NEWS
A10 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2020
Stanfi eld resident dies
in Baker County crash
HERMISTON HERALD
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
The city of Echo recently received $1.7 million in funding for upgrades to its wastewater
infrastructure. One of the primary upgrades will be the installation of a pipeline to link the
Echo system to the city of Stanfi eld’s wastewater treatment facility.
Echo receives funding to
upgrade wastewater system
By NADA SEWIDAN
FOR THE HERMISTON HERALD
The last time the city of
Echo upgraded its waste-
water infrastructure was in
1985, which is why they
were recently provided
$1.7 million in funding for
upgrades.
John Huffman, state
director of USDA Rural
Development, said improve-
ments to Echo’s wastewa-
ter system are essential for
the town’s economy, health
and safety. Huffman said
sometimes it is diffi cult for
a small town to come up
with the fi nances for a major
infrastructure upgraded, but
that it is necessary.
“Utility services are
essential for public health
and safety, as well as for
economic vitality, but main-
taining the necessary infra-
structure is sometimes not
feasible for a small town’s
budget,” he said.
The project will include
constructing a pipeline that
will enable treated waste-
water to be directed to the
Stanfi eld collection system
instead of into the Umatilla
River. The funding will also
support renovations to the
wastewater plant’s lift sta-
tion and pressure main.
In 2017, the city began
searching for funding to
redirect its recycled water
from being dispensed into
the Umatilla River. The deci-
sion to upgrade the system
comes after the treatment
did not meet Department of
Environmental Quality stan-
dards. Without the upgrade,
Echo would face signifi cant
fi nes.
Dave Slaght, city admin-
istrator-recorder for Echo,
said the city is in conver-
sation with engineers and
they are hoping to get the
project completed in 18 to
24 months.
“We’re very grateful to
get the grant and loans,”
Slaght said. “We’re going
to be able to get our sys-
tem back in compliance,
and we’re really excited
about moving forward and
at least getting our system
operational.”
USDA Rural Develop-
ment invests millions of
dollars into rural commu-
nities, providing funding
to upgrade water treatment
and waste disposal systems,
storm drainage, and other
infrastructure developments
in rural communities. Rural
areas, with a population of
10,000 or less, can apply for
funding year-round.
“The grant and low-in-
terest loan from USDA will
enable this very small, rural
Oregon community to meet
the needs of its residents
and businesses for years to
come,” Huffman said.
A Stanfi eld woman
was killed Friday, Aug. 7,
in a single-vehicle crash
on Interstate 84 in Baker
County, according to a
press release from the
Oregon State Police.
Heydi Yajaira Sando-
val, 31, was operating a
2019 Nissan Rogue SUV
westbound on the inter-
state when it left the road-
way, hit a metal snow
fence and rolled, the
release said.
Sandoval, who was not
wearing a seat belt, suf-
fered fatal injuries and
was pronounced deceased.
OSP was assisted by
Oregon Department of
Photo contributed by Oregon State Police
Oregon State Police Troopers and emergency personnel
respond to a single-vehicle crash on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020, on
Interstate 84 near milepost 291.
Transportation and Baker
City Fire Department.
Motorcycle crash outside
Echo kills Texas man
HERMISTON HERALD
A motorcycle crash Friday, Aug. 7, out-
side of Echo killed one person, according
to a press release from the Umatilla County
Sheriff’s Offi ce.
Raymond Michael Rone, 69, of Flower
Mound, Texas, was riding the motorcy-
cle on Reith Road near Ramos Lane, the
release said. A motorist reported to dis-
patch around 5 p.m. that the motorcycle
was down with the operator pinned under-
neath it.
Deputies responded along with Stan-
fi eld Police Department and Oregon State
Police. Echo Quick Response Team and
Umatilla County Fire Department also
responded.
Rone was pronounced deceased at the
scene.
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HERMISTON HERALD
Umatilla County Fire
District 1 responded to a
single-month record num-
ber of calls for service in
July, answering 525 calls in
31 days.
The new record shat-
tered the previous mark of
459 calls in a single month,
according to a news release
from the district.
“We’re a growing com-
munity and we’re accus-
tomed to the steady increase
in calls for service over time.
But this is the biggest jump
I can remember and it really
pushed us to the limit,”
Chief Scott Stanton said
in a statement. “The extra
calls for COVID-19 trans-
port played a role in that, but
even without them it would
have been the busiest month
we’ve ever seen.”
Emergency medical tech-
nicians responded to 425
medical calls, including 59
for transport of COVID-19
“ Keeping the community safe is
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
Firefi ghters from Umatilla County Fire District 1 respond to
a fi re in a pile of tires on West Theater Lane in Hermiston on
Tuesday, July 21, 2020.
patients. Firefi ghters also
responded to 22 fi res — 18
in fi elds, three in buildings
and one involving a vehi-
cle. Three calls were false
alarms.
Because of the high vol-
ume of calls, there were 12
delays of ambulance service
because all personnel and
vehicles were on other calls.
a necessity. Wear a mask
for yourself and others.
We can do this together!
”
SHERI KONNINGRUD, OWNER PEA RIDGE EMBROIDERY & SIGNS
“Having the right num-
ber of staff on duty and vol-
unteers on call is one of the
biggest challenges we’re fac-
ing this year,” Stanton said.
“Responding to every call as
quickly as possible is our top
priority. Every call we get
has the potential to be a life
or death situation, and we
take that very seriously.”
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Due to the
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offer to foster an
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• Wear a mask in public
• Avoid indoor gatherings
• Stay 6 feet away from others • Wash your hands frequently
Help Reopen
Umatilla County
Wearing a mask saves jobs and saves lives