Smoke Signals 3
AUGUST 1,2009
Grand Ronde sewage scores in upper levels in drug test
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Want to know how prevalent
illicit drug use is in Oregon com
munities? University researchers think
they know a good place to find the
answer - local sewage treatment
plants.
On March 4, 2008, 96 munici
palities representing 65 percent of
Oregon's population agreed to sub
mit single-day samples of their sew
age for testing at the University of
Washington-Seattle, Oregon State
University in Corvallis and McGill
University in Montreal.
Researchers tested the samples
for three drugs that are excreted by
users cocaine, methamphetamine
and MDMA (ecstasy).
The one-day snapshot of drug ex
cretion levels in pre-treated sewage
found upper levels of meth, ecstasy
and cocaine residue in the sample
submitted by the Grand Ronde
Sanitary District.
"Substantial proportions of both
methamphetamine and MDMA are
excreted unchanged," the report,
which appeared in the journal Ad
diction, stated.
"This work is the first to dem
onstrate the use of wastewater
samples for spatial analyses, a
relatively simple and cost-effective
approach to measuring community
drug use," said University of Wash
ington drug epidemiologist Caleb
Banta-Green.
"Current measures on the true
prevalence of drug use are severely
limited ... We believe these data
have great utility as a population
measure of drug use."
Overall, researchers found that
cocaine residue in Oregon was
significantly higher in urban areas
and below the level of detection
in some rural areas, but was still
found in 80 percent of samples.
Meth residue was ubiquitous in
the state, detectable in all 96 mu
nicipalities, rural and urban.
And ecstasy was at quantifiable
levels in less than 50 percent of
the communities tested, and found
more often in urban areas than
rural.
In Grand Ronde, which has more
than 258 hookups to its Sanitary
District, the amounts of all three
drug residues were in the "upper
level." Test results were divided
into upper, middle and lower lev
els. However, researchers warn, these
single-day measurements do not
provide a complete measurement
of drug excretion for a community
or the entire state, and should not
be ranked.
For instance, researchers cited
that sewage samples were taken
on a Tuesday while cocaine use
usually peaks on weekends.
"They are comparable only to the
degree of relative high, medium or
low occurrence (tertiles)," research
ers said.
Kevin Dobie, superintendent of
the Grand Ronde Sanitary District,"
says his wastewater treatment
plant receives about 55,000 gallons
of sewage a day during the summer
and as much as 450,000 gallons
during the winter. The increase is.
attributable to water runoff.
Dobie said he was not surprised
that Grand Ronde's sample ranked
in the upper levels on all three
tests.
"I've been here 16 years," Dobie
said. "I know what goes on out
there."
The Sanitary District services
three churches, two schools, an RV
park and the Tribe's Health Clinic
and Community Center, as well as
the first phase of Chxi Musam Illihi
and Elders' rentals (Hip Tilixam).
"Seventy-four units altogether,"
said Grand Ronde Tribal Housing
Authority Executive Director Ca
rina Kistler Ginter.
In addition, Grand Meadows'
36 home lots and the Housing
Authority office and shop build
ings are connected to the Sanitary
District.
Spirit Mountain Casino has its
own wastewater treatment plant.
However, getting a true picture of
Grand Ronde-area drug use, even
from sewage, is still as murky as
the influent itself.
Tribal member and Tribal Direc
tor of Program Operations John
Mercier said that some Tribal
housing is not connected to the
wastewater system and many
Grand Ronde households are still
on septic systemsv
According to the Polk County
Sheriffs Office, Grand Ronde ac
counted for 94 of the county's 237
drug offenses, or 39.6 percent, in
2008. Sixty-four of those 94 origi
nated at Spirit Mountain Casino.
The only other West Valley com
munity to participate in the study
was Willamina, which registered
lower levels for meth and cocaine,
and did not have a quantifiable lev
el of ecstasy in its sewage sample.
Researchers think this new way
of gauging a community's overall
drug use can have wide-ranging ap
plications, from determining police
coverage to public health funding.
"We believe this methodology can
dramatically improve measure
ment of the true level and distri
bution of a range of illicit drugs,"
Banta-Green said. "By measuring
a community's drug index load,
public health officials will have
information applicable to a much
larger proportion of the total popu
lation than existing measures can
provide."
"Estimating community drug
index loads based on wastewater
treatment plant sampling is a
promising drug use surveillance
tool with potentially diverse ap
plications," the report said.
"Data on drug index loads are
of value for planning local drug
prevention, intervention and treat
ment efforts at a much smaller
geographic level and with better
timeliness than was possible previ
ously." B
'Three StiMinraips'tfeatiaoires rope to smirag
Red Cross swimming advice
If you plan on paying a visit to a swimming hole in the Grand Ronde
area, please remember some of these important swimming tips provided
by the American Red Cross:
Swim with others. Never swim alone. Consider wearing a life jacket
Enter the water feet first. Enter the water headfirst only when the area
is clearly marked for diving and has no obstructions.
Adults should never leave a child unobserved around water. Practice
"reach supervision" by staying within an arm's length of young children
and weak swimmers.
Take frequent breaks (about once an hour) where everyone gets out
of the water, drinks water, reapplies sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher)
and rests.
Watch out for the "dangerous too's" too tired, too cold, too far from
safety, too much sun, too much strenuous activity.
SWIMMING continued
from front page
Lumber gate on a sharp right turn
is a good landmark to help find this
location. The swimming spot is a
rock climb down from the road.
Three Pools is a part of Agency
Creek and gets its name from the
pools created by the creek's waterfalls
flowing into its holes made of rock.
Even though there isn't much area
for actual swimming, Three Pools is
a perfect spot for relaxing because of
the hot tub-like bubbles that the creek
emits from its fast waters.
The second swimming spot is "St.
Johns Falls," which is on the Yam
hill River near Andy Riggs Road.
St John's Falls is home to a deep
swimming hole and natural rock
dam. The rock dam creates the
waterfalls that give St John's Falls
its name. These waterfalls flow into
another deep swimming area.
From the south side of the riv
er's bank are high areas where
people can jump and dive into the
water. Unlike the forest canopy
that blocks the sun from many of
Agency Creek's swimming areas,
the Yamhill River features many
open arena to offer swimmers warm
summer sun.
The third swimming spot is on
the south shoulder of South Yamhill
River Road, about a quarter-mile
from the WillaminaSheridan inter
section of highways 18 and 22.
The swimming area is on the
Yamhill River. The swimming
hole is home to a tree overhanging
its waters. A rope hangs from the
tree for swimmers to jump into a
deep area of water. Like its other
Yamhill River contemporary St.
Johns Falls, this location is wide
and out in the open for exposure
to the sun.
The fourth swimming hole is
the well-known and popular spot
Three Stumps."
Three Stumps is up Agency Access
Road. This swimming spot is home
to Agency Creek. Three Stumps
gets its name because of the three
tree stumps on the cliff overhanging
its water. From the cliff, people can
jump off the three tree stumps and
swim in the water.
Three Stumps also features a tree
overhanging the water. On this tree
is a rope for people to swing off of
into the water. Three Stumps can
be found down a trail right across
from the rock quarry on Agency
Access Road.
On a recent hot Tuesday after
noon, local resident Dennis Elmer
was watching his three grandchil
dren enjoy Three Stumps.
"It's just a nice spot," Elmer said.
"The hole is deep for the kids to
have fun, but not get hurt. The kids
just like it."
The fifth swimming spot is the
well-known yet rarely seen "Little
Hawaii," which is about 2.5 miles
from a yellow Stimson Lumber
Gate on Fire Hall Road.
Little Hawaii is a part of Rock
Creek. Probably the most intrigu
ing feature of Little Hawaii is a
natural underwater rock slide that
swimmers can slide down the creek
and into the swimming hole area.
Another feature of Little Hawaii
is its wide and deep swimming
area. Surrounding the rock slide
area are several waterfalls, which
may be why this area received its
exotic name.
Anyone attempting to access
Little I Iawaii should be aware that
it is located on the private property
of Stimson Lumber Co., thus mak
ing walk-in only allowed and motor
vehicle transport prohibited. D
Unmarked grave sites
We need your help if anyone knows the location of an unmarked grave
or knows the name of someone v. ho was buried at the Grand Ronde Cem
etery and their grave has not been marked, contact Mike Larscn, Facilities
Manager, at 503-879-2407. R