KWSO News for Mon., Dec. 28, 2020

Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Offices remain closed today due to COVID-19.  Tribal Council will meet at 11 this morning with the local CoVID-19 response team to review the latest information and recommendations about whether Tribal Programs will open again or if the Tribal closure will be extended.

Christmas Eve at the Warm Springs Health and Wellness center – 39 individuals were tested for Covid-19 with 5 new positive cases.  There were a total of 23 new cases of Covid-19 in Warm Springs last week thru noon on Christmas eve.  151 Health & Wellness staff, Long term care residents and 1^st responders receive the first dose of the Moderna vaccine for Covid -19.  They will get a second dose in a few weeks.  This week it is expected that an additional 200 doses will be given in our community.  6561 COVID-19 tests have been done in Warm Springs with 590 positive cases total since the pandemic began.  14 Warm Springs People have died from COVID-19.

COVID-19 has claimed five more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 1,427.  The Oregon Health Authority reported early yesterday –  1,416 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 bringing the state total to 109,725.

Wolfe Point residences will have a temporary water shut off today between 8am and 5pm to allow for the installation of an isolation valve.  Work continues on the South Kah-Nee-Ta Pressure Valve Station and today’s water outage for Wolfe Point is part of that work.  The outage could take all 8 hours that are scheduled, so anyone in the Wolfe Point subdivision should be prepared for that.  Once water is restored – folks should run cold water until there is no discoloration or air in the line.  If you have questions, you can contact Public Utilities at 541-553-3246.

Oregon will head into the new year with snowpack levels close to normal, but it may not be enough to stave off drought.  According to OPB’s Bradley Parks, the start of winter has brought a heaping helping of snow to Oregon’s mountain ranges.  “That’s a good sign” says Scott Oviatt, a hydrologist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Portland, who measure snowpack statewide.  Oviatt says early-season gains in snowpack likely won’t make up for a very dry year in many parts of the state.  More than two-thirds of Oregon is experiencing severe drought or worse heading into 2021.  The Natural Resources Conservation Service will publish its first water supply report of the year on January 1st.