KWSO News 8/12/19

Gelco Construction has completed work at the Forestry/Industrial Park, Catholic Church, West Hills, and Greeley Heights stations which included the replacement or repair of pressure reducing valves (PRVs) and other critical components, the Tribe announced Friday. Water is running through the system with improved reliability as compared to the pre-construction condition, the update states. Repairs were done at the George Street station but it will require additional work. The George Street station is still operating at an increased capacity and reliability. The additional work will be scheduled as soon as the needed parts are available. Public notice will be given ahead of that construction. There continues to be issues with low water pressure and water outages in areas served by the West Hills reservoir. Approximately 176,000 gallons of water per day is being conveyed to this reservoir but it remains extremely low, indicating that there may be a break somewhere in the distribution system for this area. Public Utilities staff is working to identify the issue. All Warm Springs residents and businesses should continue to conserve water during this time as additional work is still needed. This week, Public Utilities will start the process of conducting BacT testing and finalizing steps to have the boil water notice lifted. Until that time, the boil water notice remains in effect.

KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — The practice of setting controlled blazes to lessen the impact of wildfires is not used in the American West as frequently as officials would like. A study this year in the journal Fire found prescribed fires on federal lands in the region have stayed level or fallen despite calls for more. Supporters say the burns are one of the most effective ways to make forests healthier by clearing undergrowth. They say the fire can stop or slow future blazes by removing fuels that help them spread. There are plenty of reasons prescribed fires aren’t employed as often as planned, including weather, air quality issues and bureaucratic hurdles. And opponents point to prescribed fires that got out of control and turned deadly, contributions to global warming and say they aren’t appropriate in some places.

There is a Seekseequa District meeting this evening at the Seekseequa Fire Hall. The meeting is regarding Enterprise Updates on Budgets. Dinner is being served at 6pm, the meeting follows at 7.

Travelers should expect flagging and delays up to 20 minutes on U.S. 20 Santiam Highway west of the junction with OR 126 McKenzie Highway for a paving project. The project begins today and is expected to be completed on Friday. Work will be done during the day, between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. This project is seven miles west of the Santiam Junction – Jack Lake paving project, which is occurring mostly at night. Early morning travelers on Santiam may be stopped at both work zones and should be prepared for the additional delay.

The Oregon Department of Revenue has recently seen a spike in concerned taxpayers reporting fishy phone calls. The callers fraudulently identify themselves as Social Security representatives and threaten the taxpayer with deactivating their Social Security number or account because of suspicious activity. The scammers may ask for personal information and bank account information. In addition, your caller ID may even show the real Social Security Administration number (1-800-772-1213) when the scammers call—but they’re faking the number. The Social Security Administration advises that if you suspect the call is a scam, hang up and call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 to speak to a real SSA representative. Never give any part of your Social Security number to anyone who contacts you, or your bank account or credit card number.

Free Athletic Physicals are being done this Thursday at the Madras United Methodist Church from 5-7 pm.