Agent orange found in lake.

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https://www.oregonlive.com/environm...e-intact-in-wallowa-lake-recovery-effort.html

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  1. ENVIRONMENT
U.S. EPA finds 18 barrels, some intact, in Wallowa Lake recovery effort
Updated Jun 14, 2019;Posted Jun 14, 2019





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By Rob Davis | The Oregonian/OregonLive

A remotely operated underwater vehicle identified 18 barrels at the bottom of Wallowa Lake Friday, including at least one bearing a label that says it contains one of the two defoliants used in Agent Orange.

An unspecified number were intact; others had rusted out.

A contractor for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was still assessing the drums late Friday, with divers working between 90 and 120 feet below the alpine lake’s surface to conduct detailed visual and tactile inspections of the intact barrels.


Divers working for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency preparing Friday to inspect barrels at the bottom of Wallowa Lake. (Courtesy/Oregon Department of Environmental Quality)

State and federal officials said there is no evidence that the drums that are intact are currently leaking. The EPA and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality said in a joint news release that the drums’ labels indicate they were produced for commercial use, not the military.

There’s no way to know what happened to the contents of barrels that rusted out -- or whether they were empty when they were put in the lake. Old barrels were often used as floats for docks and when weighed down as anchors.

Last August, recreational divers discovered barrels labeled as containing one of two defoliants -- 2,4-D or 2,4,5-T. Combined, the two chemicals were once known as Agent Orange. The herbicide was used extensively in the Vietnam War and has been connected to numerous illnesses among veterans and civilians who were exposed.

Contrary to some national media reports, the agencies stressed that the barrels do not contain Agent Orange itself. Agent Orange, which was manufactured for military use, contained both 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T at high concentrations. The military blend was heavily contaminated with dioxin, which the EPA classifies as a probable human carcinogen.

Still, the commercial version of 2,4,5-T was also contaminated by dioxin, leading Dow Chemical to pull the chemical off the market in the early 1980s.

If conditions at Wallowa Lake allow, authorities could begin removing the highest priority drums Saturday.

Contractors working for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency prepare to deploy a remotely operated vehicle Friday to look for drums in Wallowa Lake. (Courtesy/Oregon Department of Environmental Quality)

— Rob Davis

[email protected]

503.294.7657; @robwdavis

Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox.


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  1. ENVIRONMENT
Crater Lake National Park’s north entrance opens today
Updated Jun 15, 12:09 PM;Posted Jun 15, 12:08 PM
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Snow at Crater Lake has receded enough that officials have opened the north entrance. (U.S. Coast Guard)






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By The Associated Press

CRATER LAKE — The North Entrance Road and West Rim Drive in Crater Lake National Park opened Saturday morning after snow banks receded.

Superintendent Craig Ackerman says visitors now can drive to and from the park using the popular route and access spectacular views of the lake from West Rim Drive.

Most park facilities are now open for the season, he said.

National Park Service snow removal crews will now focus on opening East Rim Drive, Pinnacles Road and Lost Creek Campground.


Ackerman says visitors should use caution as patches of snow remain on the ground in most locations throughout the park. Snow amounts are greater at higher elevations along Rim Drive.

Most trails, including Garfield and Watchman Peaks, remain closed because of snow.



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Comments
 
If I have to go back to the stone age I will be kicking, biting and fighting the entire way.
I know how to make fire, steam and engines that use it. I can make gun powder and the guns to use it. I can make wheels, levers and inclined plains. I can build shelter, heat it and cool it.
I know how to make generators and motors as well as water wheels and wind turbines.
I won't go easily. ;)
 
If I have to go back to the stone age I will be kicking, biting and fighting the entire way.
I know how to make fire, steam and engines that use it. I can make gun powder and the guns to use it. I can make wheels, levers and inclined plains. I can build shelter, heat it and cool it.
I know how to make generators and motors as well as water wheels and wind turbines.
I won't go easily. ;)

You and hubby sound alike. He is handy too.
This reminds me of Red.

 

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