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.
WAGAP Permanently Closing Second Hand Rose
Washington Gorge Action Programs has decided to permanently close its Second Hand Rose thrift store in Bingen. It has been closed for a few months since remodeling of WAGAP’s Bingen office began. WAGAP Executive Director Jennifer Pauletto says grants that helped keep the thrift store open have been sharply reduced. Pauletto says they do plan to maintain a “closet” with clothes and other items for those in need at their Bingen office. That is similar to what WAGAP has at its Stevenson and Goldendale locations.
Butte Creek Fire At 30% Containment
Winds are a concern on the Butte Creek Fire about one-and-a-half miles west of Simnasho on the Warm Springs Reservation. It is at 30% containment and has burned 2,066 acres in steep and rugged terrain. An update from Northwest Incident Management Team 3 says warmer temperatures, lower humidities, and winds gusting to 25 miles per hour are expected. Crews continue patrolling for and extinguishing areas of heat that have the potential to threaten containment lines. To better secure the eastern perimeter around Beaver Creek, firefighters will conduct strategic burning operations when conditions are conducive to safely doing so.
Cram Fire At 77% Containment
The Cram Fire east and northeast of Madras is at 77% containment. There were some areas of heat detected in the southeast portion of the fire Wednesday, well within the perimeter of the 95,736 acre footprint. Firefighters continue to patrol and mop-up to further secure containment lines. With hot temperatures and strong winds forecast today, unburned green islands within the fire perimeter may produce smoke and isolated tree torching could occur. Work is ongoing to restore soil stability and vegetative cover in areas impacted by suppression-related activities.
Expected High Winds To Test Lines On Burdoin Fire
Complex Incident Management Team Northwest 13 says containment of the 11,160 acre Burdoin Fire has moved up to 13%, as crews prepare for a critical day with conditions similar to when the fire started last Friday afternoon.
Team 13 meteorologist Matthew Dehr expects sustained winds of 20 miles per hour and gusts to 35 to test firelines. He adds the one thing working in fire crews’ favor today is relative humidity bottoming out at around 25%, short of red flag criteria.
Fire Behavior Analyst Dean Warner says it adds up to a critical day in the firefighting effort, with the fire currently cornered, but the high winds will test their lines.
Jesse Stone with Team 13 Field Operations says they’ve made good progress in closing the final gaps in lines around the fire perimeter. He adds everything looked good on the south side of the fire along Highway 14, and the line from Catherine Creek to Major Creek has been completed.
Tactical firing operations on Wednesday closed the final gaps in lines around the fire perimeter, but officials emphasize it will take time to fully contain the fire. Active burning, including isolated torching, is still taking place in many areas of the fire. Due to terrain and fuels in some areas of the fire, extensive work remains to reach a point where the threat of fire escaping its boundaries is significantly reduced.
Klickitat County Emergency Management announced this morning that Highway 142 has been reopened, but emergency personnel will still be working in the area. Motorists are asked not to stop on the road, and if fire activity changes it could be closed again at any time. Highway 14 remains closed between Bingen and Lyle, as does Old Highway 8, and the Centerville Highway from Highway 14 to Schilling Road.
There are currently 846 personnel assigned to the fire, with 86 engines, seven dozers, eighteen hand crews, and five helicopters dedicated to the fire.
Team Northwest 13 has also assumed command of the 52-acre Snyder Canyon Fire that started yesterday near Klickitat. Klickitat County Emergency Management reports there are still some Level 3, 2 and 1 evacuation advisories in the vicinity of that fire. Maps are available on the Klickitat County Emergency Management’s Facebook page. Dehr noted winds are not forecast to be as strong at the Snyder Creek Fire location, sustained at ten miles per hour with gusts to 20.
Naramore Named New MCCAC Director
The Mid-Columbia Community Action Council has selected Leslie Naramore as the agency’s Executive Director. Naramore has been the agency’s Interim Executive Director since Kenny LaPoint stepped down from the position in February of this year. MCCAC Board Chair Joan Bird says Naramore led the organization through transition, prioritizing support of staff while ensuring uninterrupted programming to the community, while also leading the agency’s response to unexpected needs, including during severe winter weather and in the aftermath of the Rowena Fire. Naramore has eleven years of professional experience in local community action and non-profit management, including more than seven years serving as the Executive Director of MCCAC’s counterpart in Klickitat and Skamania Counties, Washington Gorge Action Programs. Mid-Columbia Community Action serves Hood River, Wasco and Sherman counties.
Hood River County Fair Starts Wednesday
The Hood River County Fair gets underway Wednesday at the Fairgrounds in Odell. One of the attractions of any fair is the food, and newly hired fair manager Stacy Sullivan says this year there will be more of it than usual, with the number of vendors up by fifteen from last year. Old favorite Godfrey the Magician is back, along with Juggle Mania, Not Your Average Joe Balloon Guy, and JUMP! The Ultimate Dog Show. Wednesday evening features the 4-H Style Show beginning at 6:30. Saturday’s concert is headlined by country star Drew Baldridge at 8:15 at the Wy’east Grandstand. Tickets are available at hoodriverfairgrounds.com.
Work Continues On Burdoin Fire
Crews on the 10,730-acre Burdoin Fire Monday worked in the Catherine Creek drainage while an interagency hotshot crew scouted potential lines to tie in to Major Creek.
Complex Incident Management Team Northwest 13 also reported progress on the east side of the Klickitat River with a combination of dozer and hand lines.
On the northwest edge of the fire, a combination of hand and dozer line is holding, making it a secure point for ground crews to engage the fire.
The Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office did announce an evacuation level change on Monday afternoon from Doug’s Beach east along Highway 14 to Horsethief Lake north have been reduced to Level 2…while all other evacuation levels have not changed.
Klickitat County Emergency Management says Highway 14, Highway 142, Old Highway 8, and Lyle-Snowden Road in the fire footprint remain closed to the public due to rocks and other debris rolling downhill, falling trees, hot spots, and downed power lines.
The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic has issued a closure order for Catherine Creek Recreation Area, Coyote Wall Trailhead, Balfour-Klickitat, Lyle Trailhead, Klickitat Milepost 1, and Klickitat Wild and Scenic River.
The Red Cross emergency shelter in White Salmon has been moved to Grace Baptist Church at 1280 East Jewett.
A second shelter remains at The Dalles Middle School.
Klickitat County officials say they are working to visually confirm the number of structures damaged or destroyed.
Individual property owners will be contacted directly by a county official.
Fire officials over the weekend reported 37 primary structures having been damaged, and 14 destroyed. Thirty other minor structures were listed as destroyed, and 50 damaged.
The County adds there have been no fatalities have been confirmed, and no individuals are known to be unaccounted for.
West 6th Concrete Pouring Starts
Concrete will be poured on the West side of West 6th Street in The Dalles beginning today for new curbs, driveways and sidewalk. Crestline Constrution crews will be starting near the 6th St Station and working their way north. The entrance between 6th St Station and KFC will be closed along with Snipes Street while the work takes place. Further north many businesses have had multiple entrances allowing for continued access during this phase of work but will be reduced to a single entrance/exit as the concrete requires a minimum of a 3-day cure time. The Holiday Inn and Franz Bakery entrance will be done in a 50/50 manner allowing guests and employees to access the hotel. Bi-Mart and Spookys share four entrances, of which two will be open while the other two will be closed. The project is expected to take two weeks. The current lane shift in front of Bi-Mart will remain in effect as installation of the 36” storm line towards Hostetler continues.