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❘ JULY 30, 2016 ❘ $1.00
F LORENCE RN
RECOGNIZED
INSIDE — A3
SPORTS — B
126TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 61
SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890
FLORENCE, OREGON
Siltcoos
residents
lose water
for 3 days
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
SYMBOL OF SUPPORT
DUNES CITY
Drought conditions,
cracked pipe cause
system to shut down
B Y J ACK D AVIS
Siuslaw News
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
South Coast Water District
(SCWD), an affiliate of Oregon
Water Services, made automated
calls to about 80 residential Dunes
City customers July 20 advising
them to restrict water usage due to
low water levels. The water sys-
tem, which pulls from Siltcoos
Lake, ran out of water Monday.
Water service, however, was
restored two days later on July 27
after a leaking pipe was discov-
ered and replaced and water
trucked in from Florence was used
to refill the system storage tank.
SCWD has struggled with
providing water to the area due
to drought-induced low water
levels in the lake.
“The source of the problem is
the condition of the water in
Siltcoos Lake,” said SCWD
spokeswoman Brandi Prunty.
“The lake is shallow. We have to
pre-filter the water before it goes
into our water plant because it
has a lot of plant growth due to
the temperatures and the current
water levels.”
Prunty added, “Because the
lake hasn’t been able to recover
from the drought conditions, the
temperature rises and plant growth
accelerates. ... To keep our filters
fresh and clean, we have to back-
wash them, which takes a lot of
water. It is a vicious cycle.”
The company put out two
automated calls to Dunes City
customers, warning that water
was running critically low in the
storage tank and to only use
water for personal and emer-
gency purposes. On Monday,
the system shut down and was
no longer able to deliver water.
See
WATER 6A
Siuslaw News
O
regon Dunes Chapter of the
Daughters of the American
Revolution showed its sup-
port of Florence Police
Department and other local law enforce-
ment with the presentation of a Japanese
maple tree on Thursday.
Chief Tom Turner (pictured at right)
and Florence Mayor Joe Henry accepted
the tree and helped DAR member Erica
Westphal plant it at the Florence Justice
Center, 900 Greenwood St.
“After current tragedies nationwide,
and excellent police work locally, we are
pleased to give a living symbol of our
support, a growing sign of appreciation,”
Westphal said.
According to DAR, the maple tree
symbolizes the delicate relationship of
cultures and ethnicities in the United
States. Placed to the south of the justice
center’s entrance, the tree is expected to
reach 10 feet in height.
“It is our hope that this tree will symbol-
ize to the Florence Police the support and
respect of organizations and community
members for your daily jobs as protectors of
this community,” Westphal said.
About 35 people, including members of
other area agencies, attended the ceremony.
PHOTOS BY CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS
Port to require insurance from moored vessels
B Y J ACK D AVIS
Siuslaw News
Port of Siuslaw board of
commissioners has approved
a resolution that demands all
vessels moored in the port for
more than 72 hours to show
proof of insurance.
Port Manager Steven
Leskin proposed the port
require both commercial and
recreational vessels provide
proof of liability insurance
coverage to protect the port
from such incidents as oil
spills, sinkings or collisions.
The resolution also calls for
all resident vessels to add the
port as an additional insured
within 30 days of registration
with the port.
“Most coastal ports have
mandatory insurance and it
looks like that is the direction
ports are going,” Leskin said.
“Also, Oregon Public Ports
Association will start pushing
this at the legislature as well.”
The board voted to approve
the resolution at its July 20
meeting.
Leskin said the port would
not impose the insurance
requirement on any vessel that
has a current contract with the
One
chapter
closes
CHANTELLE MEYER/SIUSLAW NEWS
INSIDE
Susie Voth sits at her desk at the Mapleton branch
of the Siuslaw Public Library, where she worked for
13 years before retiring July 22.
Ambulance . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Coastal Events . . . . . . . . . . .
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A2
B7
A8
A4
Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5
SideShow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B6
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B
Word on the Street . . . . . . . A6
Longtime Mapleton branch
librarian Susie Voth retires
THIS WEEK ’ S
TODAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
67 54
68 54
67 52
68 54
WEATHER
Full Forecast, A3
port. But, when the contract
expires, the port would make
it a part of the new contract.
“We won’t start enforcing it
this season,” he said. “If
somebody already has a reser-
vation for the upcoming
See
PORT 6A
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
A
fter 13 years checking out books, helping
patrons and reviewing stories, Mapleton
librarian Susie Voth has retired.
Siuslaw Public Library celebrated her retire-
ment July 21 during its annual Mapleton Branch
Open House at the library’s location inside the
Mapleton Lions Club.
Voth began working at the library in August
2003, after she and her husband Wesley moved to
Mapleton from the Big Island of Hawaii. She
worked one day a week in Mapleton and two days
at the main library in Florence until a circulation
position became available.
“I told my friends and family that I had my
pinky toe in the door — not my entire foot,” Voth
said. “When I was hired into the Mapleton branch
circulation position, I felt I
finally had my dream job.” See LIBRARY 6A
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