By News-Register staff • 

Do Not Drink water restriction does not affect Yamhill County

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Comments

Culbert

With water restriction now in place in Salem, I am disappointed in this article. The obvious questions have not been asked. What I would like to know is if blue green algae has ever been found in the McMinnville's water reservoirs, and if so, whether or not water testing has found any evidence of toxins now or in the past. There is no news about this on the McMinnville website home page, and from there, the link to Mac Water and Light site doesn't load. I guess each and every one of us is on their own in this inquiry.

Nicole Montesano

Culbert, I submitted your questions to Water & Light. Here is the answer, from Water Superintendent Bob Klein:
"There are many different types of algae that are found naturally in lakes, rivers, ponds and other surface waters. Under certain conditions, such as warm water containing an abundance of nutrients, algae blooms can occur. Algae blooms containing cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, are capable of producing cyanotoxins that can be harmful to humans and animals.
McMinnville Water & Light samples our drinking water reservoirs throughout the warmer months to track algae levels. All algae samples are analyzed to identify the types of algae present and to determine the amount of algae in the water. When necessary, the water in the reservoir is treated to reduce the amount of algae and avoid algae blooms from occurring. To date, McMinnville Water & Light has not seen any indication of blue-green algae present in the reservoir and has not found any evidence of toxins in our drinking water. We are currently sampling for cyanotoxins as required under EPA’s Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR4). Sampling started in May 2018 and will continue every 2 weeks through August. Samples results to date have indicated NONE DETECTED for cyanotoxins."

You can also reach the utility's website at mc-power.com.

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