The City of White Salmon continues to ask residents in the Strawberry Mountain area to limit outdoor water use after routine maintenance uncovered a pump failure affecting water delivery in the Strawberry Mountain Reservoir Pressure Zone. Mayor Marla Keethler says the reservoir was drawn down during the heat wave in late May, but water levels are remaining stable now. The water conservation notice asks Strawberry Mountain area residents to limit outdoor watering, car washing, and filling pools or hot tubs until further notice. Keethler says they expect to have repairs done in about three weeks.
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HR School District Committee To Tour Facilities For Long-Term Planning
A Hood River County School District committee looking at priorities for long-term facilities planning will start a summer-long series of visits to district properties. District Superintendent Bill Newton says athletic fields will be among the subjects the group will be studying. Newton adds they have a list from each school of building needs, and a project management team that supported the district in development of the bond in 2016 that built May Street School is involved in this process. Roofs, boilers, HVAC systems, and carpets are among the needs the district will be considering. Newton says in the fall the district will begin community listening sessions on the topic, and narrow down the list of projects in the spring of 2026 for the school board to consider.
NCPHD Issues Water Advisories For Tooley Water District & Rowena Crest Manor
The North Central Public Health District has issued an alert advising those in Rowena Crest Manor and the Tooley Water District to not use tap water for drinking and cooking until further notice. The District says some areas in those water systems lost pressure in the aftermath of the Rowena Fire, and those conditions may have caused harmful contaminants to enter the water system, leading to the advisory against consuming the tap water. In additions, residents in those areas advised to limit the use of hot water, limit shower time and use lukewarm water and ventilate the area, use a dishwasher to wash dishes and use the air dry setting, wash clothing in cold water, do not take baths or use hot tubs or swimming pools. Use only bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth, making ice, and food preparation, and do not try to treat the water yourself by boiling or other methods. Potable and bottled water is available at The Dalles Middle School. NCPHD says it will inform residents when tests show that the water is safe again, but they do not have a timeframe for when this will be resolved.
Rowena Fire Containment At 37%
Containment of the Rowena Fire went up to 37% last night. Size of the fire increased slightly to 3,570 acres. Fire officials with Oregon Department of Forestry Complex Incident Management Team 2 say containment increased due to efficient firefighting by air and ground resources. Much of the current work involves mopping up, increasing the width of fire lines, and finding and extinguishing hotspots. Winds forced tree felling operations in the southern port of the fire to be halted on Monday, but ODF’s Adam Sinkey says that was to resume today. Sinkey noted in the northwest corner of the fire by Interstate 84, crews are starting to push out to the 150-foot range for the line. As containment builds and risks decrease, some of the resources assigned to fire are beginning to be demobilized and reassigned to other incidents around the state. The ODF management team remains in command of the firefighting effort.
Bridge Authority About To Get Access To Portion Of Federal Grant
It appears the federal government is going to allow the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority to finally access at least a portion of a $208 million grant promised last year. Bridge Authority Board Member Mike Fox says they are in the final stages of getting that contract in place to allow local access to at least $83 million of the grant. Fox says that would not be enough to start any construction work, but would allow the Authority to get the bridge design work done. Fox notes they are at a crucial point in assembling funding to build the new bridge, with the Washington Legislature having committed its $125 million share, but the Oregon Legislature still hasn’t made that move yet. Fox adds the process for the federal Bridge Investment Program grants is resuming, and the Authority has a $532 million grant application in that process.
TD Tourism Contract Includes Hiring Director
As part of its new tourism promotion contract with the City of The Dalles, The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce will be hiring an executive tourism director. Chamber CEO Lisa Farquharson notes they had a tourism coordinator before the COVID-19 pandemic, but this will be different in that it is going to be a full-fledged director. Farquharson says the new director will be tasked with coming up with new campaigns to bring Gorge tourists further west. Farquharson says they will be seeking candidates that have experience working with Travel Oregon and destination marketing organizations.
Fireworks Ban In The Dalles
The City of The Dalles has declared a state of emergency banning personal fireworks use under a recently adopted ordinance. Wasco County issued an order banning fireworks due to fire-related safety concerns. As a result, the use of all fireworks is now prohibited within the city limits of The Dalles. The prohibition includes lighting, igniting, or setting off any type of firework. The sale and possession of fireworks are not restricted. The ban does not apply to commercial fireworks displays that are approved by local or state government, including the State Fire Marshal.
Fire Information as of 1:45 p.m. June 16
The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office reduced or dropped a number of Rowena Fire evacuation levels Monday afternoon:
LEVEL 2 BE SET Evacuation
**NEW DOWNGRADE** Evacuation from Rowena Ferry Rd in the east, west to Highway 30, south to intersection of Mountain View Rd. and Seven Mile Hill Rd., southeast the area north of Chenowith Creek Rd and Browns Creek Rd., northeast to the area north of Murray’s Addition and Foley Lakes.
– Rowena River Rd, north to the Columbia
– Basalt St, Simonelli Rd., Morris Ln, Adeline Way, and Hwy 30 west to Tooley Lake.
LEVEL 1 BE SET Evacuation
– **NEW DOWNGRADE** The Dalles Country Club
– From The Dalles Country Club, east to I-84, south to River Rd., west to W. 7th St., south to Chenoweth Loop Rd., and west to 10th St.
– Highway 30 west to Dell Rd. and State Rd., south to Seven Mile Hill Rd. east to Mountain View Dr.
– Snipes, west to Chenoweth Loop Rd., Chenowith Creek Rd, to Browns Creek Rd.
All previous Level 1 Evacuations have been dropped.
Complete evacuation level information is available through the Wasco County Facebook page.
Containment of the 3,563 acre Rowena Fire continues to be listed at 24% today. Adam Sinkey of Oregon Department of Forestry Complex Incident Management Team 2 says in the area of Rowena proper, work continues to make the area safe. At the eastern edge of the fire, infrared cameras identified hot spots on Sunday night that will be extinguished by crews today. And in the west, tactical firing was done on Sunday to create good blackened trail along fire lines in that area.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office along with Mid-Columbia Fire & Rescue and Wasco County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management completed a comprehensive assessment of the fire-affected area that identified a total of 56 residential structures and 91 additional structures—including sheds, barns, and shops— being confirmed lost in this devastating incident. The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office says they have no confirmed lost lives as a result of the fire.
OSFM resources have begun a gradual demobilization as containment and mitigation work continues around affected residences. Unified Command with the Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) Incident Management Team ceased this morning, leaving the ODF fire team in sole control of the incident.
Cherry Harvest Underway
Cherry harvest has begun in Mid-Columbia orchards, and so far there are signs it could be a good year grower. Oregon State University Extension horticulturist Ashley Thompson says good weather leading up to harvest has helped the crop. She says it a medium-sized crop, with good sizing. Chelan cherries were being harvested this week in The Dalles area, and Thompson says Bing cherries are about ten to eighteen days out. She noted Upper Valley growers are a bit behind that timeline, but they have also been doing harvesting. Thompson says the domestic market is the largest for cherries, but many will end up in Canada and Southeast Asia.
HR County Health Doing Summer Food Handling Inspections
As summer arrives, the Hood River County Health Department becomes busy with inspecting food handling inspections, from restaurants to mobile carts to one-time events. Environmental Health Specialist Michelle McCafferty says if you are serving the public food, you need at least a temporary permit. McCafferty says the health department goes over the food safety plan for the event or business. She adds the main rules for all of us to remember when handling food this summer is to make sure hot food stays hot and cold food stays cold. Also, be sure to wash your hands after handling food, as McCafferty notes cross-contamination is a main cause of foodborne illness.