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NEWSPAPER LI 3 :
EUGENE OR 9 7 4 0 3
Dam will not eliminate Jtlleppmer jiooa piam
A sizeable portion of Hep
pner will remain within flood
plain and floodway designated
areas even if the proposed
Willow Creek Dam is built,
according to a preliminary
map revealed Tuesday by
Army Corps of Engineers
officials meeting in lone.
The dam would reduce the
amount of property included
in the area that would
theoretically be inundated in
the event of a "100 year
flood." But much of the lower
elevation land downstream
from the confluence of Shobe
Canyon with Willow Creek
would remain in flood zones.
Willow Creek would remain
within its banks below the
proposed dam, until it reaches
its junction with Shobe Can-
Heppner City Cou
yon. From that point down
stream through Heppner, the
map shows Willow Creek out
of its channel, flooding por
tions of the downtown business
district and residential areas
adjacent to the creek. More
water from the theoretical 100
year flood would widen the
Willow Creek floodplain below
the point where Hinton Creek
joins the stream.
The preliminary flood plain
map for Heppner did not show
what areas along Hinton
Creek and Shobe Canyon
upstream from their conflu
ences with Willow Creek
would be designated flood
zones.
Flood plain and floodway
designations are determined
on the basis of the amount of
water expected to sweep into
the city in the event of a
catastrophic flood the worst
that could reasonably be
anticipated to occur within a
century. The Army Corps of
Engineers was commissioned
to determine the 100 year flood
levels and flood zone areas for
Heppner, Lexington and lone
by the Federal Insurance
Administration the agency
which handles the federal
flood insurance program.
The three cities like thou
sands of other municipalities
throughout the nation enter
ed into the flood insurance
program when federal laws
were created requiring the
insurance in flood-prone areas
in order for citizens to secure
home loans from government
agencies or from banks part
icipating in the FDIC pro
gram. Representatives from the
Corps of Engineers and the
Federal Insurance Adminis
tration came to lone Tuesday
to explain the processes they
went through in making the
controversial flood zone desig
nations, and outline how the
designations would affect the
cities. They met in an after
noon session with the Morrow
County Intergovernmental
Council, then gave a presenta
tion and answered questions
during a Tuesday night public
meeting at lone High School,
attended by about 25 persons.
lone has been hardest hit, of
the three communities, with
nearly all the city's land in the
Willow Creek Valley where
future development is most
feasible designated as either
flood plain or floodway zones.
The average depth which the
100 year flood would cover the
flood-zoned area of lone is
roughly four feet. Since its
establishment, lone has never
experienced a flood close to
that magnitude even during
the 1903 downpour that deva
stated Heppner.
But, FIA officials stated,
that doesn't mean that such a
flood could not occur. At the
urging of Sen. Mark Hatfield,
lone Mayor Linda LaRue and
Heppner Mayor Jerry Sween
ey, the FIA assigned two
specialists to recheck methods
and calculations used by the
Corps in making the flood zone
designations. With the review
nearly three-fourths
Cont. on page 4
The Heppner
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Morrow County's Award-Winning Weekly Newspaper
VOL. 96, No. 49
HEPPNER, OREGON
THURSDAY, DEC. 7, 1978
16 PAGES
20 cents
ncil
First phase of construction
near, Corps tells city
The recently approved first
phase of funding for the
proposed Willow Creek Dam
could mean that light con
struction could begin as early
as within the next 90 days,
Heppner Mayor Jerry Sween
ey told a Monday night
meeting of Heppner City
Council.
Sweeney told the council
that U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers officials in town
last week told him that the
preliminary $500,000 grant
"defininetly includes con
struction money" which could
be implemented within a
three-month period. Any con
struction to be funded through
the $500,000 grant would likely
involve work towards relocat
ing a city water reservoir and
water line.
The initial funding has also
been earmarked for various
studies and plans, including
an economic analysis of the
project, a value engineering
study, a Heppner water supply
study and an update on the
cost-to-benefit ratio for the
project.
Sweeney noted that the
$500,000 initial funding is
targeted for fiscal year 1979
80, which would apparently
mean that money could not be
spent until the start of the next
fiscal year, in July. Thus, the
90-day construction time
frame outlined by the visiting
Corps official appears cloudy.
The Corps representative, in
town to discuss the planned
water tank and pipeline relo
cation with city officials,
pledged that the Corps
."wouldn't shove the project
down the throats" of the
people of Heppner, Sweeney
said. "Public hearings would
be held before any construc
tion starts," stated the mayor.
"Before a shovel of dirt is
moved, the people of Heppner
will have their say-so."
Sweeney expressed concern
over the fact that the city has"
still not received flood plain
and flood way designations for
Heppner, Jeaving it question
able as to how much of the
town would remain in flood
zones with the construction of
the dam. If a significant
amount of land in the city
would turn out to remain in
flood plain designated areas,
"then there's no point in
building the dam," he said.
Both Seeney and Councilman
Cliff Green stressed that the
city would not allow ground to
be broken without receiving
the final flood plain data.
The mayor and council
discussed the possibility of
holding a citywide election on
whether or not to build the
dam, once the flood plain
information is available.
In any event, Sweeney
pointed out, "with only
$500,000 available so far, it's
not likely we'll see a lot of dust
flying around this summer."
A Corps of engineers repre
sentative is expected to attend
the next council meeting to
discuss plans for the project.
Sweeney told the council
that in his opinion, an updated
cost-to-benefit ratio for the
project "would kill the dam"
due to the inflation of con
struction costs. He noted that
during the last go-around with
the long-proposed dam, feder
al officials found the cost-to-benefit
ratio barely accept
able. In other developments, city
attorney Bill Kuhn reported
that funding for the first phase
of the city's sewer plant
rennovation program may not
take place as hoped during the
coming fiscal year, following
discussions with State Depart
ment of Environmental Quality
officials.
The DEQ reportedly indicat
ed to city officials that funding
could be more likely if
Heppner pledged to explore
the possibility of designing a
system that would eliminate
any direct discharge into
Willow Creek. Such a move
would likely require that the
city pipe sewage plant effluent
to a holding lagoon, from
which it could be used for
Cont. on page 4
Santa opens
hot line to
area kids
The Heppner Lions Club has made contact with
Santa Claus again this year and youngsters writing
letters to Santa can expect a personal phone call from
him sometime the week before Christmas.
From his home at the North Pole, Santa told a
Lions Club member this week that if boys and girls
want to hear from Santa they should write their
Christmas "wish list" and deposit the letter in one of
the specially marked boxes at the Heppner, Lexington
and lone post offices.
. Santa Claus rrry ,i letter writers to include their
name and phone number so he can call on Monday or
Tuesday evening, Dec. 18-19.
Public forum on
youth drug abuse
Posse finds Rill's body;
victim of heart attack
Leonard Rill, 81, of Heppner
was found dead late Tuesday
evening of an apparent heart
attack by Morrow County
Search and Rescue Posse
members along Hale Ridge in
the Eightmile area southwest
of Heppner.
Rill was last seen Tuesday
afternoon near the Jim Farley
ranch near Hale Ridge. The
elderly man was to have
driven around the ridge to
pick up a companion who was
making a cattle check. He
failed to make the rendezvous,
and at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, a
search was requested.
The pickup which Rill had
been driving was found va
cant. Shortly before midnight,
searchers reported they had
found Rill's body.
Further details were not
immediately available.
Postmaster
urges early
Yule mailing
Heppner Postmaster Hubert
C. Wilson says the U.S. Postal
Service is happy to play Santa
with the delivery of packages
and letters during the holiday
season, but urges early mail
ing to make delivery before
Christmas.
Cards and letters should go
in the mail no later than Dec.
15 and parcels for West Coast
delivery should be sent by
Dec. 9. If you're mailing to the
East Coast, the package
should be on its way.
A public forum on drug and
alcohol abuse among local
youth has been scheduled for
Thursday evening, Dec. 28,
1978, by the newly organized
Concerned Parents and
Teachers group of Heppner.
The meeting had been origin
ally set for December 19.
The event will feature a
panel discussion by various
school administrators, juve
nile officers and law
enforcement officials who are
actively involved in the drug
abuse problems in the south
ern Morrow County area.
Persons participating in the
panel discussion are to include
Matt Doherty and John Ed
mundson, Morrow County
school administrators; Jim
Bier and Don Cole, principals
at the Heppner schools; Caro
lyn Holt, Morrow County
juvenile officer; Morrow
County Judge D.O. Nelson;
Tom Dixson, Oregon State
Police; local attorney Bob
Abrams; and Dr. Janice
Green, Morrow County Mental
Health.
The panel presentations are
to be followed by a question
response session.
The parent-teacher group
plans to hold similar meetings
over the next several months
in response to citizen inquiries
about school problems facing
teachers, parents, administra
tors and students.
The Dec. 28 meeting has
been tentatively scheduled for
the Heppner Grade School
multi-purpose room at 7:30
p.m. The public is invited.
Weather
by Don Gilliam
Date High Low Precip.
Wed., Nov. 29 44 35 .52
Thu., Nov. 30 47 34 .30
Fri., Dec. 1 43 36 .02
Sat., Dec. 2 42 33 .04
Sun., Dec. 3 54 32
Mon., Dec.4 54 30 .92 2" snow
Tue., Dec. 5 33 21 .03
Nov Precip. 1.90
Normal 1.44
19772.40
Annual fete brings farm-city neig
hbors toge the r
Livestock Growers,
CowBelles meet in
afternoon sessions
A dinner, a fashion show, an
"attitude adjustment" hour,
and talks on estate planning
and government controls in
agriculture will be among
events featured during the
annual meeting of the Morrow
County Livestock Growers
Association, set for Saturday
in Heppner.
The meeting will get under
way at noon, with a luncheon
session of the association's
board of directors at the West
of willow, followed at 1 p.m. by
a talk by newly elected
District 55 Rep. Bill Bellamy.
An FFA convention report is
scheduled for 1:45 p.m., fol
lowed at 2 p.m. by a report on
the Enviromental Protection
Agency's Section 208 nonpoint
source pollution program by
Dick McElligott.
At 2:20 p.m., Jim Allen is
scheduled to give a talk on
group health insurance, fol
lowed at 2:30 p.m. by a coffee
break sponsored by the Bank
of Eastern Oregon. At 3 p.m..
Mike Hefner of Portland will
speak on estate planning, and
at 4 p.m., Bill Ross and Don
Ostensoe will report on devel
opments with the Oregon
Cattlemen's Association.
Next, at 4:15, Bill Johns will
give an Oregon Beef Council
report, followed at 4:30 p.m.
with the Morrow County
Livestock Growers' annual
business meeting and election
of officers.
The Morrow County Cow
belles will hold their annual
meeting starting at 1 p.m. in
the Catholic Parish Hall. A
joint meeting between the
Cowbelles and the Morrow
County Livestock Growers is
scheduled for 3 p.m.
The "attitude adjustment"
cocktail hour will follow, from
6 to 7 p.m..
Charlie Daly
1978 Morrow County
Cattleman of the Year
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Story and Photos on page 3
Farm-City Banquet
features speaker,
style show, awards
St. Patrick's Parish Hall
will be the scene for the
annual Farm-City banquet,
starting at 7 p.m. Saturday,
Dec. 9, with Gene Pierce
serving as master of cere
monies. Featured speaker at the
banquet will be Arleigh Isley,
Jackson County Extension
Agent, whose topic will be
"Government Controlls."
Those who know Isley say his
talk should prove both inform
ative and entertaining for
rural folk and city neighbors
alike.
Special entertainment for
the banquet will be a style
show entitled "Have we come
a long way baby?" with piano
selections by Jojean Stevens.
Fashions from Cole's House of
Fashion. The LeBush Shoppe,
Gardner's Men's Wear and
Kroll's Department Store will
be highlighted with fashions
from past years.
Following dinner awards
will be presented to persons
deserving of special recognit
ion for agriculture and com
munity involvement, given by
sponsoring organizations. In
cluded in the awards presenta
tion will be the Morrow County
Cattleman of the Year, Mor
row County Conservation Man
of the Year, 4-H and FFA
carcass of merit winners and
the best county grain exhibit
at the Oregon State Fair. The
Heppner-Morrow County
Chamber of Commerce will
also present special awards.
The Farm-City Banquet
caps a day of annual meetings
for the Livestock Growers and
Cowbelles, who co-sponsor the
event with the Chamber of
Commerce. Cost of the ban
quet is $4 per person.
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