LOCAL 

Wednesday, June 23, 2004

Umatilla contesting air filter decision

By TERI MEEUWSEN of the East Oregonian
tmeeuwsen@eastoregonian.com


UMATILLA — The City Council accepted a resolution Tuesday that requests the Umatilla County Commissioners reconsider their decision against funding and distributing recirculating air filters in Umatilla.

As a result, the commissioners will hold a hearing within the next two months to listen to all sides of the discussion.

Umatilla County Commissioner Dennis Doherty told the council earlier this month that the commissioners decided against spending at least $500,000 to distribute recirculating air filters in 1,420 buildings throughout the Hermiston Fire and Umatilla Rural Fire districts. Those districts include the areas in Umatilla County that could be affected the quickest by a chemical release at the Umatilla Chemical Depot.

Doherty said the commissioners weren’t convinced that the air filters, which could make residents somewhat safer during a chemical accident, offer enough value to justify the expense.

Citing staff reports, Doherty said there is a 1 in 270,000 chance of a chemical impact on the city of Umatilla from a depot accident. With the addition of the air filters, that risk would decrease to a 1 in 290,000 chance, Doherty said, because the filters would allow about 30 additional minutes of shelter-in-place time for residents.

However, Councilman Dave Trott said the same staff reports show that Irrigon, which has had the air filters in place for two years as part of a pilot project through Morrow County Emergency Management, have a 1 in 3.03 million chance of a chemical impact. The city of Umatilla’s chances are affected by shelter-in-place and evacuation plans, he explained. Irrigon’s chances are affected by shelter-in-place and evacuation plans, and by the use of the recirculating air filters.

“How could we not justify having the recirculating air filters? Maybe it won’t decrease the risk to 1 in 3 million, but maybe 1 in 1 million.” Trott said. “I don’t feel like we’ve received an adequate explanation.”

Doherty sent a letter to Bob Flournoy of the Citizens Advisory Commission explaining that the commissioners will hold a hearing rather than try to “scattergun” information back and forth through several formats.

The air filters are conventional home carbon filters and cost $300 each.

The filters proved to be the most effective at removing chemical agent simulates in tests by the U.S. Army. The filters include an exterior carbon fabric and two filters. The filters also would be distributed with an additional carbon filter for use in case of an accident, which would provide additional filtration.

The initial distribution would have begun in October.