The Hood River City Council authorized staff to pursue an alternative being put together by Bell Design for phase 3 of the Waterfront stormwater relocation project. Bell Design put together three alternatives after contractor Tetra Tech’s plans were estimated to cost $2.7 million, well over what City officials had planned for. The alternative Councilors opted to pursue moves ahead with providing treatment through bio-retention beds and filtration catchbasins as planned by Tetra Tech on the west and middle outfalls, and provide a similar bio-retention bed on the east outfall, at a cost of $1.369 million. Stoner Bell of Bell Design says they were able to reduce costs by centralizing the system’s operation. More specific design work will now be done before getting approval to go out for a bid process.
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TD City Council & Wasco County Commission Talk Google Funds Again
The Wasco County Commission and The Dalles City Council held a second joint session to discuss what to do with some of monies that will come from the Strategic Investment Plan agreement with Google for a pair of new data centers under development. The conversation roamed through various possibilities and a recently done citizen survey that brought ideas from helping schools to dealing with housing issues to economic development, but no real consensus emerged. Mayor Rich Mays said while they don’t know how much money is going to come through the agreement, they probably need to start doing some estimates for planning purposes. The City Council and County Commission will discuss the topic separately, with plans to come back together in the fall to see if they are ready to get into more details.
Larch Creek Fire Investigation Continues
Wasco County Sheriff Lane Magill says the investigation into what caused the Larch Creek Fire in southern Wasco County over two weeks ago is continuing. Magill says the fire was determined to be human caused very early in the investigation, but further details are still being verified. The investigation is being led by Oregon Department of Forestry wildfire investigators, with the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Forest Service assisting. Magill says this kind of investigation can be tedious, complex, require meticulous attention to detail, and often take a long time to complete. He added his office has been proactive assessing the situation with the Wasco County District Attorney’s office as information has become available. Once the investigation is finished, the Sheriff’s and D.A.’s offices will review the findings to determine whether criminal charges are warranted.
City Of Mosier Issues Boil Water Order
The City of Mosier has issued a boil water order due to a loss of water pressure in its distribution system. The City of Mosier says as a result, potentially harmful bacteria could be present in the water supply. City of Mosier water customers should bring water to a rolling boil for one minute, allow the water to cool, and store it in a clean container with a cover. Mosier water customers should use boiled water that has cooled or bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth, washing fruits and vegetables, preparing food and baby formula, making ice, and cleaning food contact surfaces. City of Mosier officials say the boil water advisory is a precaution, and will announce when water tests show no bacteria. To limit risk to health, Mosier water customers should follow the instructions of the boil water advisory. For more information, go to cityofmosier.com, or call John Grim at Mosier Emergency Services at 541-993-5421.
Moderate Activity Seen On Microwave Tower Fire
The Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team 6 has assumed command of the Microwave Tower Fire west and southwest of Mosier. The fire has seen moderate activity with intermittent single tree torching along with some flanking and smoldering creating a moderate amount of smoke. The fire also saw growth back down the north slope, and with increased winds Wednesday, crews are ready to address increased fire behavior. Crews are building a combination of dozer and hand line on the southern edge of the fire, along with working to improve roads, trails, and previously constructed contingency lines around the remainder of the fire. Evacuation levels established on Monday night remain in place. There is an estimate of 100 homes that are under Level 3 evacuations and 500 residences threatened in the Mosier area. More accurate mapping has sized the fire at 704 acres, with no containment. Cause of the fire remains under investigation. The Mosier Senior Center is being used as a cooling center for the public where they can also charge devices.
Whisky Creek Fire At 288 Acres
The Whisky Creek Fire in the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness six miles of southeast of Cascade Locks is now listed as 288 acres in size with no containment. That as the Type 1 Great Basin Type 6 team takes command of fire operations Wednesday. The focus of work is on scouting along the Pacific Crest Trail and the area around the fire looking for opportunities for crews to safely access the fire. Fire officials say no impacts are expected to the PCT as this time, although wildfire conditions can always quickly change. Work will also continue to strengthen a contingency line to the north of the fire along the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire burn area. Moderate upslope growth is expected around the fire’s edges with thinner vegetation at higher elevations moderating fire behavior. Smoke will continue to be visible as fire consumes denser pockets of vegetation and dead-and-down fuels. A community meeting on this fire will held Thursday evening at 7 p.m. at the Port of Cascade Locks Marine Park Pavilion.
Lone Rock Fire Still At 40% Containment
The Lone Rock Fire southeast of Condon remains at 40% containment, with the size edging up to 134,752 acres. Firefighters on Tuesday worked on the eastern side of the fire perimeter to build control lines from Burton Hill to the south, with steep terrain continuing to pose challenges for control. Crews also carried out firing operations and structural protection on the southern portion of the fire. On the northern portion of the fire, crews continued to patrol the fireline with no change in fire activity in that area. A Red Flag Warning is in effect today for the fire area, with the chance of lightning and thunderstorms particularly to the southeast of the fire perimeter.
Big Horn Fire At 13,800 Acres
A Southeast Incident Management Type 3 Team has taken command of the Big Horn Fire near Bickleton in eastern Klickitat County. The fire that started Monday afternoon just after 1 p.m. is now estimated to have burned 13,800 acres, with containment at 1% It is burning in grass, brush, sage, and juniper and is threatening infrastructure, residential and agricultural lands, and a natural gas plant. Evacuation levels were added Tuesday afternoon by the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office to include new Level 1 areas, additional Level 2 locations, and expanded Level 3 areas adjacent to the fire perimeter. Officials say that was instituted as a precautionary measure to improve notifications to residents and citizens if conditions change. An updated may is available on Klickitat County Emergency Management Facebook page. The fire cause is currently under investigation.
Lone Rock Fire Still At 40% Containment
The Lone Rock Fire southeast of Condon remains at 40% containment, with the size edging up to 134,752 acres. Firefighters on Tuesday worked on the eastern side of the fire perimeter to build control lines from Burton Hill to the south, with steep terrain continuing to pose challenges for control. Crews also carried out firing operations and structural protection on the southern portion of the fire. On the northern portion of the fire, crews continued to patrol the fireline with no change in fire activity in that area. A Red Flag Warning is in effect today for the fire area, with the chance of lightning and thunderstorms particularly to the southeast of the fire perimeter.
Progress On Microwave Fire Continues
The Oregon Department of Forestry says moderate fire behavior allowed for further progress on the Microwave Tower Fire Tuesday as crews worked to secure more of the fire’s east end with hand line, dozer line, and water drops from helicopters and other air resources. More accurate mapping has sized the fire at 704 acres The fire continued to back down on a north facing ridge along I-84 just west of Mosier and will likely do so through today. Smoke can be observed along the highway. Last night, crews worked towards hooking in line with hand crews and dozers along the eastern and southern edges of the fire footprint while structural firefighters continued to assess and further secure homes. The Type 1 Great Basin Team 6 is assuming command of the fire this morning. The incident command post will be at Hood River Valley High School. Public information officers with the team will receive inquiries about both the Microwave Tower fire and the nearby Whisky Creek Fire. Evacuation levels established on Monday night remain in place. There is an estimate of 100 homes that are under Level 3 evacuations and 500 residences threatened in the Mosier area. The gymnasium at the Hood River Middle School is a designated Red Cross Shelter for those evacuated.