Salem Water Advisory Not Connected to Sweet Home

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

For Information Contact:
Ray Towry, City Manager
City of Sweet Home
541-367-8969
rtowry@ci.sweet-home.or.us

Salem Water Advisory Not Connected to Sweet Home
OEM Water Health Advisory Message Not Relevant to Sweet Home Residents

SWEET HOME, OR – May 30, 2018 - On May 29, 2018, at 5:30 PM, the City of Salem issued a health advisory for their drinking water customers due to cyanotoxins found in their treated drinking water. The City of Salem utilized an emergency alert notification system through the Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) to issue a wide spread notification onto cell phones.  That health advisory does not extend to Sweet Home’s water supply.

The Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) issued the Health Advisory through cell phones with the Integrated Public Alert Warning System (IPAWS) in an effort to aid the City of Salem, at approximately 8:30 PM.  OEM experienced an issue with IPAWS in which the intended message was replaced with a generic system default message that caused widespread confusion.  OEM is attempting to investigate why their more detailed message was not distributed as intended. You can view information on this at: http://www.oregon.gov/oem/Pages/default.aspx.

Cyanotoxins are by-products of certain algae species that grow in water. Salem draws water for drinking from the North Santiam River, water that runs out from Detroit Lake.  Sweet Home draws water from the South Santiam River, from the base of the Foster Reservoir Dam. These are two completely separate water supplies.

Sweet Home treats our drinking water through two methods: filtration and disinfection.  Sweet Home’s water is filtered through a sand filtration system to remove any suspended solid particles until the turbidity measures .3 ntu (Nephelometric Turbidity Units) or better.  That filtered water is then chlorinated to safe state mandated health standards to disinfect the water and protect consumers from harmful bacteria or other organisms that may survive the filtration process.

Anyone interested in reading more information regarding the algae issue being experienced by the City of Salem and other communities that draw from the North Santiam can visit:

http://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/HealthyEnvironments/DrinkingWater/Operation...
https://www.cityofalbany.net/departments/city-managers-office/news-relea...

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Sweet Home, Oregon, is nestled at the base of the Cascade Mountains right along Foster Lake. The community has nearly 10,000 people within its incorporated area, and embraces an additional 6,000 or so people as “community members,” who reside just outside our city limits. With scenic vistas and an abundance of outdoor recreation opportunities at our doorstep, Sweet Home is Oregon...at its best!

Visit us at: www.ci.sweet-home.or.us