Giselle Moses joins G-T staff
HEPPNER
G T
50¢
Giselle Moses
azette
imes
VOL. 138
NO. 16 8 Pages
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Giselle Moses has joined the staff of Sykes Publish-
ing/Heppner Gazette-Times as graphic designer. Born
and raised in Heppner she will be responsible for graphic
design work such as advertising and printing jobs.
Moses will also be working in advertising sales for
local businesses, helping with their advertising needs.
She is the wife of local businessman Seth Moses, owner
of Seth Moses Roofing. Her email address is graphics@
rapidserve.net.
Two candidates vie for POM
Commissioner position
Two people are running for one position as Port of Morrow Commissioner, John Murray
and Debbie Radie.
Debbie
Radie
John Murray
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
Group seeks improvement to
lake water
Repeated algae bloom warnings and lake closures
cited
Theresa Jones holds first meeting of The Dam Right! advocacy group. She hopes to improve
water quality at Willow Creek Lake.
By David Sykes
A local group has
formed to try and force
improvement to Willow
Creek Lake water, which
has seen yearly danger-
ous algae bloom warnings
since 2007. Theresa Jones
of Heppner formed the
group which had its first
organizational meeting last
Thursday night. About 27
people showed up to view
a power point presentation
and talk about water qual-
ity problems at the lake.
Jones is in the middle of a
recruitment effort seeking
people to join the group.
“The Dam Right!! commit-
tee of dedicated citizens is
working together to ensure
that the health and safety of
our dam, and the quality of
our water, are improved,”
Jones writes on the group’s
Facebook page, which so
far has 96 members.
Jones main message
is that pollution, mainly
from upstream farming and
ranching practices along
the creek above the dam,
is causing blue-green algae
to form in the lake, which
is dangerous to people’s
health using the lake. She
also hinted that the algae
may be causing structur-
al damage to the dam’s
concrete but offered little
evidence to back up that
charge.
Jones says she has done
extensive research howev-
er, on water quality, and
says the two organizations
responsible for that quality
are the Department of En-
vironmental Quality whose
job it is to investigate the
causes, identify pollution
sources and write a pol-
lution reduction plan; and
Oregon Health Authority
the agency responsible for
posting warnings and ed-
ucating the public about
harmful algae blooms.
Records show the lake
has a history of algae bloom
warnings going back to
2007. Every year except
2016 have had warnings,
mostly in the summer and
fall, warning people not
to use the lake or go in
the water. The Corps of
Engineers, which handles
operation of the dam, says
they have a contract with a
professor from the Univer-
sity of Idaho to monitor the
water quality both above
and below the dam, and
test for temperature, oxygen
levels, algae characteristics
and, when the lake is “visu-
ally very green,” to collect
samples for a rapid analysis
of known toxin producing
substances. If those rapid
tests exceed certain levels
then the lake is posted with
warnings not to swim, fish
or otherwise use the lake.
The Corps revealed that
a water quality outlet device
at the lake isn’t operating
properly. Because of a bro-
ken cable, they say a testing
outlet is no longer moving
up and down through the
water to collect samples
at different levels. It still
functions fine they say, but
only drawing water from
the lowest depth where it is
stuck, for sampling.
On the subject of what
causes the toxic blue-green
algae, Jones blames agri-
culture and ranching up
steam on Willow Creek.
The Corps doesn’t explic-
itly agree, only saying
that “increased nutrient
inputs” is the reason. To
fix the problem the Corps
says would take “water-
shed-wide management and
cannot be resolved by dam
operations alone.” Jones
says farmers and ranchers
should be more responsible
with fertilizer and animal
waste and says planting
certain types of vegetation
such as barley hay would
help filter out harmful ag-
ricultural runoff.
Jones says she has
worked extensively gath-
ering information about
the dam water and how it
is tested and monitored,
including filing several
Freedom of Information
requests. “I love farmers
but shouldn’t they be re-
sponsible for what they
do upstream,” she says.
Although Jones admits that
although there could be
multiple health problems
from swimming in the algae
polluted water, she herself
has never been sick. Her
saying is “when in doubt
stay out” of the lake. She
told the crowd of a home-
made method to check the
lake water. Jones said to
fill up a jar with lake water,
place it in the refrigerator
and wait 72 hours. “See
what happens she says. She
says the algae will settle in
Arial view of Willow Creek Dam and Reservoir. -Contributed photo.
-See DAM WATER/PAGE
SEVEN
Debbie Radie, 55, Irri-
gon, graduated from Falls
City High School, Falls
City, OR. She and her hus-
band, Dave, have lived
in Morrow County for 27
years, the past eight years
in Irrigon. Her mother, Jane
Esterbloom, currently lives
with them. Their son, Mi-
chael lives in Portland with
his wife and two children.
Her sister, Deanna Camp,
lives in Boardman, while
her other two sisters, Dana
Fetter and Darla Irwin, live
in Hermiston. She has com-
pleted coursework at Meritt
Davis College of Business,
University of Idaho, food
science, Blue Mountain
Community College, busi-
ness, and Portland State
University, leadership. She
is a Ford Leadership and
Hermiston leadership grad-
uate. She has completed
specific coursework in hu-
man resources, “lean man-
ufacturing”, food safety
and science, business and
sales, OSHA regulations,
leadership and management
and “extensive” continuing
education through industry
associations.
She is currently on
the Oregon State Work-
force and Talent Board and
has been appointed to and
served on the Eastern Ore-
gon Workforce Investment
Board.
“My family moved
to the area in 1992 when
Boardman Foods began
construction on a new food
processing plant in the Port
of Morrow, and have helped
advance the community
ever since,” says Radie.
“This will be an opportu-
nity to serve the Port of
Morrow, which has done so
much for the communities
in this area and be directly
involved in the growth and
development of this region.
I believe that my experience
helping build a business
John Murray, 55, Hep-
pner, the son of Rod and
Meg Murray, Heppner area,
attended Ione and Hep-
pner schools and received a
Bachelor of Science degree
in Pharmacy at Oregon
State University. He and his
wife, Ann, own Murray’s
Drug stores in Heppner,
Condon and Boardman. A
life-long Morrow County
resident, he and his wife
have five children, three
in Morrow County, Ian,
a nurse, Sean and Laurie
(Wood), both Doctors of
Pharmacy. Son Kevin is
a student at Linn Benton
Community College/OSU,
and son Luke, has a PhD
in theology, University of
Kansas. Ann is the daughter
of Larry and Corrine Lind-
say, Lexington.
He is currently serv-
ing as chair of the Mor-
row County Health District
Board.
“I care about Morrow
County and the Port’s fu-
ture,” said Murray, “not
just its significant economic
impact, but also its ability to
improve the quality of life
for all its residents, my kids
and grandkids included.
The Port of Morrow has
improved life in the county
in many ways; I believe my
experience and outlook will
be beneficial in guiding it
toward continued success.
in the Port and as chair of
Food Northwest can ensure
continuation of the success
story of the “Morrow Mir-
acle.”
Radie says that the big-
gest challenge facing the
Port of Morrow concerns
“legislative changes to our
state laws and regulations.
Changes can have a nega-
tive impact on how business
entities see the value in
locating to Oregon as well
as concern for those doing
business here now.”
“As the chair of the
board for the Food North-
My county-wide health dis-
trict service and ownership
of a private service-based
company in north and south
county (Murray’s Drug)
and having customers from
all communities, gives me
a perspective and interest
in the whole county and its
needs.”
“I believe the biggest
challenge to the Port is
the ability to have build-
able land ready for tenants
interested in locating at
the port. Port leadership
has done very well to at-
tract tenants and have land
“shovel ready” (utilities,
roads, etc.). Continuing
to be ready for additional
companies wanting to lo-
cate at the port is impera-
tive. Doing all in the port’s
power to help keep the ex-
isting businesses profitable
is also a priority. An exam-
ple would be finding the
most cost-effective supply
of fresh water and effluent
disposal or help them adapt
to Cap and Trade.”
“Finding answers to
critically important issues
is something I think inde-
pendent business owners
excel at. When success or
failure depends on the own-
er’s ability to adapt, invent,
re-invent or think outside of
the box in order to survive,
I firmly believe we rise to
the occasion, especially a
private company that is 60
years old. I would bring
that same determination
and commitment to this
commissioner job. New
land acquisition and de-
velopment, creative use of
existing land and balancing
use of critical factors to a
business’ success (steam,
fresh water, effluent water,
etc.) to maximize occupan-
cy would be my focus.”
west Association I am aware
of the regulations that affect
the Port on the business in
Oregon. I have spoken on
the impact of new regula-
tions to our elected officials
and committees. I regularly
attend regional and local
meetings in which I inter-
act with our elected offi-
cials. My hope is that I can
bring a collaborative spirit
along with the facts to help
influence the regulations
that will impact the Port of
Morrow at the state level
when the need arises.
MORROW COUNTY GRAIN GROWERS
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