6 A
SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 2018
Water
from 1A
The permit caps the city’s use
of water at 1.4 cubic feet per
second (cfs) from Woahink
Lake. Currently, residents
receiving water from Woahink
are using only .11 cfs of water,
while the residents by Siltcoos
are using only .078 cfs of water
from Siltcoos Lake.
When asked if the the addi-
tion of the Siltcoos residents
would reach the 1.4 cfs limit,
Douthit said it “wouldn’t come
close.”
However, when asked if there
was “plenty of water” in
Woahink Lake to sustain the
extra residents, Douthit stopped
short of saying that there will
always be water.
“Right now, it’s looking
great,” she said. “A right to
water doesn’t guarantee that it’s
going to be there. ... But what I
can speak to is that .078 is not a
lot of water.”
Environmental changes out-
side the scope of resident use
could affect the levels in
Woahink. An example of this
would be Siltcoos Lake itself.
While Siltcoos’ water levels tra-
ditionally have been moderate
in comparison to Woahink, the
level is particularly low this sea-
son.
The lake was recently drained
to help remove the silts from the
river and prevent flooding, a
process that is done periodically.
But this year, the drain has run
into problems.
“After the flush, we haven’t
had much rain,” Douthit said.
“That is unexpected. I’m antici-
pating a better year next year, I
hope. Dam operation is not easy.
Especially when you haven’t
done it for years and years.”
Councilor Duke Wells point-
ed out that there had been main-
tenance issues with the dam this
year as well.
Because of the issues facing
Siltcoos Lake, Reitz explained
that the immediacy of switching
to Woahink water had height-
ened.
“At our last meeting, you
asked me if we were at an emer-
gency or critical point (with
Siltcoos water),” Reitz said. “At
the time, the answer was ‘no.’ It
is now a definite ‘yes.’”
When the lake is flushed, the
water intake is about two feet
under water.
“And when they do that it
sucks all the sand and the silt
and the nasty algae out,” Reitz
explained. “Since then, we have
been fighting almost daily.
About every 24 to 48 hours we
have to have somebody come
over (from Eugene) to do a pass
on the treatment plant to keep
that thing running. With the lake
level back up, we were hoping
that would change, but it hasn’t.
It’s absolutely plugged up.”
Poor water quality has been
an issue beyond the recent win-
ter, Dunes City and Siltcoos
Heights resident Ian Jarman
said.
“My house was built in 1968
and a lot of other houses were
built in that time too,” he said.
“What it represents is affordable
housing for families. We have
children in the neighborhood.
“If any of you have been fish-
ing on Siltcoos Lake, you know
you can see more than a couple
feet down and see the green
gunk down there. ... I always
keep one eye open on that water
quality.”
Jarman went on to explain
that he spends $70 to $100 per
month for subscription water
service just to be on the safe
side.
“I’m not sure all my neigh-
bors can afford that, or choose to
afford that,” he said. “When we
heard that we could get water
from Woahink for me and my
family, my heart lifted. Sorry to
homeowners on Woahink, I cer-
tainly don’t hope we’re threat-
ening your own water rights.
But as citizens of Dunes City,
and I hope I’m speaking for all
of our neighbors, we appreciate
the opportunity to get some
good clean water to sleep well at
night and know that our children
are not being exposed to unnec-
essary toxins.”
Douthit was asked if the state
was planning on doing a study
on the long-term effects of
switching Siltcoos residents to
Woahink. She explained that the
Oregon
Water
Resource
Department’s
monetary
resources were tight.
“We’re having trouble getting
studies done in places like
Klamath. I wouldn’t anticipate
the department being able to
help out any time soon,” she
said.
Dunes City could instigate its
own study, but it would take
time. And time, according to
Reitz, was a luxury the Siltcoos
residents did not have, a senti-
ment Wells agreed with.
“No matter where we’re get-
ting it, those residents are enti-
tled to the same water I have,”
he said. “I was ready to vote on
this two months ago. Some folks
haven’t lived here as long as I
have and they needed some edu-
cation. I think that’s been afford-
ed. And I know the water quali-
ty from Siltcoos Lake to
Woahink is like night and day.
And I know that every citizen in
Dunes City has the right to good
clean water for their families.”
In other news from the meet-
ing, Wells made a statement
regarding a recent circumstance
of harassment in the city.
“An event happened over the
holiday season in Dunes City
that I’m not happy with,” he
said. “I’m going to say this as
nice as I can. Somebody took ...
what I’ll call a vigilante act. I
know who it is. They went to
another resident’s home and
threatened this person, saying
that they were being evicted.
(The victim) was an 83-year-old
widow living on a piece of prop-
erty in a trailer home.”
He said the action “had to do
both with the water issue and the
marijuana issue” Dunes City has
been addressing in the past year.
“This woman was victimized
by another Dunes City resident
and that isn’t going to happen
anymore,” Wells said firmly.
“I’m hoping (the victim) will
take some sort of legal action
against that person because we
can’t have this happen here. It
shouldn’t happen anywhere, let
alone Dunes City.”
The Siuslaw News is current-
ly investigating the details of the
incident but is unable to verify
details publicly at this time.
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Winter Music Festival Supersession
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10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tickets required
Florence Events Center
Winter Music Festival Artisan Fair
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Open to public
Florence Events Center
2nd Saturday Gallery Tour
3 to 5 p.m.
Open to public
Various locations in Historic Old
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Winter Music Festival Headline
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7 p.m. — John Craigie
8 p.m. — Al Stewart
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Justin Shandor — The Ultimate
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7 p.m.
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Tickets required
Three Rivers Casino Resort
Ichiban Restaurant
541-999-4239
Homegrown Open Mic Night
9 p.m.
Open to public
Homegrown Public House
Siuslaw Diabetes/Pre-diabetes
Support Group
2 p.m.
Open to public
Siuslaw Public Library
Jan. 13 and 14
Yachats Agate Festival
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
yachatsagatefestival.com/
Jan. 14
Winter Music Festival Gospel
Gumbo Gathering
1 p.m. — Billy Jones and choir
directed by Marty Adams
3 p.m. — On the Rocks, University
of Oregon a capella group
Tickets required, includes lunch
Florence Events Center
Jan. 16
Us TOO Florence
Prostate Cancer Support Group with
Urologist Roger McKimmy
Noon to 1 p.m.
Open to public
120 Maple St.
SEACoast presents Quattrosound
7 p.m.
Tickets required
Florence Events Center
2nd annual Florence Women's
March
10:30 a.m. — meet at Florence
United Methodist Church
11 a.m. — march
12:30 p.m. — celebration potluck at
Pacific Pines RV Park
Open to public to bring signs with
positive messages
florenceorganizes@gmail.com
Jan. 18
“Surviving Breast Cancer” by
Cheryl Paletz
Peace Health Volunteers Luncheon
11:30 a.m.
Lunch for $10
RSVP required at
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Florence Events Center
Jan. 17
Siuslaw Library Board Meeting
1 p.m.
Open to public
Siuslaw Public Library
Quattrosound Outreach Concert
3 p.m.
Open to public
Siuslaw Public Library
Fresh Impressions Exhibition Artist
Reception
5 p.m.
Open to public
Florence Events Center
Port of Siuslaw Work Session
6 p.m.
Open to public
Port of Siuslaw Office
100 Harbor St.
Business After Hours with RAIN
and SBDC — LCC
5 to 7 p.m.
Open to public
Lane Community College Florence
Center
Jan. 20
2018 Writing Boot Camp
10 a.m. to noon
Tickets required
FRAA Art Center
541-997-5691
541-361-9080
jmirvis@charter.net
Florence, Oregon
Jan. 21
“The Cascadian Subduction Zone”
Presented by Yachats Academy of
Arts & Sciences
2 p.m.
Open to public
The Yachats Commons
441 Highway 101
yachatsacademy.org
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