City reports CDC results from fecal samples--What does it mean?

Today, the city website reported:
Information received from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Monday, September 09, 2013

Today the City of Baker City received the following information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

• 81 goats tested; 1 positive for C. ubiquitum (making it unlikely source)
• 64 elk tested; 1 positive with species still unknown, but negative by C. parvum and C. hominis–specific PCR
• 10 human specimens tested; 9 positive; 7 are C. parvum IIaA15G2R1; most recent 2 resequencing
• 4 cattle tested (5 listed on packing sheet, but only 4 in box); all negative
• 4 water samples tested; all negative
• 1 positive EPA method 1623 slide (4 oocysts present) tested; could not detect Crypto DNA

This is complicated so you might want to read it more than once.

Day Late and a few Cow Pies Short

I said in an earlier blog that they might not get positive results because of the haphazard late sampling (after we found the cow pies on the trip of the 19th) and not asking Dennis Dorrah and I to go along to show them where all the cow pies were. I had already notified Dr. De bess of our findings.

The cattle tests were taken on samples that were from some cow pies that had been there for an unknown length of time, and it is not known if they are from calves that have been in the watershed. It is the calves that usually test positive for C. parvum. Calves also shed more crypto when they are younger, like July in this case. 

They apparently only tested four or fewer cow pies and there is no way to know whether the cow pies they tested were from the calves. They tested 64 elk scat samples. 

They probably did not test all the fecal material that Dennis and I found. They should have tested the calves that are in the herd and were in the area (Dennis Dorrah, Clair Button, and I, saw them at least twice and they were nearby when they tested) for C. parvum, but I am quite sure they didn't, and I doubt if they will. It is in the state's and the city's interest not to find a culprit in this case due to liability issues. That is what happened in the Milwaukee outbreak--no definitive cause found. 

Also, Dr. De Bess told me that the staining of the crypto oocysts found in the 913 oocyst water sample might make it impossible to genotype the oocysts, i.e., determine whether they were C. parvum. That was a huge mistake. I think that means they didn't split the sample so that they could test (genotype) any unstained material from the sample to find out whether it is C. parvum, and the staining, as Dr. DeBess suggested to me that it might, destroyed the possibility of matching the 913 water sample oocysts to the C. parvum oocysts found in diseased patients. Not finding C. Parvum in the cow pies is also problematic, in terms of  establishing the responsibility of cattle, but they didn't and probably won't test the calves. All the research, plus the results showing it isn't in the elk, suggests that it may have come from cows.

Here are seven important points to consider (there are no doubt others):

- Four cow fecal material samples (compared to 64 elk samples) does not prove that cows weren't responsible.

-  The results do not remove the responsibility of Public Works to report to the Council about crypto or cows in the watershed.

-  Why did they take 64 elk fecal samples, 81 mountain goat samples, but only 4 cow fecal samples?

- Why did Dr. De Bess ignore my phone call and not ask Dennis and I to go along even though I alerted him to our findings prior to his prominent trip with the Herald reporter(s) to Elk Creek?

-  Why didn't they try to get cow pie samples from the calves that were in the area during our trip on the 19th, during their sampling mission, or during the following weeks when Councilor Dennis Dorrah went up to try and and repair the fence to keep the cows out and yet still found them in the watershed?

-  Why did the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), or the state, destroy the ability to genotype the original 913 oocysts in the original water sample to see if it was Cryptosporidium parvum? By apparently staining the whole sample and not keeping anything aside for genotyping, that information will likely never be known.  

- Why was the effort by Dr. De Bess and his CDC companions so weak with regards to testing fecal material from the cows in the vicinity when he made his investigation? 4 cattle samples and 64 elk samples? There was ample fecal material outside the watershed fence when the Councilors and I made our trip to the watershed that could have been genotyped to determine whether the cows carried Cryptosporidium parvum that matched the Cryptosporidium parvum found in the Baker City citizens suffering from cryptosporidiosis.

End Note:
At least one Baker City cancer patient contracted symptoms resembling those of cryptosporidiosis in July, and he died not long thereafter, before experimental treatments, an individualized immunotherapy vaccine, could be implemented in an effort to save him.
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Crypto Crisis morphs into Council soap opera starring Clair Button as Blind Man

In this Edition:

-Crypto Crisis morphs into Council soap opera starring Clair Button as Blind Man [Edit 9/8]
-Golf Course operator Billy Cunningham said to have thrown in the towel.
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Crypto Crisis morphs into Council soap opera starring Clair Button as Blind Man

In yesterday's Herald article on the developing Council soap opera, Councilor Clair Button is reported to have said:

In a Thursday interview, Button said he doesn’t believe any city employee is or has been negligent.“I haven’t seen anything to make me believe that somebody really screwed up something that they should have known better about,” Button said.“I don’t believe in making scapegoats. The Council was warned in the past that there is a risk. You can’t expect people to see the future. The Council wasn’t prescient, and we can’t expect the staff to be either.”

Prescient means:

having or showing knowledge of events before they take place. "a prescient warning"
synonyms: prophetic, predictive, visionary

 Negligence means:

(Lat. negligentia, from neglegere, to neglect, literally "not to pick up something") is a failure to exercise the care that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in like circumstances.[1] The area of tort law known as negligence involves harm caused by carelessness, not intentional harm.

Councilor Button seems to be trying to bury the responsibility and accountability issues under a blanket of bromidic sermons, but are they true?

Well, while it is true that people can't be expected to always predict the future, there are some situations or events that have easily predictable outcomes. For example, if you park your vehicle on a hill, leave it out of gear, don't put on the parking break, and don't turn the wheels toward the curb, you can predict with some certainty that it will roll down the hill, quite possibly resulting in some minor disaster.  You could say the driver wasn't "prescient" or you could say the driver was "negligent."  Which would you choose?

With this in mind, lets review some of the facts surrounding Baker City's crypto crisis.

1) There was a lapse of over one year between the time Public Works received positive crypto test results until the time city staff informed Council about it. The tests were conducted in order to let Council know how to proceed with regard to water treatment.

Could Council have been expected to predict that staff would not inform them of the test results? If Council weren't told of the results could they be reasonably expected to proceed with the water treatment discussion and solutions in a timely and responsible manner and be deemed negligent if they didn't?  Answer to all is obviously no.

On the other hand, if a public works employee or employees are waiting for test results they know are coming and don't read them or report them for over a year, that's not about prescience, it is simple negligence. 

2) The Watershed Management Plan with the state requires cows be kept out of the watershed, and the Watershed Report from 2011 references a fence that was supposed to be built in the spring of 2012 to keep them out, but it never was. Council did not know about the planned fence or that materials had been purchased for it. Council did not know that cows were regularly getting into the watershed until August 19th of this year because staff hadn't told them or the Forest Service. 

The Watershed Management Plan requires that cows be kept out of the watershed and calls for city and Forest Service employees to monitor the situation to keep them out. The reason they are to be kept out of the watershed is that they carry disease producing organisms like Giardia and Cryptosporidium. We all know that, but city drinking water personnel are supposed to be acutely aware of that fact and to protect us from such possibilities. If staff knew that cows were getting into the watershed since at least 2011 but did not "exercise the care that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in like circumstances" by informing the Council and building the fence that was planned to keep cows out, that is not a failure to predict the unknowable, it is, once again, negligence, because they knew it needed to be built to keep the cows out and help prevent a waterborne disease outbreak.

3) Public works director Owen told Council on March 27, 2012, that the backup drinking water well at the golf course had been inoperable for a year and could be worked out through the water fund. It still is not operable.

Public works director Owen and the water department personnel should have known that the Watershed Management Plan designates the golf course well as our second drinking water well in case of an emergency, like for example a crypto outbreak or a fire in the watershed. It's not a matter of prescience because the reason the plan calls for it is that an eventual emergency has already been predicted. Not using water funds to repair the well and allowing the well to remain inoperable was a "failure to exercise the care that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in like circumstances." Negligence by definition.

4) The Public Works Director did not meet the qualifications and experience requirements in the Watershed Management Plan which are a degree with specialization in engineering or equivalent background when she was hired.

Responsibility for this one rests with both former and current City Councils and the City Manager. The Watershed Management Plan states:

Minimum education of key personnel in Watershed Management: 

 (a) Director of Public Works minimum qualifications: Graduation from a four year college or university with specialization in civil engineering and three years of progressive responsible professional experience in public works administration including supervisory capacity; or any combination of experience and education that demonstrates provision of the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed above.   

This provision is included in the Water Management Plan to insure that Baker City Residents have appropriately educated and adequately qualified personnel overseeing the safety and over-all quality of our drinking water. It is there so that you don't end up in a situation where you've got a grocery store clerk or a secretary in charge of your drinking water program. As George H.W. Bush would say--"Wouldn't be prudent." More negligence

There are more facts that I could bring forth, but for now, I rest my case.

Please don't get sidetracked by the rhetorical nonsense or outright distortions and apparent lies of one or more Councilors trying to get us focused on the tone of Council emails, and the idea that we've got "nice" Councilors and angelic competent staff fighting off the "mean-spirited"unwarranted attacks of a minority of "bad" Councilors. We don't.  It's not about some sort of politically correct soap opera, it's about qualifications, diligent management, prudence and accountability. Can you say "negligence?"
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Golf Course operator Billy Cunningham said to have thrown in the towel.

Billy Cunningham is reported by three different knowledgable sources to have resigned as operator of Baker City's Quail Ridge Golf Course. The golf course has struggled to make ends meet, but particularly since the completion of the "back nine" holes over a decade ago.

One current plan under discussion is to is to turn it into a public, non-profit organization/corporation along the lines of the Anthony Lakes ski area, which is owned by the County, but run by a public non-profit organization.   More on this later I hope.
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Part 2--Thoughts about the Council Work Session of August 29, 3013

[Edited previous post and split it into two parts, added material about the 2004 forced resignation of Public Works Director Dick Fleming to the end of this part, 8/31/13. Again, if the YouTube videos don't play, just click on the link above them. Updated 9/2/13 & 9/3/13]

Councilor Dorrah did a good job of getting the Council to focus momentarily on need to keep cows out of the watershed in order to protect our drinking water and exemption from filtration, but here's the problem. A few Councilors called the meeting, not to address the problem of cows in the watershed, not to solve how we got into a crisis that has caused Baker City to endure hundreds of illnesses and serious financial pain, not to talk about how staff has kept information about so many relevant and pressing problems from us, not to talk about the apparent lack of qualifications held by any staff member, or their incompetence in protecting our watershed over the last several years, but apparently only to talk about how some Councilors are uncomfortable about how other Councilors refer to staff when speaking or writing about the problem.

This video contains the gist of that self-righteous discussion, which took up an almost unendurable portion of the meeting:

Baker City Council Avoids issues--Button Lectures Council on Their Behavior082913 

After the meeting, I told Council that my opinion was:

Anyway, I  appreciated Dennis' reporting to the Council what he found and did about it , otherwise the meeting WOULD HAVE BEEN A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME!

Guess what--Council etiquette on intra-Council emails ISN'T THE PROBLEM. Don't make yourselves the issue! YOU'RE NOT! hate to watch Councilors of equal station lecture each other on their values and tell others how to act, while completely ignoring a major problem--The staff doesn't tell you what you need to know and they are not taking care of business. If everyone just keeps on being polite to each other, after a three year record of incompetence, the citizens are going to get screwed again!   The problem is not Council etiquette on email, the problem is that Public Works is not communicating with upper staff and Council, the Public works Director should still be a secretary and be replaced by an engineer, and that specifically, PW didn't tell Council twice about major problems in the watershed.  ENOUGH ALREADY!

BIG PS
The Council is elected by the people to take care of the problem for the people, not to serve the sensibilities of staff and sensitive Councilors.
Yes, I'm frustrated, and I think others are too.

[More background: Section X(B) of the Baker City Watershed Management Plan states:

B) Personnel Education/Experience:

(1) Minimum education of key personnel in Watershed Management:

(a) Director of Public Works minimum qualifications: Graduation from a four year college or university with specialization in civil engineering and three years of progressive responsible professional experience in public works administration including supervisory capacity; or any combination of experience and education that demonstrates provision of the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed above.

Additionally, please view this YouTube video which shows Mayor Langrell discussing the need to keep cattle out of the watershed and the fact that he had just learned that morning that Public Works was supposed to build a new fence back in the spring of 2012 to keep the cattle out and was wondering if they might want to move that up in their priorities. Here's the link:

8:27:13 Baker City Council Meeting--Mayor Langrell on cattle fence that was not not built ]

                  Michelle Owen responding to Mayor on unbuilt cattle fence

Now Back to Councilor Button's response:

What you missed, Chris, was that we asked for the meeting to discuss council activities that were happening behind the screen of privacy.  At various times, individual councilors (who were most likely communicating among themselves) have been conducting policy without the consent or approval of a majority.  We either have representative democracy or we don't.  Looking out for the "people" includes preserving our form of government.  If an individual or a minority can inflict major change on the administration of government without the knowledge of the public, then we would be accused of dishonesty or being asleep at the wheel.  Minority rule is not acceptable. 

Some of us believe that the affect of losing our city manager and some primary staff right now would be a serious setback to the progress of what we can accomplish in the next year.  It would be a huge diversion from focus on solving our immediate crisis, and could spark another year or two of community conflict.   Worse, it would be a setback to the proper function and rule of government. We are trying to get beyond political manipulation to an era of cooperation between reasonable and honest council members who put the community above personal animosities and power politics.  It is not just about feelings, but about your rights as a citizen to expect all members of government to respect the law and process of representative democracy. 

I think the cryptosporidium crisis is being used for political purposes, and the process of minority rule was kicked into gear months ago. What you saw was a polite attempt to speak reason to all parties without being part of the polarization and factionalism that is growing once again.    Some times you have to fight two or more battles at once when that is forced upon you. The interconnections are not always clear, but it is debilitating and distracting from unity of purpose. Some times, the right thing to do is to fight with one hand tied behind your back to set the example you want others to follow.  The bottom line holds. Minority rule is not acceptable.  We are not a dictatorship, and all parties owe it to the public to be open and honest about what they are doing.  Others can pretend they do not know why we called the meeting.  They can continue to hide what they have been doing.  If they succeed, we all bear the consequences. 

My opinion in response was:

Clair, I appreciate that you have responded, but without any specifics, it is impossible for me to evaluate your argument. 

How are individuals or a small minority "conducting policy without the consent or approval of a majority?"  What minority rule?  Nothing has changed, there has been no open discussion of the role of staff in helping to create the crisis and current predicament, let alone holding anyone accountable. If anything has been consistently hidden, it is accountability. 

What "major change on the administration of government" has been afflicted?  You won't even address the incredible communication problems that have kept Council and the public they are supposed to represent in the dark for three years. Again, Nothing has changed. 

I for one would not call for a change in City Manager, but it seems clear that the Public Works Director and one of her staff members bear a good deal of responsibility for our incredibly serious crypto crisis due to their failure to communicate known problems to the City Manager (either that, or Kee is a liar), Council and public for three years and for a negligently lackadaisical attitude. You, the rest of the Council, and Mike should have also known that the Public Works Director was unqualified [by the standards of the Watershed Management Plan when she was put in that position] to serve in that position and she has overseen  three years of incompetent response to a serious threat. Would you like to characterize my concerns as political?  Look at the facts.  Not only that, why don't you start talking about the facts instead of diverting attention to some conspiracy of political manipulation?

No one is indispensable and there are backup certified personnel in the water department as well as an engineer on staff. This problem started when Gilham got rid of a good engineer and put Tim "Scenic Vista" Collins in charge and then Gilham's secretary, Owen, replaced Collins.  For the Council not to rectify the situation by suggesting changes in staff, after the damage that has been done to our community, would be akin to criminal negligence. Mike Kee wasn't elected, Council was, and they can replace him if he doesn't correct a situation that led to the Crypto Crisis.

I haven't received a response from Councilor Button, but Councilor Dorrah noted that:

not only are we not supposed to voice negative opinions publicly or by email, we are not to voice them directly either. 

Sounds like the classic dysfunctional family to me.

OK, so I'll never get a response from a Councilor again. Well, they don't normally respond anyway, and I thought it would provide a needed window into what was  going on.  Their votes, and statements at Council meetings are quite revealing enough in any event. If one becomes a Councilor, they should know that their views should properly be open to all their constituents. After all, as Councilor Button might say, we wouldn't want anything to occur "behind the screen of privacy."

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All the handwringing about a possible shakeup in Public Works seems a little odd when you contrast it with the forced resignation (more like a summary execution) of Public Works Director Dick Fleming back in April of 2004.

The April 5, 2004 Baker City Herald article quotes Fleming as saying "I did not receive any explanation" I really don't know" when asked why City Manager Gilham asked him to resign. 

In addition to cutting the city's payroll, Gilham told the Baker City Herald at the time that:

"Gillham said he sought Fleming's resignation "not so much for performance reasons as work style:
"I like to move at a more aggressive pace, to see more action in certain areas"

Gilham said he was comfortable moving Collins into the public works job because he believes the job requires management skills, but not necessarily technical ones.

 Say what? So he gets rid of an engineer as Public Works Director, which is what the Watershed Plan asks for, and puts then City Attorney Tim Collins in charge? About two years later, Michelle Owen, who I am told had worked for the city in secretarial positions for three years, lastly as City Recorder, was appointed Director of Public Works. I was also told that prior to that she was a checker at Albertsons.  Unfortunately, Ms. Owen's professional and educational qualifications pertaining to civil engineering, and any certifications, do not turn up in any of the annual watershed reports, as required. 

While Mr. Gilham gave some rather odd reasons for his summary execution of Dick Fleming, I have heard that it may have had something to do with a letter he sent to Scenic Vista developer Steven Jones almost a year earlier.

In the April 21, 2003 letter from then Baker City Public Works Director Dick Flaming to Scenic Vista developer Steven Jones, Fleming detailed problems he had with the construction of the Scenic Vista water tanks and other aspects of agreements between the developer and the city.

The City Attorney at the time, Tim Collins, went ahead and accepted the improvements in the subdivision, including the water tanks, a little over three months later, on July 31, 2003. This act made Baker City responsible for the tanks that the state and Mr. Fleming had problems with.

Mr. Fleming was asked to resign less that a year later, April 2004, by then City Manager Jerry Gilham.

Mr. Tim Collins has had a home in the very small (7 homes?) subdivision for about 6 years, and in 2012, the city was forced to pay to replace and upgrade the faulty tanks to the tune of nearly $200,000.

One last item.

In the 2010 Watershed Management Report, dated September 29, 2010, Water Supervisor Larry McBroom wrote that:

In accordance with EPA and DHS, the City is currently sampling raw surface water for Cryptosporidium and Giardia for the long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Treatment Rule. As of this date, lab reports are all negative for Crypto and Giardia. 

We learned later that crypto had been found in the Baker City Water supply as early as April of 2010. If he didn't know about the positive test, who did?

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Baker City Council Moving Forward with UV Treatment Plan

[Edited & Updated 8/28/13]

The Baker City Council is Moving Forward with a UV treatment Plan.

Despite objections from Roger Coles and Mike Downing, the Baker City Council, after hearing a presentation from Dave Leland, Interim Administrator, Center for Health Protection, of the Oregon Health Authority, decided to move forward with plans to install UV treatment of our water supply in order to deal with the Cryptosporidium problem.

Mr. Leland explained that UV treatment was acceptable as long as we implement improved measures to protect the watershed, especially from the number one threat: cows. "Sure, UV is still an option" as long as we meet the federal criteria, but that a more "robust" watershed control program would be needed. He noted that cattle are "implicated over and over again" in studies that have been conducted. He also said that cattle are around our watershed, but that is not the case in the other three Oregon cities that have been allowed to pursue options other than filtration. The easy access by cattle to our watershed is the difference, and he asked Council "How do we reduce the opportunities for cattle" to get into our watershed. If those opportunities can be significantly reduced, he noted "UV is still an option." He later stated that "Robust watershed protection will have to be in place with UV protection."

Councilor Mosier was tentatively in favor of UV but wanted more information with adequate time for study. Councilor Button was cautious, but more or less in favor of UV due to cost advantages. Mayor Langrell and Councilor Dorrah were clearly in favor for cost effectiveness reasons as long as wells could be found for backup to cover any problems that develop in the watershed. Councilor Johnson reminded all of the need for assurances and City Manager Mike Kee stated that if we manage the watershed correctly that we will be in compliance.

There was much more discussion, but in the end, the "consensus" was that  we should continue to pursue proven UV treatment due to the cost advantages, while also actively finding more wells to backup the ASR well and a rehabilitated second backup well at the golf course, in case of catastrophic fire or other problems in the watershed.

More to follow, but for now, we are good with the affordable UV option as long as we show that we can protect our relatively clean watershed from intrusion by cattle or other serious threats.

My letter to Council:

Councilor's:

I appreciate the caution of some because it is a big decision and the future is not known. I expect that with global climate change that we might expect a major fire in the watershed at some point in the future. However, if we utilize the ASR well, the "golf course well," and one or two more good producing wells, as Mike and others have proposed, we can live through such an event with safe, clean water. I believe the critical point to be understood from the information provided by Mr. Leland, and apparently understood by you, is that we need to take protection of the watershed seriously, and keep cows out, as envisioned by the original plan. As I believe Mike noted, it is a good time to revisit and create a new, effective, Watershed Management Plan.

With an effective enforceable plan, proceeding with UV and wells should provide safe, affordable drinking water well into the future for our small, sustainable town. 

I might add that my understanding is that the Forest Service was not notified of the most recent cattle trespass, so, if true, and I believe it is, there is plenty of room for improved communication--both to upper city management, Council, and the Forest Service.

Also, the new engineer was impressive as a knowledgeable communicator when given his small chance. 

Hope I'm not being overbearing and out of place--just an opinion from a citizen who has tried to be informed. 

Thank you all for your efforts to understand and find solutions.

Chris

On the issue of the city water specialist communicating with the Forest Service when cows get in the watershed, I was told that the Forest Service had not received a single call from the city about cattle trespass during the last three summers. They do receive some calls from the grazing permittee or Forest Service employees when cows have gotten in, but did not receive a call from the permittee or the city concerning the most recent trespass.

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YouTube Videos from the August 8, 2013 Special Baker City public meeting on Cryptosporidium outbreak

[Editted 8/13/13]  Below are the YouTube Videos from the August 8, 2013 Special Baker City public meeting on the Cryptosporidium outbreak. If you have already viewed some of them on YouTube, please note that I have attempted to renumber them according to their order of occurrence at the meeting. I have finally been able to find the time to process, describe, tag, and upload them all (very time consuming). Again, these videos were taken with poor stage lighting and with no additional illumination, but they are generally acceptable for viewing and the sound is OK if you set your computer to full volume. They are best viewed on YouTube. To watch on YouTube you can click on the title link for the segment. The YouTube embed feature wasn't working for me earlier and the images create a long blog download for people with limited connection speeds, so I've only used two embedded video.

Sometimes the most interesting comes last, so you might want to view the last segment first.
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Baker City Crypto Meeting Part 1: Intro, Baker City, OR 080813
 
Mayor Langrell opened and explained the nature of the meeting before turning it over to City manager Mike Kee who presented the agenda and provided a summary timeline that was similar to the information in his August 2, 2013 Weekly Update. He also provided the results of the Cryptosporidium tests that have occurred during the Crypto "crisis."
Somewhat dim and grainy due to low light on Baker City High School auditorium stage but best video possible under the conditions.

Baker City Crypto Meeting Part 2 Alicia Hills, from the Baker County Health Department 

Alicia Hills, from the Baker County Health Department, spoke about the 15 confirmed Crypto cases and the "About Cryptosporidiosis" flyer that has been made available to residents and visitors which lists recommendations and suggestions for staying safe during Baker City's Crypto crisis
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Baker City Crypto Meeting Part 3: Michelle Owen's Report 080813 

Michelle Owen, Baker City's Public Works Director, adds details to Cryptosporidium timeline and offers additional information at the Baker City Crypto Meeting 080813.
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Baker City Crypto Meeting Part 4: Heidi Dalton Discusses Pool Safety and Reasons for Pool Closure

Heidi Dalton explains the rationale behind the decision to keep the Sam-O-Swim pool facility closed, i.e., the risks spreading Cryptosporidium infection by keeping it open were too high. They will do the usual September maintenance during the current closure period.
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Baker City Crypto Meeting Part 5: Bill Goss Talks About Boil Water Order in Baker City 080813

 In talk to residents about the Boil Water Order issued for Baker City. OR, Bill Goss from the Drinking Water Program at the Oregon Health Authority says that "No one is to be blamed for this event" and that "It's going to take a bit of time to really figure out exactly what happened and how to resolve it.."  In order for the state issued boil water order to be lifted, he said "We would need two consecutive samples from each of the drainage intakes that are in use, and also two consecutive samples that show no oocysts from the three locations in the distribution system. So we're looking for water with zero detections of of Cryptosporidium (Crypto).

He also says the state and city will develop an ongoing monitoring program for Cryptosporidium. [Crypto had been found in small numbers during required monitoring back in 2010-2011, but the city quit monitoring for Crypto in 2011 because they were no longer required to do so.--Chris]

He talked about the fact that approved treatments (including UV and filtration) would remove 99.9% of Crypto oocysts but that treatments do not "completely eliminate the risk of exposure" but does meet drinking water standards. While talking about what people can do to be safe, he reiterated that ". . . There is no way to completely eliminate the risk of exposure to this parasite" and said that "Boiling is the only way to kill all Cryptosporidium cysts."
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Baker City Crypto Meeting Part 6: Michelle Owen Talks About Water Treatment Solutions 080813 

Baker City Public Works Director Michelle Owen speaks to residents about several proposed solutions for providing safe drinking water for Baker City, Oregon during a public meeting. These include Long-term, Mid-term, and Short-term solutions.

Long-term:  The city is moving forward with an expedited schedule for installing the UV water treatment facility to remove 99.9% of Cryptosporidium oocysts from our water.  This plan meets current standards and was approved by the state of Oregon.

Mid-term:  Drilling or acquiring supplementary wells for additional water sources to meet contingencies. Well water is normally free of Cryptosporidium and would provide clean additional back-up water that would be helpful in emergencies.

Short-term:  People can by home filtration systems to provide additional safety, currently and in the future. Additionally, the city is contemplating borrowing portable membrane or UV filtration systems to treat sizable quantities of water to provide for citizens until the current emergency situation is resolved.
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Baker City Crypto Meeting Part 7: Brian Black of HDR Talks About UV Treatment Facility 080813 

Brian Black of HDR Engineering told the audience at the special Baker City meeting on the Cryptosporidium outbreak about the accelerated schedule for installing the already planned UV treatment facility for the Baker City drinking water supply. He noted that due to the accelerated schedule, decisions have to be made rather quickly by both the state and the city so that things can get going in August (this month).

The schedule consists of:
- Have design completed and "have construction contractors bid on the work in early spring--march of next year."
- Have UV plant "under construction in the summer."
- "facility would be ready for operation in the summer of 2015."
- Will work with city to attempt to "get the entire project completed before these dates.
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Baker City Crypto Meeting Part 8:; Q and A Segment 1; 080813

1st segment of a long question and answer period at the Baker City Cryptosporidium Meeting, 

This segment begins with a statement By Public Works Director Michelle Owen that we do not have the money available to pay for accelerated construction of the UV treatment plan. [Remember that our City Councils have been piddling away available dollars on underground utilities for the businesses on Resort Street, the Scenic Vista water tanks, the golf course, and etc. -- Chris]

Mayor Richard Langrell asks questions derived from the written questions residents had turned in at the beginning of the meeting. He says the number one question is "What is the city planning to do to compensate for hospital stays, loss of work, or damages done to businesses. . . ." City Manager Kee stated that is is a "Council Decision" and discusses insurance issues. He says that ". . .insurance won't accept claims for interruption of business or emergency room business. . . ."

There were questions about communication issues like the reverse 911 system to notify citizens about the presence of Crypto in the water. Mike Kee said that the system allowed them to "reach 58%" of people registered in the system, and Michelle owen said that folks can sign up at Baker911.org.

Councilor Mosier asked whether we were likely to reach the zero oocysts in the water requirement given that "most often some oocysts exist in the system." Bill Goss from the OHA Drinking Water Program essentially says that it may take a considerable amount of time to reach the zero oocyst requirement, although the 2010-2011 testing met that requirement most of the time. Mike Kee comments on difficulties and that the city will submit a plan to the Oregon Health Authority. Mayor Langrell addresses questions about city water quality testing and explains that they had continued testing, but not for Cryptosporidium [after required testing ended in 2011]. He explains that the city is going to look at getting UV "online a little quicker."

And more. . . . 
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Baker City Crypto Meeting Part 9 Q and A Segment 2; 080813

This is the second segment of questions and answers before Mayor Langrell opens up live questioning from the assembled residents at the Baker City meeting on the Cryptosporidium outbreak.

In response to a question from Councilor Button, Bill Goss of the Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Program states that actual valid crypto testing recovery rates vary between 13 to 111 percent--". . . the results frankly have a pretty big margin of error, so you might find one or two cysts by the tests method, but there could be quite a few more that were not detected. That's one reason why we're also looking for zero in the samples, because even at zero, there could be one or two cysts that didn't get detected. . . ."

Mayor Langrell then talks about economic damage to the community and some rumors he's encountered about the mountain goats in the vicinity of Goodrich Reservoir.
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Baker City Crypto Meeting Part 10 Q and A Segment 3; 080813

Residents at the Cryptosporidium Baker City meeting ask questions to city staff and Councilors. If the questions aren't in quotes they are paraphrased.

Jennifer Johnson: Asked "How are you going to assure our children are safe?"

Jim Thomas: Wanted to know why the city hasn't done anything about installing treatment sice they have known about it since at least December 2009 and why it hasn't been important enough to get something done "before suddenly we've got people sick." Also wondered "how prepared is this city to deal with a lawsuit?"

Milo Pope, lawyer, retired Judge and former City Councilor:  Asked why, if his statement of facts is true, which included that our engineering firm, HDR, had recommended to install UV treatment to handle drinking water disinfection, that in in Council votes, the Council majority, led by Dennis Dorrah and Roger Coles, had previously always voted against installing it.
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Baker City Crypto Meeting Part 11 Q and A Segment 4; 080813
Residents at the Cryptosporidium Baker City meeting ask questions to city staff and Councilors.

Residents asking questions if I could hear or understand what they said were:
[again, questions paraphrased]

Linda Ross: Asks what significance is attached to finding 913 oocysts at the Elkhorn Diversion to the water supply

Ed Shorts asked additional questions on the life cycle and life span of Cryptosporidium in or out of the water, and Bill Goss and Mayor Langrell answer.

Vernon Hull asks questions about a seeming delay in the County Health Department notifying the City.

Mel Conaway wanted to know how Crypo in the water affects garden produce and fruit trees and if any precautions need to be taken.

City Planning Commissioner Wayne Wall Stated that "As a community, I think we're looking for somebody to say "Yeah, it's our fault. I think we are looking for some kind of culpability." He also noted the length of time we've been aware of the problem and need, and asked--"Why didn't we have a filtration system in place so that we don't have to deal with this?"

Stephanie shared that she and members of her family had been sick for several weeks but didn't go to the hospital because she couldn't afford the insurance co-pay. She asked "If the city knew about it, . . . why was the city not taking the proper precautions. . . to prevent this type of thing." She knew hundreds of people who were ill. "Why weren't you trying to prevent it--Be a little bit pro-active."

Len (or Glen?) Green had questions about calls to Alicia Hills and due diligence at County Health about the actual numbers of people that are ill. Alicia Hills explained efforts they are taking. He also asked "How many samples do you take weekly and at how many intakes?" Jake Jones answers the questions. Mr. Green also asked about whether there will be continuing monitoring for Cryptosporidium now and Bill Goss, from the Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Program, explained that we are in the process now of developing a sampling schedule for Cryptosporidium that will last until treatment is operational.
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Baker City Crypto Meeting Part 12;  Q and A Segment 5; 080813
Residents at the Cryptosporidium Baker City meeting ask questions to city staff and Councilors.

Names of residents asking questions, if I could hear or understand what they said, were
[again, questions paraphrased]:

Jason from Water Works in La Grande: Talks about some affordable certified household water filters and mentions that Water Works also drills and works on wells.

Sarah Pelcha wanted to know what people can do to [clean and disinfect] once it is already in their home.

Michelle had questions about how crypto can be spread person to person. She mentioned that Elkhorn Drilling is a local well driller.

Judith Head asked "Is this a crisis?" "What can we do about it now?" She shared that she had been sick for three weeks and wanted to know if she could be reinfected. She told the audience that 6 pills for treatment of Cryptosporidiosis cost $164.00 and that her insurance only paid up $57.00.

Answers were provided by Alicia Hills from the County Health Department, Mayor Langrell and City Staff.
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Baker City Crypto Meeting Part 13  Q and A Segment 6; 080813
Residents at the Cryptosporidium Baker City meeting ask questions to city staff and Councilors.

Names of residents asking questions, if I could hear or understand what they said, were
[again, questions paraphrased]:

Alicia Hills addresses last question from Judith Head at the end of last video.

An unidentified woman from the audience asked County Health Department what do you do if we have it. . . tell us to go to the doctor and get pills we can't afford because we don't have money. . . .

Another unidentified woman from the audience asks about help from the state and Governor.

An unidentified woman from the audience again brought up that some people can't afford to go to the doctor or pay for medication, and asked what do you do then? Mike Kee responded that the pills don't do any good unless the patient is compromised. Mayor Langrell offers that the hospital is basically telling people to go home and are treating it a lot like they would the flue [if the patient is otherwise healthy I presume].

Others in the audience had questions about the health safety of children at school. One asked "How are we going to make sure that the children don't have it before they go to school?"

Sam Bass made a statement that the city staff :had been working their butts off" and "Some little bug comes along, slips in, 14 people get sick, and the whole town panics." He noted that he drinks the water, 6 glasses a day, and he doesn't have any problem.

Councilor Downing spoke about the people he had knowledge of and about the existence of other diseases in town that also cause health issues. He noted that while he sympathized with people who had become ill from Crypto, "We need to remember. . . that we need to treat this just like any other flu epidemic, any other cold epidemic, especially with the kids going to school. . . ." like his.

Linda Wall shared that she had gotten sick and asked the audience how many had experienced Crypto symptoms. She indicated after the meeting that her estimate of hands raised was between one quarter and one third.

Jeff Strom, asked several questions about UV treatment and also about effective portable water purification systems in town and in businesses and markets, that the state had shut down. Also on budget issues. He noted that previous Council should have  been taking the initiative and been requiring Crypto testing of the water. Bill Goss responds that the state was being overly cautious due to the situation. Mayor Langrell agreed and said that now there would be some serious crypto testing. The Mayor noted that after working with the state about disposing off our sewage affluent, the state has changed their mind about how to proceed.

A state Department of Agriculture representative, the department that regulates the grocery stores and food processors, explained that out of an abundance of caution they had decided to shut down some of the water filtration filters used by business. They had spoken with Safeway and in a joint decision on the side of safety ("they would rather be safe than sorry") they decided to take the actions they did. She said that she was not aware of whether the water bottling stations in those facilities (I think Jeff was referring to portable water filtration machines like Glacier Water and Sterilox) are safe or not.

Another unidentified woman in the audience complimented the city on providing clean fresh water for the public.
 __

Baker City Crypto Meeting Part 14 Q and A Segment 7; 080813

Last segment. Residents at the Cryptosporidium Baker City meeting ask questions to city staff and Councilors.

Mike Kee speaks to the safety of Baker City Restaurants and says the inspector says all of our restaurants are safe.

A woman who spoke so fast I couldn't understand her name asked Councilor Coles why "back in 2001 you knew that there was Crypto in Baker City water, and you and Mr. Dorrah in particular, were adamant about asking for a variance from the state, and otherwise we would potentially already have the UV plant on line now."

Mr. Coles responded that he doesn't believe "that UV is the total answer, and that has pretty much been said. 99.9%, I just don't buy into it. There was really no support for filtration. Really filtration is the end result down the road, and the other reason is that I won't rubber-stamp just because staff sends something across the desk--I won't do it--and I'm not going to jump on the first wagon in town. Now just this week we have found out, there is (sic) some comments being made through a website about sand filtration, which I was gonna ask our state man. .... The mayor covered it, and I don't know how many of you folks read the paper last night. I'm rather outspoken and that's the way it is." Councilor Coles goes on to say he was dissatisfied that our water wasn't tested and quotes the article which says that, unlike Baker City, Bend, OR employees continued to do Crypto monitoring every month since 2008 even though it wasn't required because they though it would be the best management practice and satisfy requirements for due diligence. Coles goes on to say that Bend is in the "same situation as the city of Baker, so I'll go back and say, like I did, I'm not sold on UV". [Well the same situation sort of. Both have a relatively clean water supply and both have some Crypto, but, according to Wiki, "Bend recorded a population of 76,693 at the time of the 2010 US Census, up from 52,029 at the 2000 census. The estimated population of Bend as of 2012 is 79,109." Ours, according to Census Quick Facts is 9,696. So they use probably 7 to 8 times the amount of water we use, and they have 7 to 8 times as many people to pay for it. Their tax base is huge with, according to Zillow, a median home price in June of $350,000, while Baker City's median home price was $159,000 in June. According to the census, our median income was $35,458 for the period 2007-2011, and Bend's was $52,596 for the same period. So, water quantity needing disinfection is massively different, they have many more people, who are much wealthier, and they have a larger tax base with higher property values--all of which gives them economies of scale and more and better options when it comes to choosing and paying for water treatment. Also, its not clear how Bend's testing relates to why Councilor Coles isn't "sold on UV."-Chris]

Don't miss the important statements by Bill Goss of the Oregon Water Authority later in the segment. They announce a state review of our water treatment options and the review has the potential TO CHANGE EVERYTHING and make it impossible for Baker City to install the UV system that has, as of now, been presented as an affordable and effective water treatment option for Baker City!

You can check for newly uploaded videos at my YouTube Channel

http://www.youtube.com/user/refugee2000

Special Baker City public meeting on Cryptosporidium outbreak raises as many questions as it answers

[Editing essentially finished and added 1st video 11:45 AM, 8/9/13]

 I attended and filmed the special Baker City Public meeting on the Cryptosporidium outbreak tonight [8/8/13].  I came away with more questions than answers as to how Baker City is to proceed in dealing with the crypto problem.  I am going to make this short, certainly not an exhaustive account of what occurred, as downloading and processing the video takes quite a bit of time for an almost 3 hour meeting, and I need to review it. It will take additional time to produce any YouTube videos. So this will be a rather bare summary and outline, and just what I consider to be the most important points until I decide to go to sleep (which won't be long)--video and most analysis will come later. (This account is from notes taken and memory as I was trying to film the event, so I will correct any errors after I am able to review the video.)

Mayor Langrell opened and explained the nature of the meeting before turning it over to City manager Mike Kee who presented the agenda and provided a summary timeline that was similar to the information in his August 2, 2013 Weekly Update. He also provided the results of the Cryptosporidium tests that have occurred during the Crypto "crisis."
Here is the video of City Manager Kee's introduction. It is somewhat dim and grainy due to low light on Baker City High School auditorium stage but best video possible under the conditions and the audio is acceptable. Best watched on YouTube by clicking this link:
Crypto Meeting Intro, Baker City, OR 080713



Alicia Hills, from the Baker County Health Department, spoke about the 15 confirmed Crypto cases and the "About Cryptosporidiosis" flyer that has been made available to residents and visitors which lists recommendations and suggestions for staying safe during Baker City's Crypto crisis. You can find the flyer here.

Michelle Owens, Director of the Public Works Department talked about the need for water use curtailment, while reminding everyone that this is a great community to live in. ;-)

Heidi Dalton talked about the decision to keep the Sam-O-Swim pool facility closed because the risks of keeping it open were too high. They will do the usual September maintenance during the current closure period.

Bill Goss from the Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Program said that the outbreak was a naturally occurring event and that no one was to blame. He indicated that no one could predict when the no boil order would end as they will need tests results indicating that there are essentially zero Crypto oocysts in the water supply. He stated that an ongoing monitoring plan for Cryptosporidium will be instituted until a treatment facility is constructed that provides for 99.9% removal of Cryptosporidium oocysts, and that is must be in place by October of 2016. (The issue of why monitoring had not been continued after the initial round of testing ended in 2011 was brought up by citizens during the meeting.)

To the best of my knowledge, Mr. Goss did not mention at this time that the state will be reviewing out treatment options which could result in the state imposing a treatment plan different from the 99.9 % effective UV treatment plan they had already recommended.

Michelle Owen talked about solutions to the Crypto problem that the city was looking at.  These included:

• Long-term plan for UV treatment of Cryptosporidium.
• Mid-term solution of finding or drilling additional supplementary water from wells (Wells are generally not be affected by Cryptosporidium.
• Short-term solutions that include boiling, and borrowing a portable non-validated membrane filter unit.

Brian Black from the HDR  engineering firm talked about the accelerated schedule for the UV treatment facility. The schedule was to include:

• Complete design and sighn-up contractor in early spring or earlier
• Begin construction in the summer of 2014
• Complete construction in summer of 2015

The accelerated schedule would bring in a 99.9% effective UV facility a year before the current deadline.

Mayor Langrell moderated a Q and A session with the audience but first discussed issues presented by some questions that had been submitted in writing by the audience. The ones he mentioned primarily had to do with whether the city [and its citizens], had a responsibility to compensate businesses that have suffered losses due to the present crisis.

Some citizens related the problems they had encountered while suffering from Crypto, and asked why the city had delayed moving forward with UV treatment when we were told as early as 2009 that treatment was required. One of these, Linda Wall of Baker City, also had members of the large audience raise their hands if they had been dealing with the symptoms of Cryptosporidiosis. She estimated that about 1/4 to 1/3 of those present raised their hands.

Former Councilor and Judge Milo Pope laid the responsibility for delay on Former Mayor and current Councilor Dennis Dorrah (who did not attend the meeting), Councilor Roger Coles, and other Councilors who had delayed providing treatment.

There were many more interesting public comments that I will try to post as a YouTube video later.

The bottom line, in terms of how we will move forward came when Councilor Coles gave a spirited rebuttal to Milo Pope's comments and then Mayor Langrell validated Councilor Coles comments that he couldn't see going forward at the time because DEQ might suddenly change the requirements in  the future, even though Mayor Langrell had spoken about the accelerated schedule for UV earlier.  I commented that I thought using that sort of speculation was a scare tactic and that given EPA approval of UV and current state direction there was no basis for it.  Then, perhaps in response to questioning on that point by Councilor Mosier (have to check the video),  Bill Goss from the State Health Authority said that a change in requirements was a possibility because the state was going to review the present outbreak and could possibly change their recommendation to the much more expensive $17M to $20M water filtration requirement and plant that costs over $300,000/year to maintain.

I pointed out that we had spent the meeting talking about installing UV treatment, that is what the state has told us we need to install, and that filtration would cost significantly more than UV to install and maintain. I misspoke the figures as being in millions rather that thousands, but the point was that maintenance costs are still something like 25 times greater for filtration than for UV treatment, according to the 2009 figures provided to the city by HDR.

When I asked him after the meeting about this announcement, after 80% of the meeting had been about the accelerated schedule for constructing the UV treatment plant, he told me that his announcement had been timely as the outbreak had only been going of for a few weeks, and he was there to talk about other things (i.e., the boil water order). We discussed a few other issues related to the state's review, but it is late so those will be discussed later, as will numerous comments by a very engaged audience.

Given the late announcement of a state review, which Mr. Goss said will take about two months (or possibly 6 month to a year), I am at a loss to understand how the earlier presentations about an accelerated schedule for the installation of a UV water treatment facility were allowed to be presented, how they can move forward or be accomplished, and I am beginning to understand why local governments do not trust regulatory bodies like the DEQ or the Oregon Health Authority.  How can Councilors or staff, left in limbo, commit resources to any solution, when the regulatory agencies reserve the right to waste the time and resources communities have committed by changing their mind--especially when such regulatory changes can bring financial ruin to many low income citizens and potentially even the to cities they live in?

One searches for answers as to why the the feds and the state would impose such confusion and uncertainty on the cities and towns they have been given authority over when there are adequately safe, rational, and affordable solutions to the problems being faced. I also wonder if it isn't becoming clear that many government workers, from the federal to the local level, including as well some of our other financially comfortable citizens, have not simply become completely insensitive to the world and needs of low income people. I heard the folks tonight (now last night) who told their stories of not having health insurance and not being able to afford to go to the doctor, and some of those who could go to the doctor, couldn't afford the medications they needed to treat the cryptosporidiosis they suffered from. With the new push to force selection of unaffordable water treatment options, it is not clear whether some state, county, and city officials care if low income people can afford the quest for guaranteed safety at any cost that some of the comfortable apparently seek, and which ultimately places burdens [I. e., increases in water/sewer rates] on the poor that they cannot bear. Perhaps the regulators, developers, realtors, newspaper peddlers, merchants, and the wealthy, see an opportunity in ridding themselves of poor people by making their towns into places where the poor can't afford to live any more. A kinder, gentler, saner solution would be for them to buy a membrane filtration unit for their home and save the rest of us the expense of providing them with an incredibly small extra margin of safety.

:-) Don't Saddle Me,

I'm Safe With UV!

Buy Your Own Damn Filter! ;-)

Sorry about that, I'm in the sleepless zone.

More videos in a future blog when I figure out how to free disk space.

New Suspects in Baker City Cryptosporidium Case?

               Cows Grazing Where They Are Not Supposed To Be; Forshey Meadows, W-WNF

                "A number of elk do congregate in the Elk Creek area."

There was a rumor going round the last week or two about ODFW putting salt blocks near the shoreline or our Goodrich Reservoir water supply and that they were  attracting the mountain goats to reservoir resulting in accumulations of scat. I spoke with Brian Ratliff, the ODFW Baker District Wildlife Biologist, yesterday and he explained that they only use salt blocks in the Goodrich Basin for about three days [at most] during annual goat roundups.  These roundups have resulted in the removal of 226 mountain goats over the years since they were introduced in 1983. They place the salt blocks in buckets to keep salts out of the water supply during the 3-day roundups, but he also told me there is permanent natural salt lick in the basin near the lake that was exposed when earth-fill was removed to create the dam. The goats use it for much of the year. He said that goat scat and etc., may be pushed into the lake from winter avalanches because the goats are on the snow banks and avalanche shoots all winter long. At the request of the city, he said that ODFW had moved the trap site last year to a new site about 120 yards from the lake. They placed sediment barriers and sloped the site so that any runoff and sediment would flow away from the lake. I explained to him that I had been involved in cattle trespass grazing issues in the past where fences aren't maintained, gates are not closed, or trees fall over fences, and was wondering whether cows get into the watershed.  He told me that ODFW was aware that cattle get into the watershed on a fairly regular basis.

These facts could account for the relatively low concentration of crypto found at Goodrich in the initial August 2nd results. The latest results from the Goodrich line have not yet been reported on the city website and I don't know if they are all in as I write. [Update: Since I wrote this, the Herald has published an article reporting that the Aug. 4 sample from the Goodrich line contained no oocysts.]

I am aware of some new results that came in yesterday morning though, and, if what I have learned is correct (and I have no reason to doubt it-Others have seen similar official email flying around) they show a large number of Crypto oocysts were found at the Elk Creek Diversion near the southern end of the watershed. The number found is a few orders of magnitue greater than the average number of oocysts found elsewhere (913 oocysts, compared to 0, 1, or 2), with the caveat however, that I am not privy to the Goodrich line results. Yesterday's city e-mail that is going around states: 

The Elk Creek water was turned out of the system as soon as the call was received this morning.  The diversion had been visually inspected on July 31st and no issues or concerns were noted i.e.: no animals or feces in the vicinity of the diversion.  A second extensive tour of the diversion site was made again this morning and again nothing out of the ordinary was present.  A number of elk do congregate in the Elk Creek area.

There have been cattle in the Elk Creek Diversion area in the past, but none this spring.

It seems to me that the results received by the city yesterday were complete enough and significant enough to have been released to the public on their website by noon yesterday. If they are released to a few individuals, who subsequently share them with their friends, then the results should have been released to all residents through the city website. Having information floating around to a special group of Baker Buddies is way too Baker. The three Rs for city sharing of information to it's citizens should be: Release it early, Release it often, Release it to everyone.

The Elk Creek Diversion is just to the north west of the thick black line inside of the blue highlight circle. The Blue Canyon Allotment, administered by the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest is to the south and east of the line, and the Baker City watershed is to the north of the black line but east of the Elkhorn Ridge. (CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE THEM)

Elk Creek Diversion from Google Earth taken June 29, 2013.  44°44'44.00"N  117°58'26.88"W About 5187 feet

The new information suggests there may be other possible suspects in our Baker City Crypto case--cattle and/or elk.  It is well known that one species of Crypto, Cryptosporidium parvum, is commonly associated with both cattle and elk, and that it commonly causes cryptosporidiosis in humans.  

The city's email says there "have been cattle in the Elk Creek Diversion area in the past, but none this spring." Back in November 2011, after Crypto had been found in our water supply, I requested information from the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest concerning public land cattle grazing allotments adjacent to the Baker City watershed. The information I received back then indicated that there were two such allotments--the Stovepipe Allotment west of Marble Pass, and the Blue Canyon Allotment that is in the Elk Creek, Griffin Gulch area and south.  They indicated that up to 80 cattle normally graze the public land portion of the Blue Canyon Allotment from June first to September 30.  It is possible that cattle can on occasion, due to the circumstances mentioned earlier, get through allotment fences, and it commonly happens throughout the Forest Service and BLM allotments in the Western states. I have seen them trespassing on other allotments, trashing scientifically oriented exclosures, doing similar in riparian exclosures, and grazing in restricted meadows while being escorted to their proper allotments (See top photo above). Fences and cattle guards do not guarantee the exclusion of a lucky or determined cow.

                 Cow inside of riparian exclosure, Malheur National Forest

Cryptosporidium oocysts can also last for months in the environment, so it is not out of the question that something could have occurred last year that left cowpies too close to the water intake, resulting in Crypto oocysts being washed into the intake area.

More later.

Why is the Baker City Herald Promoting Water Filtration & Then Taking a Poll During A Crisis?

When I was in high school, I noted that the vast majority of my classmates in the social studies class had trouble passing pop quizzes and also the periodic tests that were announced many days in advance. It was clear to me that the primary reason for most of the average or failing scores was that, for whatever reason, they had not paid much attention in class and had not done their homework. In a "democracy," we have to hope that those who offer opinions and go to the voting booth have done theirs.  Unfortunately, this is often not the case, as the habits of high school often follow us into adult life, so people continue to issue opinions on subjects they know little about.

I have a degree in microbiology, albeit an old one, so I can't help but comment when such things as Cryptosporidium and water treatment arise.

On August 2, 2013, the Baker City Herald "Editorial Board" issued an editorial opinion, What's next with city's water, that recommended the city choose filtration over UV treatment, stating

"But in the wake of a week in which so many people were afflicted with stomach cramps, diarrhea and other unpleasant symptoms, in which restaurants and other businesses suffered during a busy weekend, we believe that extra cost is worth it." 

OK Herald, lets see the cost/benefit analysis.  When McDonalds shut down for three days, I was told that Taco Time did a boom business. A neighbor I spoke with came down with Crypto, but he favors UV treatment.

The reasons given for the Herald's opinion were:

But UV is not as effective as a filtration plant in removing viruses, UV has no effect on chemicals, and a UV system would not protect the water from dirt and ash that could foul streams were a wildfire to burn in the city’s watershed.

 They also tell us:

The extra capabilities of a filtration plant come at a cost of perhaps $15 million, compared with an estimated $2.5 million for a UV system.

There was no other discussion of costs, nor any reference for the source of their figures, or why their objections were relevant.

Then, after this very incomplete accounting, they put out a poll, What's Baker City's best water treatment option, as if everyone is informed, because, well, the Herald has informed us!

As I write, the vote stands, after 33 hours, as 59.8% in favor of filtration as the best option and 31.4% in favor of UV treatment. Only 102 people have voted, which I'm sure the Herald would agree, is not a number large enough to represent the 10,000 plus residents of Baker City. Perhaps all they had to go on was the Herald's recommendation. Why do they do these unscientific polls during a period of crisis right after they have issued an uninformative opinion that misleads the public? Kind of like asking Americans what they think of the passing something like the Patriot Act right after 911. These polls are almost completely worthless as gauges of actual, well thought out, public opinion, but I guess it gives people something to do and gives the Herald more web page hits while gathering support for their ill-advised notions.

And how is one to take the question?  Does "best" mean the option that will do the job of treating Crypto while being one that we can afford, or does "best" mean the option that will possibly result in purer water than UV will provide (even though we will play hell paying for it)?

That is a problem, especially if the opinion they give to their few thousand readers is in error or incomplete.  So let's "unpack" their information and reasons for recommending filtration.

There are three relevant questions:

What do we really need given the current and foreseeable conditions?

What can we afford given the the city's and the city resident's financial situation?

What is politically acceptable given the answers to the first two questions?

Do we want or need a water treatment system that can deal with every conceivable threat to human health, even when they don't currently exist in the watershed, and if we do, can a community struggling to finance other pressing infrastructure needs such as sewage treatment, streets, and aging water and sewer lines afford it? Do we need a Cadillac when a small hybrid car or Geo Metro will provide a solution to our problems?  The Herald doesn't really address the question of whether we can afford it.

The Herald tells us that:

"UV is not as effective as a filtration plant in removing viruses"

OK, so what? The Herald admits the city has a "long history of providing pure water." That water comes from a somewhat protected city watershed where human viruses are not a problem. Our watershed is not a source, such as the Colorado River, that has water passed through many communities and pastures where human viruses might be introduced to become a problem. Current conditions do not indicate that human viruses are, or will be a problem. They do indicate that Cryptosporidium is a problem, so we need a system like UV to treat it.

[Update 8/7/13: Turns out that while UV treatment for viruses may not be as effective as a pricey membrane filtration plant, the National Drinking Water Clearing House says "UV light effectively destroys bacteria and viruses" at the proper doses. See: Tech Brief--Ultraviolet Disinfection
For a more complete understanding, see: Section 13 Ultraviolet Light (p.258) in the EPA's LONG TERM 2 ENHANCED SURFACE WATER TREATMENT RULE TOOLBOX GUIDANCE MANUAL]

The Herald tells us that:

"UV has no effect on chemicals"

OK, so what? Our last water quality report (2010-2012), and many before it, provides testing results that show chemicals, including nitrates, nitrites, trihalomethanes and halocacetic acids are far below the acceptable level--barely detectable.

The water quality report also states that:

There were "approximately 29 synthetic organic chemicals tested for and not detected."

There were "approximately 21 volatile organic chemicals tested for and not detected."

"The 2012 hardness value for untreated water was 75 PPM [parts per million = mg/L]" [barely out of the 0 to 60 PPM soft water category] I.E., our water is almost soft, not very mineralized by "calcium and magnesium, and by a variety of other metals."  That's a good thing when you use UV treatment.

Levels for iron, manganese and flouride were all well within acceptable levels.

For more see: Interpreting Water Test Reports

Would levels of chemicals rise in case of a catastrophic fire? Yes, periodically, in which case we could switch to the well water we are using during the Crypto crisis, which would be safer when UV treatment is installed.

They say:

"a UV system would not protect the water from dirt and ash that could foul streams were a wildfire to burn in the city’s watershed."

True, but both sand and ceramic filtration units can be overwhelmed by the same, and a complicated, yet supposedly effective, activated carbon and membrane filtration system could cost anywhere from $18M to $25M or more, 6 to 8+ times as much as a $3M UV system. [Update 8/7/13: (AND) membrane filtration "requires prefiltrations for surface water—may include removal of turbidity, iron, and/or manganese. Hardness and dissolved solids may also affect performance." So membrane filtration prefiltration would also be affected by dirt and ash from a wildfire. ] [Update 8/16/13: the city of Pendleton uses a flocculation tank] According to a 2009 engineering report I posted yesterday (See also Table 2 of the report), membrane filtration would cost something like 25 times as much to maintain as would a UV system! We would also be able to use the paid for well system for catastrophic fire emergencies (as in a drought--thank former Public Works director Fleming I believe), and we are following the recommended guideline for fuels reduction in the watershed which helps to prevent catastrophic fire. Over time, as budget allows, we could also create settling tanks or basins to let any sediments settle out prior to treatment.

The Herald tells us:
"The extra capabilities of a filtration plant come at a cost of perhaps $15 million, compared with an estimated $2.5 million for a UV system."

The Herald has been very consistent in reporting that a filtration plant will cost us $15 million.  I would like to know where that figure comes from. The same 2009 engineering report I posted yesterday put the cost at 17.7 million dollars and that was four years ago. Those kinds of costs tend to go up--like everything else.

Is spending 18 to 25 million dollars for a Cadillac membrane filtration system, instead of a get-the-job-done $2 to 3.1M UV system going to be politically acceptable to the citizens of Baker City?  Not if they are allowed to vote on it in an actual election--but now people are in crisis mode and we we'll not likely get a vote.
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As a quibbling former microbiologist, there is another thing I'd like to mention. The Herald published an article today in which they reported statements from the senior state epidemiologist, Dr. Bill Keene.

The Herald says that Dr. Keene said “I’m pretty sure mountain goats have never been tested (for crypto).” I doubt that he said that, as the most easily found academic report (See Table 2), which I found on Google right after the Crypto outbreak had been reported (and sent to Councilor Coles last night), says that both mountain goats and humans are a minor host for one species of Cryptosporidium, that is, Cryptosporidium muris.  Doesn't mean that the state will ultimately find that our furry friends are the "scapegoat" but it does seem to infer that they are a possibility, as I indicated days ago.

Oddly, the Herald chose to quote a passage from the same article that said "According to a 2004 article in Clinical Microbiology Reviews, crypto species "originating from wildlife... are mostly not human pathogens" instead of pointing out Table 2 which clearly states that both humans and mountain goats are a minor host for Cryptosporidium muris.

Additionally Dr. Keene confirmed my statement in the August 2nd blog that "These anecdotal reports seem to indicate that the number of cases in Baker City is far higher than the number of reported cases, quite possibly in the hundreds" when Dr. Keene told the Herald that "the total cases 'could easily be in the hundreds.'”

Thanks.
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See also:

Comment on Cryptosporidium Outbreak in Baker City With Crypto timeline from Monday, November 14, 2011

Random Thoughts on the Baker City Crypto Outbreak

Updated Crypto Update: Comments and Questions

More later. . . .