OHA Drinking Water Services
Contact Report Details |
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| PWS ID: | OR41 00731 | ||
| PWS Name: | SALEM PUBLIC WORKS | ||
| Who Was Contacted: | DWS phone duty voicemail | ||
| Contact Phone: | (Email address hidden) | ||
| Contact Date: | 06/20/2025 | ||
| Contacted By: | WIKSTROM, CHANTAL (DWP) | ||
| Contact Method/Location: | |||
| Assistance Type: | WATER QUALITY COMPLAINT | ||
| Reasons: | Other |
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| Details: | pesticide concern at MHP 1865 Highway Ave. Ne. Salem, Oregon 97301. Person observed consistent and concerning overabundance of what appears to be pesticides/ weed killers being applied in the immediate vicinity of my residence. They also had concerns about localized chemical contamination of the water supply. Given I do not receive a municipal water bill, I suspect the park operates on a private well water system which would be particularly susceptible to surface contamination I've observed. DWS phone duty response: Looking through our records, it seems as though the park buys water from City of Salem (Salem Public Works). If that’s correct, then the city likely has a master meter through which it sells water to the park, and then the park distributes that water to residents. You may not get a bill; the park’s owner might be paying it. It’s also possible, though not likely, that the park has its own well and isn’t using Salem’s water. But the park looks to be within Salem’s water service area, and looking through Oregon’s well log locations, I don’t see any wells nearby the park, so it seems like the park is probably using Salem’s water. If you think this is in error, and that the park is using its own well water, please let us know, preferably with a photo of the well. Pesticide and herbicide application near a drinking water well is a real risk, indeed Oregon has a program dedicated to protecting drinking water sources from such activities. But assuming that the park is using Salem’s water, it’s less likely that pesticide applied in or near the park could be entering residents’ water in appreciable amounts, given that water is under pressure from Salem’s treatment plant/wells all the way to residents’ water. |
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