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EIGHT - Heppner GazeUe-Tlmev Heppner. Oregon Wednesday, Sepíember 21, 1***
Dam
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Dam still
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" T h e c o n s id e ra tio n is that
hydrogen sulfide gas is corrosive to
concrete." said D ick Cassidy, chief
o f the reservoir regulation and water
quality section o f the corps' Portland
d is tric t
‘ ‘ So we began some
preliminary investigations as to what
the impact o f the gas might be on the
concrete '*
Cassidy's section recommended
that the corps install a $150.(MX)
mechanical aerator on the bottom o f
the reservoir, which would pump
oaygen into the deep waters and
theoretically prevent the production
o f Ionic, corrosive chemicals The
recommendation was confirmed by
experts at the corps' Waterways Ex
periment Station in Vicksburg.
Miss . but it was ultimately rejected
for lack o f funds
A second solution • to drain the
water in the summer months when
the lake produces algae was also re
jeeted because the reservoir is sup
posed to be used for recreation and
irrigation
The corps raised the water level in
the reservoir this year to try to
mitigate the problem, but it appeared
to make matters worse
W hile the corps considers its op
tions. scientists under contract with
the corps continue to study the in
triguing forces, seen and unseen,
that are affecting the dam
O re g o n
State
U n iv e rs ity
oceanographers Robert C ollier and
Jack Dymond arc studying the
geochemical processes occurring in
the dam and reservoir They're tr y
ing to figure out how the w ater is in
teracting with the concrete and exact
ly how much o f the concrete is
washing downstream every year
“ The main problem is the dam
leaks.** C ollier said 'Concrete is not
designed to have water running
through it I f you d id n't have water
running through the concrete, you
w ouldn’t have a problem In other
controversial
words, the leaks came first The
chemistry that follows is removing
material burn the dam "
C ollier and Dymond have found
evidence that the dam may be heal
mg itself to w>me degree Calcium
carbonate leached through the con
crete has deposited on some dam
surfaces and plugged leaks Although
the surface precipitation o f calcite
may decrease the dam leakage, it
w ill not enhance dam integrity, the
scientists say
The corps has also contracted w ith
U n iv e rs ity
of
W a sh in g to n
oceanographer Marv in L ille y to ex
amine a suspected methane presence
w ithin the dam Corps o fficials are
especially concerned about methane
because it is highly explosive and
pKentially could result in a more im
mediate and catastrophic failure o f
the dam than the disvilutmn process
M icrobial ecologist Jim Staley is
under contract to determine what's
going on biologically within the dam
matrix Staley has discovered that
water w ithin the dam is providing a
habitat for bacteria that can change
hydrogen sulfide and nitrogen into
concrete-corroding ac id compounds
"A c id s corrode concrete." Staley
said " I f you lin k concrete and add
ed acid to it. it would eventually
dissolve the concrete There is the
potential for corrosion (at W illow
Creek) because these bacteria arc
there
Like cverbody else. Staley is hav
ing to develop new techniques to
study W illo w Creek Dam because
the situation is so unusual
" A t W illow Creek, we have a uni
que combination o f factors a new
dam in a very rich watershed with
wale seeping th ro ug h ." he said " I f
you haxl a solid concrete structure
impervious to water, those bacteria
are not there Where the water is. is
where the life is anti that's where the
problem is ."
b y L is a S try c k e r
o f T h e E u g e n e R e g is te r-G u a rd
Controversy has plagued W illo w
Creek Dam near Heppner since the
day it was conceived
The agricultural com m unity's
1.500 residents argued for years
about the necessity, the expense, the
design and (he location o f the flood
control project that was completed
at the tow n's city lim its by the U S
Arm y Corps o f Engineers in 1981
And now Heppner’ » citizens
w orry that ihc dam. with it's leaks
and toxic gas emissions, could fail
and inundate the town they were told
it would save from a (lash flood
"T h e issue has been on the humer
since 190.1 when we had the big
flood through here " said former
mayor C liff Green, 'Over the years,
county commissioners and judges
through different administrations
went to D C . to lobby for co n stru c
tion o f a dam here for flood control
They basically got nowhere with it "
Then in 1971. a summer storm
caused a flash fltxid down Sh«>bc Ca
nyon that destroyed several houses
in Heppner. filled the swimming
pool with mud and defaulted m u j on
Mam Street
In the process o f cleaning up the
mess, the Federal Emergency
Management Administration was
contacted The agency promptly
designated a flood plain, required
Heppner residents to obtain flood in
vu ranee and imposed regulations that
effectively stopped any new con
struction downtown
" A t that point, the idea o f the dam
was revived and it was a very hot
question." Green recalled, "M o s t o f
us on the council opposed H and tried
to fight the regulations <nhcr ways
It finally reached the point that the
dam seemed to he (he only thing that
would save the downtown core area
Basically, we built the dam to save
M ain Street fro m governm ent
regulations, not from water
(ireen advised the town's residents
to vote lor the dam in a referandum
election even though he thought it
Shaw works towards
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Eagle Scout award
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It is estimated that levs than I % o f
all boys who join the Boy Scouts o f
America as Cub Scouts ever reach
the ultimate rank o f Eagle Scout. the
last one from Hcppncr was Perry
Cooper, in 1978
J J Shaw o f Hcppncr is nearing
completion o f the goal he set when
he joined in 1979 He has 4 o f the
required 2 1 merit badges remaining
He is in the middle o f the major scr
vice project required o f all Eagle
Scout candidates
J J has designed a service project
to landscape a problem area at Hope
Lutheran Church He has also work
cd to o b ta in d on atio ns and
volunteers An Eagle Scout can
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USED CAMERAS.
LENSES. TRIPOD.
DARK ROOM EQUIP..
BULK FILM, GUARANTEED
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F r e e l a n c e P h o to
5 6 7 -5 2 5 8
3 2 1 R id g e w a y
H e r m is to n , O R
Mon-Sat 9 a m.-6 p.m.
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Sunday by appt.
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It's a fraud i f you’ re told you have
w on
the
R eader's
D igest
Sweepstakes and can pick up your
prize by paying $40 C O D (the
magazine says it doesn't operate this
way).
It 's a fraud i f you are asked to pay
$10 for a Soc ial Security Number or
enter a Soc ial Security Sweepstakes
The Social Security Adm inistration
says it’ s cards are free and it runs no
sweepstakes
03 58
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Saturday, Sept 24th
Live Music 9 00-2 00 Country Variety
sound by “CROSS 7 X)W \"
Thursday, Sept 29th
"Under The Big Top Circus 7 00 8 30 p.m.
Presented by Ring Royal - Heppner Fairgrounds
Saturday Oct 15th
Basque Barbeque 7 00 9 00 pm .
Live Music 900-2 00 am
Friday Oct. 28th
High School Homecoming Dance 10 00-1 00 a m.
Breakfast 1 00-2 00 a m
Saturday, Oct 29th
Halloween Costume Contest and Dance
Live Music 9 00-2 00 a m
J
A.......is
"n e ri m
e n u s AG r/
b y L is a S try c k e r
o f T h e E u g e n e R e g is te r-G u a rd
BOOK D #
H EP PN ER E I.K M E N T A R k
SCHOOL
Tentative Lunch Menus
Sept. 2b-.Ml
M onday
-
C h ic k e n ,
potatoes gravy, vetctahlc. dessert,
m ilk
Tuesday - Surprise Salad Bar
W ednesday
- Potato bar.
vegetable, peanut butter cookie,
fru it, salad bar
Thursday - Casserole
Friday - G rilled cheese sand
wiches, pickles, vegetable, fruit,
m ilk
SAM BO AR D M AN
E L E M E N T \R Y
T entative l unch Menus
Monday Sloppy Joes. cum. fruit,
cookie, m ilk
Tuesday Weiner wraps, chicken
noodle soup, vcgic stix, apples,
cake, m ilk
Wednesday
Haystacks, meat,
cheese. Icrtuce, chips, green beans,
fru it, graham crackers, m ilk
Thursday - Hot turkey sand
wiches. potatoes gravy. cranhemcs.
mixed vegetables. Rice Krispic
Treats, m ilk
Friday - Hamburger cook out.
chips, vcgic stix. apples, icc cream
sandwiches, m ilk
R IV E R S ID E H IG H S C H O O l
T entative Lunch Menus
Monday Taco Munchskin. cot
tage cheese, vcgic Mix. blueberry
m uffins, nulk. salad bar
Tuesday - Tuna or peanut butter
sandwiches, vcgic soup, cheese Mix,
pudding fru it, milk
Wednesday
Chicken nuggets,
tartar/xweet A sour sauce, potatoes,
butter, com . red Jcllo cake, salad
bar
Thursday
Breakfast croissants,
hash browns, cheese stix. mixed
fru it, strudel, m ilk, salad bar
Friday
Hamburger cook-out,
chips, vcgic stix. vcotcharoox,
bananas, m ilk
0
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
0
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£
hv M arie Struthers
Art auction to be held in
Hermiston Sept. 24 ___
hv M a rie Struthers
" A B rief H istory «if T im e " by
Steven Hawking is still at the lop o f
ihe non fiction best seller list and
ileservedly s«i This little book, writ
ten in evervilay English, presents the
hist«iry o f man's utvierstanding o f
the universe in clear and concise
language sans yard long formulas
ami patronizing lectures
W ritten tor the layman, the only
equation included is Einstein's
E MC-’ and Hawking doesn't even
ili-nund that >« hi uruJerourul that
From flat earth theories through the
" B ig Bang" and beyond he takes
you on a chronological (rip through
the merky relms o f physics, where
it all hegan and where it may (or may
n«K) tic going
Steven Hawking is an eminently
qualified guide for this j«>urncy
Handicapped w ith l^ iu Gehrig's
Disease since early adulthood.
Hawking has. nevertheless, been in
the lorefront o f theoretical aMro-
phy sics for the laM 20 years Unable,
now. even to speak unaided, he has
produced some o f the moM lucid
theories and clarifications of thexmes
in the field
" A Bnct History o f T im e " is a
condensalKin o f all the progress
made in the field o f physics since
Aristotle Hawking brings phrases
such as "sub-atom ic p a rtic le ",
"M n n g lhc»iry" and "b la ck h o le "
into jk - i \ | c \1 ivc for the non physKiM
w ith a skillful pen
Even if you were never able to
pass Algebra II in high schtml. this
hook w ill fascinate you It can he
found, along w ith a couple o f dozen
other heM sellers, at the Heppner
Public Library See you there'
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o n A V I
Pettyjohn's
Your Woodstove Headquarters
* Blaze Kings
* New Tnulblazer
* Stove Puls
* )’l(K-
* Chimmney Cleaning Supplies
PETTYJOHN’S
firm i lu'ldt-i Suppl?
Way Heppner
424 lynden
676-9157
MiimimmmiiiiiiimiHiimmiimimiMiimiiiHHHii
WALLPAPER
SELL-A-THON
30% to 50%
[O FF M A N U F A C T U R E R S S U G G E S T E D R E T A IL P R IC E
5
BOOKS
H u n d re d s of P A T T E R N S to choose from .
10/22 Ruger
Western Knife
Box of A m m o
(Prizes)
0
STRINGS • WEAVES • FABRICBACKED
AND S O LID V IN YLS • PREPASTED PAPERS
SCREEN PRINTS • PHOTO M U R A LS
( C P M H i A t l M f * « M C « MOT M K l U O f O t
f
A
mm
W
Hermiston'» Perceptor chapter o f
Beta Sigma Phi w ill hold their 15th
Annual Art Auction September 24 at
Thompson Hall on the Um atilla
County fairgmunds in Hermiston
The ikmrs w ill open at 6 p m for
the preview and silent auction TTic
live auction begins al 8 p m
Admission at the door is $3 per
person
Dierc w ill be approximately lOt)
pteccs o f art entered with the pro
ceeds going to the Hermiston High
Sch«'iil hand trip scheduled to Vicn
na. Self Reliance Group and the
Pioneer Humane Society
A mi-host bar w ill he available
with hors d ’oeuvres fumisfxrd hv the
sorority
The auction is open to the public
Come have a fun evening with us
FROM
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Deadline Sign-Up Sept. 30
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p u b lic ity would jettpardize the
already embattled dam at Elk Creek
The U S Supreme Court has
agreed to hear the fe«Jeral govern
ment's appeal o f the ruling that Mop
ped construction on ihe Elk Creek
Dam Meanwhile, the «lam sits half
finished at a height of 81 tcet. a third
o f the completed height o f 249 feet
The Galessille Dam in Douglas
County was completed in 1986 us
ing the roller compacted umMrution
technique said John Youngquist.
water reunirccs coordinator for the
county The 167 foot high «lam cost
$14 milli««n, a savings from the $17
m illion projected tor an earth filled
dam
Galessille Dam ikvel»>pcd seven
major cracks running through the
dam body fro m upstream to
dtiwnstreani. th«>ugh which water
leaked Dam experts say the crack
ing occurred because a ilclay in c«m-
struction required some o f the work
to he done during the hot summer
scasiin The roller compacted con
crete had a short time to mature and
had cooled quickly during the first
winter, resulting in (he cracking
"T hey were very easy to re p a ir."
YoungquiM said. "Before the repair,
the leakage was 1.000 gallons per
minute The leakage is now in the
ncighNirh«MKl o f 120 galUins per
minute It is leaking But it is not
leaking beyond what is normal
The r«iller-ct>mpactcd concrete
technique uses conventional earth
rrmving equipment that allows the
structure to he built very rapidly,
making it much less expensive than
conventional mass concrete
The m ixture l«ioks and handles
much like damp gravel fill, hut
hardens into concrete with strengths
that sh«>uld equal conventional mass
concrete
At W illo w Creek and at Elk
Creek, the cxincrete is maile by quar
rying rock from atmvc the reservoir
area, processing it into sand and
gravel sizes and combining it with
sand, cement, fly ash and water The
roller-compacted concrete, which is
much dryer than conventional ct>n
cretc. is tran\p*irtcd to the site,
spread in layers using large dozers
and com pacted using heavy
vibratory rollers
The world's firM m ller compacted
concrete dam at W illo w Creek near
Heppner signaled the Mart o f a
re v o lu tio n
in
g ra v ity dam
construction
Since W illow Creek was com
pleted in 1981. more than 2U m llcr
compacted dams have been started
through« u t the w orld, including the
highly controversial Elk Creek Dam
on a Rogue River tributary in
Southern Oregon and a county built
dam on a tributary ot the South U m
pqua River
The U S
A rm y C orps o f
Engineers ilcckJcd to use the new
r o lle r -com pac ted c o n s tru c tio n
mcthtxl at W illow Creek inMead o f
traditional c«*ncrctc, ro c k fill or cm
hankmenl «lams to save time and
nw>ncy. although the corps has spent
at least $2 5 m illion beyond the
original $Y4 7 m illion construction
com f«*r studies and wx>rk on the «lam
to reduce leakage and corrosion pnv
blcms that threalen to destniy the
structure
W h e th e r
the
p ro b le m s
documented at W illo w Creek w ill
arise at the other dams remains to he
seen lrss«»ns learned at W illow
Creek have heen used to improve the
ineth«xls for cxvnMructing roller
compacted dams elsewhere
"T h e technology o f that type o f
construction has progressed rapid
l y , " said W illiam Branch, ch ie f o f
the hydraulics and hydrology branch
within the engineering division of the
c«>rps'Portland district "W e lc u m
cd a lot from constructing Hcppncr,
which has gone to benefit the
engineering community "
W illow Creek Dam is the corps'
last completed project in the Nor-
thwcM The corps was in the process
«if building the $119 m ilium Elk
Creek Dam when a tcileral judge
halted conMruction laM year because
the corps hadn't fu lly considered
h«>w increased water temperatures
and turbidity caused hy the dam on
Elk Creek would atlcct salmon and
and steelhcad in the Rogue River
Sources w ithin the corps say the
agency has not made public the pro
blems developing at W illo w Creek
because o f fears that such negative
\
142 N . M a i n f
w m m
School Lunch
Menus
wasn't necessary for flood control
In 1981. Heppner residents voted
297 272 to give the corps the go
ahead to build the dam But most
residents--even those who voted in
favor o f the p ro je c t-fe lt the project
had been shoved down their throats
by the federal govemmnet
W ith the help o f Sen Mark Hal
field, residents were able to get
money appropriated for the project
and it was built, as cheaply as possi
ble w ith a revolutionary ro lle r -
compacted concrete construction
method
Without the political pressure, the
corps probably would not have built
the dam because it doesn't meet the
usual corps criteria, said W'llham
Branch, chief o f the hydraulics and
hydrology branch w ithin the corps'
engineering division in Portland
" I t was something we were not
pushing at a ll, " Branch said "T h e
dam itself at W illow Creek had a
benefit cost ratio below I. which
going by our Mandards. we would
not build ihc d a m ."
The dam is designed to protect the
town from a flood down W iliow and
Bairn Fork creeks, hut in recent
years most o f Heppncr's flooding
has come from Shobc Canyon
southwcM o f the town ot Hinton
Creek to the northwest Town
residents generally are satisfied with
a flash flood warning syMem install
ed in those two watersheds
W ith all the problems at W illow
Creek Dam. many residents say
they'd have been happier with a war
ning syMem on W illow Creek and
Balm Forks than the looming, leak
ing concrete structure
" I have always questioned the
credibility o f the project and the
corps pertaining to the project." said
Hcppncr resident Kit (ieorge. whose
front yard view is dominated hy the
dam
" I don't think this Jam was ever
justified and I don't think they could
ever juMify building it Now we have
it, we're stuck w ith it and we have
to make the best o f i t "
a
Heppner Elks 358 {
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FRAUD WATCH
Prizes Galore!!!
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Chief Rathbun’s
Tips ____
Friday, Sept 23rd • HUNTERS NITE
'5 M All You Can Eat Rib Feed at 6 00 pm
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yr.
duiatc must dev elope organizational
and leadership skills, he cannot do
the project alone
Saturday. August 27. scouts from
Troup 654 m Hermiston (the iroup
J J joined and in which he has serv
ed as senior patrol leader and junior
assistant scoutmaster when the local
troop disbanded) w ill be spreading
gravel and digging out the area
where railroad ties w ill go to
establish beds o f plants and flowers
J J has spent several hours prepar
ing tor this activity beginning last
winter when he took measurements
o f the area w ith a foot o f snow on
the ground A design has been on the
bulletin board at the church since the
project was approved by the coun
c il this spring
At a later dale, men from the
church w ill be asked to assist with
the placement o f the 8 'x 8 " x 8 " oak
railroad ties to be used as retaining
walls in the bank
HEFFNER ELKS LODGE
COMING EV ENTS
'
Willow Creek dam
was first of its kind
Mfct *iuup
W J M
Mr.m Street
Rtr«et Hermiston
H e rm isto n
Mam
Red White Blue Bldg
_______
Open 7 Days A Week
a If
.
)
SALE STARTS SEPTEMBER 28
ENDS OCTOBER 27
PETTY JOHN’S
424 Lynden Way. Heppner
**
676-9157 or 676-5001