial Print Manager: Holly Rouska
541-966-0824 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com
541-617-7839 • hrouska@eomediagroup.com