City of Lebanon Asks Oregon Health Authority to Halt Drawdowns due to High Turbidity

For Immediate Release:
November 20, 2024

City of Lebanon Asks Oregon Health Authority to Halt Drawdowns due to High Turbidity.

Due to high turbidity levels at the City of Lebanon's water intake source, Lebanon requests that the Oregon Health Authority prompt the Army Corps of Engineers to halt its court-ordered drawdown operations at Green Peter Reservoir.

City Manager Ron Whitlatch, in a letter delivered electronically to both agencies, stated that "Lebanon's water treatment plant is currently processing water with an average NTU (turbidity) value of 130, and that prolonged turbidity at these levels will exceed Lebanon's water treatment capabilities." According to Whitlatch, the manufacturer's specifications for intake membranes indicate that treating water with greater than 50 NTU (with a maximum of 200 NTU for more than 48 hours in one month) exceeds the specifications for safe use.

The Army Corps drawdown plan for Green Peter Reservoir and others states that "… [t]he injunction plan will be paused or terminated if downstream drinking water facilities are unable to meet water supply demands or if a public health emergency is declared[.]" (ECF 320-1 at 9.)

The City of Lebanon declared a public health emergency on October 9, 2024.

"As Lebanon continues to monitor the impacts of the Green Peter Reservoir Drawdown, there is great concern that turbidity levels will continue to rise," said Whitlatch in the letter. "This risks Lebanon's ability to provide safe drinking water and continues to damage our water treatment plant."

"Upon completion of the 2023 drawdown, Lebanon continued to experience elevated turbidity levels for an extended period, which further strained Lebanon's water treatment systems. We expect that this will also be the case for the 2024 drawdown."

The City will notify residents immediately if drinking water quality standards are not being met.

Water quality updates can be found on the City's website at http://www.lebanonoregon.gov.

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Contact: Ron Whitlatch, Interim City Manager/Engineering Services Director
Phone: 541-258-4264
Email: [email protected]

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