The Dalles Public Works on Wednesday will begin work on a sanitary sewer main repair in the alley between East 1st & East 2nd streets on Court Street. A full street closure on Court Street and in the alley will remain in place Wednesday and Thursday. Motor vehicles and bicyclists will be detoured to adjacent side streets. Pedestrian traffic through the alley will be detoured to adjacent sidewalks. Pedestrian and sidewalk access to local businesses on Court Street will remain open through the duration of this work. Work hours are from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on each scheduled work day, but the trench must remain open until work is complete. If you have questions, contact The Dalles Public Works Department at (541) 296-5401.
Mass Casualty Drill Thursday At Jackson Park
Providence Hood River is alerting the public that they will be conducting a full-scale mass casualty drill on Thursday morning at Hood River’s Jackson Park. Providence spokesperson Susan Frost says there have about a dozen actors who will be feigning injuries from a bus crash. They will be transported from there to the hospital. The drill is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday, and continue until around noon. Frost adds normal hospital operations will continue during the drill.
MCSC Plans For Respite Care
Mid-Columbia Senior Center is seeking volunteers as it sets up a program for dementia-specific respite care with a $100,000 grant from the Alzheimer’s Association Center for Dementia Respite Innovation. Senior Center Executive Director Rob Garrett says the Harbor Respite program will provide four to six hours a week of structured, supportive care. The goal is to start the program with a light opening this fall, based out of the Center building on 1112 West 9th in The Dalles. Those interested in volunteering or have someone who would benefit from receiving respite care can call Garrett at 541-296-4788.
Burdoin Fire Containment Now 54%
Containment of the 11,289 acre Burdoin Fire has advanced to 54% on Sunday. Complex Incident Management Northwest Team 13 Operations Section Chief Jesse Stone says along Highway 14, crews are still finding small smokes and working to fully extinguish them. On the north side of the fire, Stone says they are working to finish securing some areas in the creek drainages. Stone adds suppression repair efforts will begin soon. Fire behavior analyst Miles Pollock says observed fire behavior in the last 24 hours has been minimal, but notes hotter and drier weather is forecast in the area for the first part of the week. To the north, the 53-acre Snyder Creek Fire reached full containment on Sunday night, and fire crews are patrolling and pulling hose off that fire.
City of HR Continue Development Code Update Process
The City of Hood River is embarking on phase two of an update of its development code. City Councilors have held two meetings in recent weeks that have mostly involved being briefed on what is being considered by City planning staff. City Manager Abigail Elder says this is the first time the City has embarked on this sort of review in about 20 years. Elder says the Council will probably have three more meetings on the code to give planning staff feedback, with municipal staff to come back to the Council with proposed changes this winter.
White Salmon Water Infrastructure Project Starts
Construction is set to begin this week on water infrastructure upgrades along Spring Street and North Main Avenue in White Salmon. It’s the start of the North Main Booster Pump Station Project, designed to improve both everyday water service and emergency fire flow capacity for residents in the North Main/Simmons Road pressure zone. The project is being funded by a $2,406,034.44 Public Works Board Loan as well as $177,500 in American Rescue Plan Act funding that was allocated by the White Salmon City Council. City officials say the project addresses a long-standing deficiency in reservoir storage capacity that limits reliable water supply and fire protection in parts of the city. The new booster pump station will restore and improve service to this zone by connecting it to the Spring Street Reservoir, which has sufficient capacity to meet current and future needs. The public should expect traffic impacts and potential detours in the construction area, especially as work moves westward. A detour map is available online at whitesalmonwa.gov.
Burdoin Fire Evacuation Levels Lowered, Contaiment 39%
Updated at 10:45 a.m. on 7/27/25
Containment of the 11,289 acre Burdoin Fire was advanced to 39% on Sunday.
Along Highway 14, crews continue to patrol and monitor for any remaining heat, ensuring perimeter security.
Within the Catherine and Major Creek drainages, crews have plumbed both sides of Catherine Creek and are identifying and mopping up heat toward Major Creek.
Firefighters are using an unmanned aircraft system to locate heat and extinguish hot spots in the Dixon and Silvas Creek drainages, and between Centerville Highway and Oda Knight Road.
Crews are also working to protect several small green islands within the fire footprint.
The Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday evening reduced evacuation levels for the Burdoin Fire.
All Level 3 evacuation areas have been decreased to Level 2, all prior Level 2 zones are now Level 1, and prior Level 1 evacuation zones have been removed.
The eastern border of the evacuation zone now extends north from Five-Mile Creek on Highway 14 to the northeast corner at the intersection of Red Tail Road and Schilling Road.
All roads are now open for local traffic only.
Parts of Highway 14 are reopened, but the section between the eastside of Bingen and Courtney Road will remain closed due to rock fall danger in the area of Mile Marker 69.
To the north, the 53-acre Snyder Creek Fire is now at 68% containment, with hotshot crews working with aviation support to secure fireline around the southeast corner of the fire.
All evacuation levels for this fire have been downgraded with no Level 3 evacuations remaining.
Burdoin Fire Lines Hold Up In Windy Conditions Thursday; More Of The Same Expected
Lines around the Burdoin Fire held against gusty winds on Thursday, and they will receive the same test today.
Complex Incident Management Team Northwest 13 fire behavior analyst Dean Warner says conditions today will again promote active fire behavior.
Team 13 meteorologist Matthew Dehr says on the positive side the west winds do bring in cooler air from west side of the Northwest, lowering temperatures and increasing humidity.
Containment of the fire remains at 13% with the size at 11,249 acres.
Operations Section Chief Jesse Stone says crews are working to stop fire movement within the unburned “fingers” around Catherine and Major creeks, Lyle-Snowden Road, Canyon Road, and a “horseshoe” area of the east end of the fire.
Numerous roads in the area of the fire remain closed due to trees, rocks, and other debris. Among the closures: Highway 14 from Bingen to Lyle…Old Highway 8…Centerville Road…Canyon Road…Courtney Road…and Lyle-Snowden Road.
Highway 142 between Highway 14 and Highway 97 is now open, but drivers should use extreme caution when traveling near the fire area.
There are currently 846 personnel assigned to the fire, with 86 engines, seven dozers, eighteen hand crews, and five helicopters dedicated to the fire.
On the 52-acre Snyder Creek Fire to the north…Team Northwest 13 officials say crews continue to make good progress on building direct fire lines.
Containment of that fire is also 13%.
A group of Klickitat County emergency agencies will hold a community meeting on fire response and recovery has been scheduled for 6 p.m. this evening at The Dalles High School Auditorium.
There will be a disaster assistance center on-site.
Those who can’t attend in person can view the meeting online through the Klickitat County Emergency Management Facebook page.
Avangrid Sings Agreement With Google To Power Data Centers
Energy company Avangrid has signed an agreement with Google to provide more than 100 megawatts of energy from its Leaning Juniper IIB wind farm in Gilliam County to power Google data centers in The Dalles. Avangrid says it will significantly upgrade its facility with modern components. Once completed, Leaning Juniper IIB is expected to generate enough electricity to power about 31,000 U.S. homes annually. The Northern Wasco County People’s Utility District will deliver the power from Leaning Juniper IIB to Google’s nearby data centers in The Dalles. Northern Wasco PUD General Manager Roger Kline said the deal advances the utility’s regional clean energy capacity. Avangrid says the project represents a nearly $200 million investment, and construction will support 150 jobs. It also says the project is expected to generate about $20 million in taxes over its lifetime. This includes an Oregon Strategic Investment Program agreement with Gilliam County that will deliver Local Improvement Payments to the county totaling $2.8 million over the next decade.
New Items Can Be Accepted For Recycling
Implementation of the Recycling Modernization Act passed by the Oregon Legislature four years ago is underway, and it is expanding what you can put into your recycling bin. Jim Winterbottom of Waste Connections outlines some of what can now be accepted for recycling, including plastic tubs used to contain products like yogurt and cottage cheese, garden pots, buckets, and wax coated milk cartons and gravy containers. Winterbottom notes much of what has been added are items that had been pushed out of the recycling stream in recent years, but he says that’s a good thing, allowing people to produce less curbside garbage, and there will be more education and outreach on proper disposal and where the material is processed. Details on acceptable recyclables are available at hoodrivergarbage.com and thedallesdisposal.com.