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The upcoming Hershey Games introduce kids to the sport • SPORTS, D1
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WEATHER TODAY
MONDAY
Mostly cloudy, chance of rain showers High 70, Low 41 Page B6
• May 17, 2010 50¢
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Toxic algae likes it hot – a fact to keep in mind this summer
Water-wise landscapes Smarter sprinklers are just one way to conserve • GREEN, ETC., C1
Water watchers breathe a bit easier
By Scott Hammers The Bulletin
A warm spring and summer could lead to another year of multiple health advisories on area lakes for blue-green algae, a microscopic bacteria that can produce toxins harmful to humans and animals. John Allen, the forest supervisor for the Deschutes National Forest, said his agency is not predicting a bump in algae outbreaks this summer, but the link between warmer weather and algae blooms is well-established. Allen said the Forest Service is more concerned looking out over the next several years, where global warming trends could create algae-friendly conditions over a longer portion of the year. Occurring naturally in most bodies of water in Oregon, blue-green algae comes in a variety of species, only some of which have the ability to produce toxins. Ingestion or skin contact with water containing toxic species can cause a range of health problems, from mild skin irritation to diarrhea and vomiting, and in extreme cases, brain damage, paralysis and death. If water temperatures, sunlight, and nutrients available to algae are right, the algae population can multiply rapidly in an algae bloom. During a bloom, the water will often be topped with a peasoup green scum, resembling pools of paint. See Algae / A4
By Kate Ramsayer The Bulletin
W
Oregon Water Resources Department. “We received precipitation, and it was cold enough where the snowpack in the higher elevations remained.” Ryan Brennecke / The Bulletin
With the snowpack at 93 percent of average last week, some irrigators will have to rely less on water from reservoirs — several of which filled up with the spring rains and runoff. The water-conservation projects in the Deschutes Basin mean that more water will flow down the Middle Deschutes this year. And an extra couple of weeks of snow and rain could help the fire season start a little later than it otherwise would have. Oregon’s weather followed an El Niño pattern this year, said Jon Lea, the state’s snow survey program manager with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The season started early with almost record snowfall in parts of the state, and then the snow pretty much stopped for much of January, February and March, he said. “Then we started getting storms about the first of spring,” Lea said. The late storms don’t make up for the small snowpack, which was just above half of its normal size at times. The Deschutes River is still predicted to run at about 80 percent of its average flow at Benham Falls
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The Middle Deschutes looks to be in decent shape this summer, says Tod Heisler, executive director with the Deschutes River Conservancy. Replacing some canals with pipes will allow irrigators to divert less water, meaning the Middle Deschutes should have close to 150 cubic feet per second of water flowing down it this year. Before 1998, the flow would occasionally drop as low as 30 cfs.
126 Current20 reservoir capacity
Snowpack After a cool, wet spring, water managers are feeling a little more confident in the water availability for irrigators and aquatic life this summer.
Snow-water equivalent
Water year comparisons as of May 12: 2010 percent of average: 93% Percent of last year: 85%
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Vol. 107, No. 137, 30 pages, 5 sections
95% Prineville
126
Sisters
Redmond
Water year 2010 Water year 2009 Average 1971 to 2000
May 12
30 25
Bend
Crane Prairie Reservoir
KEY
83%
Prineville Reservoir
100%
Wickiup Reservoir
87%
Note: Water years begin in October.
10
Ochoco Reservoir
97
35
15
26
74%
126
40 inches
20
Madras
Haystack Reservoir
Brothers
Crescent Lake
MILES
97
0 O
N
D
J
F
M
Source: Natural Resources Conservation Service
this summer, Lea noted. But with the late snow, perhaps there won’t be as much of a problem with the flows tapering off later in the summer. A wet spring means that the
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J
J
A
S
0
O
Eric Baker / The Bulletin
state went from a situation where there were definitely going to be water issues to one in which problems could possibly be avoided. Still, a lot of what happens depends on the weather this sum-
20
La Pine
78%
5
20
Crescent Eric Baker / The Bulletin
Source: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
mer, Gorman said. Irrigators won’t have to rely on water from the reservoirs as much as they thought they would have to in February or March, he said, but how much they have to
draw from Wickiup Reservoir or others will depend on how hot and dry the summer is, and how much water irrigators end up needing for their crops. See Water / A5
40 years later, a proper graduation Zippy, frequent traders scrutinized for effect on choppy markets
Boston University reaches out following Vietnam-era cancellation By Katharine Q. Seelye
Oregon
Green, Etc. C1-6 C5
mize some of the water-related problems that officials earlier predicted
“The month of April was very good to the Deschutes Basin,” said Kyle Gorman, region manager with the
Crane Prairie Reservoir is one of several Central Oregon bodies of water that have been subject to algae-related health advisories in past summers.
C2
below average in size, a cool and wet spring has helped to mini-
for irrigators, fish and fire managers.
Rob Kerr / The Bulletin file photo
Abby
hile the snowpack in the Cascades finished the winter
New York Times News Service
By Julie Creswell
BOSTON — The telltale clues at this weekend’s festivities, 40 years late, included the tie-dye Tshirt on a woman who also wore a peace symbol necklace and a garland in her hair (“I thought everyone would be dressed like this,” she said). When the group stood for its class picture, even those in suits and ties made the peace sign. Others raised clenched fists. The accoutrement and spirit of their era still radiate from the class of 1970, despite the harsh and abrupt ending to their years at Boston University. See Graduation / A5
New York Times News Service
Katherine Taylor / New York Times News Service
“I feel complete,” said Dr. Marcia Wells Avery after her graduation ceremony, 40 years late, from Boston University. The school canceled the 1970 graduation, citing campus turmoil.
RED BANK, N.J. — Above Restoration Hardware in this Jersey Shore town, not far from the Navesink River, lurks a Wall Street giant. Here, inside the offices of a tiny trading firm called Tradeworx, workers in their 20s and 30s in jeans and T-shirts quietly tend computers that typically buy and sell 80 million shares a day. But on the afternoon of May 6, as the stock market began to plunge in the “flash crash,” someone here typed the command HF STOP: Sell everything, and shut down. See Traders / A4