The list of evacuation advisories issued by the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office in the Rowena Fire area was reduced further today. The Level 2 “Be Set” areas are now down to Rowena Ferry Road southwest to Highway 30, south to intersection Highway 30 and Dell Road, and Rowena Ferry Road east to Tooley Lake and the Simonelli Road, Basalt Road, and Adeline Way neighborhood, north to Highway 30. Seven Mile Hill Road to Mountain View Dr., south to the area north of Chenowith Creek Road and Browns Creek Road, and northeast to The Dalles Country Club has been reduced to Level 1 “Be Ready,: as has Rowena River Road, north to the Columbia River, and to the Simonelli/Basalt/Adeline Way neighborhood. All other Level 1 advisories have been lifted.
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Hood River County Approves 25-26 Budget
The Hood River County Commission approved the County’s budget for the 2025-26 Fiscal Year. It’s a budget that deals with the ending of American Rescue Plan Act and other COVID-19 grants and increasing costs including an 8% to 9% jump in Public Employee Retirement System costs. The budget committee that worked on the fiscal document went with making cuts this year, including the loss of a position in Parole and Probation, in an attempt to avoid major layoffs next year. Commissioner Ed Weathers said they faced tough choices. Commissioner Arthur Babitz acknowledged questions about adding a pair of positions while reducing the Parole and Probation position. He said an information technology position is being added to deal with threats to the County’s Internet security, while adding a job in the Assessment Department is to end a backlog of property assessments that should increase revenue.
The Dalles Tourism Plan To Be Put Together
As part of its new tourism promotion contract with the City of The Dalles, The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce will undertake the process of putting together a Destination Development Plan. Chamber CEO Lisa Farquharson says she had already submitted an application with TravelOregon before the contract was awarded to get a $93,000 grant to get a contractor to help them with putting together the plan. She says a committee of stakeholders would look at branding and who the visitors to The Dalles are, and use that to develop a plan to grow tourism in a positive way. If the Chamber doesn’t receive a TravelOregon grant, Farquharson says they will seek other funding sources to put the plan together.
Outdoor Water Conservation Asked For In Strawberry Mountain Area
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.
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.