Operations were humming at Salem and Turner water stations installed in response to low levels of toxins found in the city drinking water.
Over three hours, councilors grilled city staff members on why they decided to wait until Tuesday to disclose to the public the city’s water was contaminated.
Salem’s water crisis drew questions and criticism from some of Oregon’s state and congressional lawmakers.
The advisory level for healthy adults is 3 parts per billion and for vulnerable populations — children under 6 years of age and people with weak immune systems — is 0.7 parts per billion.
The results received May 25 spurred a same-day meeting at 1 p.m. of city officials including Public Works Director Peter Fernandez.
"The decision after the meeting was that we were — regardless of what the next sample might show — we were within that 10-day health advisory" period and didn’t issue a public alert.
"Even today, we’re still (within) that 10-day health advisory for vulnerable populations," Fernandez said.
We need timely access to critical information.
To that end, Courtney told leaders of the Oregon Office of Emergency Management and Oregon Health Authority to expect a hearing on emergency preparedness this September.
In addition, the water advisory and possibility of future toxic algae blooms, along with a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposal that would draw down Detroit Lake, might place Salem’s longstanding water supply in jeopardy.

SALEM, Ore. (KOIN) — The tap water advisory for "vulnerable population" continues in Salem with more water sample results expected Saturday afternoon.
Two days of positive results are required before the advisory can be lifted, officials said.
The advisory — due to the detection of cyanotoxins in the water — is in effect for children under 6, pregnant and nursing women and others with certain medical conditions.
Healthy adults are not affected.
Do Not Boil the tap water.
Gov.
Kate Brown declared a State of Emergency and ordered the Oregon National Guard to set up free clean water stations in Salem and Stayton.
Those water stations began operating Thursday evening.
They also have a list of Frequently Asked Questions, including who is affected, why is there an advisory and why was the advisory issued Tuesday and not sooner?
The city is doing further testing and will determine if an advisory is necessary, but as of now there is no advisory.

Hotels and locals have urged tourists to stay away from the popular Indian tourist city of Shimla as it is suffering a severe water shortage.
The Himalayan city has been hit by the crisis for more than a week, causing some hotels to shut.
A social media campaign urging tourists to stay away and "let the place breathe for a while" has gone viral.
On Tuesday, locals protested outside the chief minister’s house and clashed with police.
Is India facing its worst-ever water crisis?
Hotels that normally accommodate thousands of tourists, who are a key source of income, have had to turn away guests and refund bookings.
"We have had to close our doors because we’re not able to accept any more bookings," Gopal Agarwal, owner of Gulmohar Regency, told the BBC.
According to local reports, the Shimla administration has postponed a popular tourist event, the International Shimla Summer Festival, although it is unclear if this is water-related.
Travel agencies across India have also had to dissuade clients from going to Shimla.
Some 85% of the country’s drinking water comes from aquifers, but their levels are falling, according to WaterAid.

Efficient and better management of water resources is the key to provide a universal access to clean water and sanitation, according to professor Stefan Uhlenbrook, director of UNESCO Programme Office for Global Water Assessment.
The research carried out by the UN found that 2.1 billion people across the globe still lack access to safely managed drinking water while 4.5 billion people are still deprived of safely managed sanitation services.
The professor opined that the lack of access to safely managed drinking water and sanitation services presents a global challenge to the civil engineers.
In his lecture delivered at the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), Uhlenbrook presented findings from the evidence-based review to establish the global baseline status of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG) 6, which focuses on the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation.
Uhlenbrook revealed that all heads of UN member states have agreed that to achieve SDG6 it is necessary to implement integrated water resources management (IWRM), which would ensure that the water resources are shared effectively among many competing demands, including across country borders.
Currently, only 38% of countries across the globe have implemented medium-high IWRM in 2017/18.
Other countries have also suggested certain measures such as increasing water-use efficiency by reducing water losses by addressing leakages in municipal distribution networks, to achieve SDG 6.
ICE engineering knowledge director Nathan Baker said: “The ‘water goal’ is essential for progress on all other SDGs, with sustainable water management enabling social development, such as improving health and reducing poverty and promoting economic growth across many industries.
“Civil engineers are in a unique and privileged position to help achieve the UN SDGs and ICE is committed to doing all it can to help the engineering sector develop practical steps to tackle SDG 6.
“The time has come to turn words into action and ICE is facilitating the global debate on engineering solutions at a Global Engineering Congress in October this year.” Newsletter For all the latest pharmaceutical industry news, sign up for our regular updates.

As a proposed tax, the budget trailer bill would require a two-thirds vote by both the Assembly and the Senate in favor to pass.
Given the need to resolve this critical social issue as soon as possible, it’s understandable that supporters of the proposal are attracted to a new funding source.
But this problem can be solved without a tax on water.
There are better approaches.
A package of funds comprised of ongoing federal safe drinking water funds, voter-approved general obligation bonds – two of which are on the ballot this year – proposed assessments related to nitrates in groundwater that are already part of the legislation, and a limited amount of state general fund dollars already collected by the state makes sense.
The amount of general fund money needed for this alternative is less than one-10th of 1 percent of the governor’s proposed budget.
This funding package is a far more practical way to make safe drinking water accessible for all Californians, without burdening Californians with another tax.
Another alternative is the creation in state law of an irrevocable safe and affordable drinking water trust that would establish a perpetual source of funding.
Other viable alternatives include lease revenue bonds or allocation of a percentage of Cap-and-Trade funding for safe drinking water.
Join me in opposing a drinking water tax and supporting more appropriate alternative funding solutions.

The city of Keizer says it’s willing to share its drinking water with Salem-area residents who’ve been warned by officials to not consume what comes out of their taps due to the discovery of low levels of algae toxin.
The water source for Keizer, located next to Salem, is separate from the recent algae bloom from the Detroit Reservoir, the city announced Wednesday.
Three water stations with 24-hour access have been opened at Keizer City Hall in the parking lot near Chalmers Jones Skate Park.
The Detroit Reservoir supplies water to the cities of Salem and Turner, as well as areas served by the Suburban East Salem Water District and Orchard Heights Water Association.
The city of Salem announced Tuesday that water testing last week found cyanotoxins and warned against children younger than 6, pets, anyone with poor health or immune systems, and others vulnerable people from drinking tap water.
City officials said the water is harmless to shower in and wash your hands or dishes in, as well as to clean or do laundry.
Drinking the water could cause symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea.
It can also lead to kidney and liver damage.
It’s not immediately clear when the advisory will be lifted.
Officials recommend bottled water as an alternative for drinking and cooking.

As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, officials had not determined where those distribution locations would be, where the water would come from, or whether they will give out bottles or ask people to bring their own containers.
A full list is available on the Chamber’s Facebook page.
"All of our residents have water and everything is operating as normal."
Govus said the district will deliver another wave of about 46,000 water bottles Wednesday evening and Thursday morning to get students and staff through the week.
Schools in Keizer are excluded since they get their water from a different supply.
Successful meal preparation measures have been taken in schools so cooks can use bottled water or make meals without water, Govus said.
Salem- and canyon-area pantries were also told about additional water bottles available through the food share.
Home health care providers, for example, will be able to get water bottles from the food share to take to patients who are affected.
Willamette Humane Society officials said they use about 2,000 gallons of water a day to water the animals, clean and more.
The shelter plans to open the pump house to community members in need of water for their pets.

About 20 students walked around London’s downtown streets with two large buckets of water on Wednesday afternoon.
They called it a water walk to raise awareness about the scarcity of clean drinking water in developing countries.
Julianna Mereu, 17, is a student at Central secondary school and helped organize the walk alongside students in her school’s social justice club.
“It’s for the millions of people in developing countries that have to walk hours each day to get water,” Mereu said.
Students at the school have to hold two campaigns a year for Me to We.
Before they had the water walk, Mereu and her teammates in the social justice club researched what clean water access is like around the world.
Then, they decided what type of fundraiser or event they wanted to hold to raise funds and awareness.
She hopes even after she graduates, the water walk will continue to a point where it is no longer needed.
Kevin Wild, Central secondary school’s vice-principal said students organized the walk themselves and he’s glad to see students taking an initiative like this.
“And this is one of the global issues that’s prominent right now and there are things we can do to help.”

Poland Central School District Kids Against Pollution, Poverty and Prejudice club members string beads together for a project with Just One Africa that will help supply clean drinking water to people in Kenya.
“It makes me feel happy and grateful.” Poland students in the school’s Kids Against Pollution, Poverty and Prejudice club worked on the bead project after school.
The project is done through nonprofit organization Just One Africa’s “Beads for Water” program.
As the bracelets are sold, 100 percent of the profit goes to Just One Africa’s clean water program.
For every five bracelets sold, Just One Africa can purchase a clean water filter for the Kenyan communities.
Elementary students in the club then did the stringing of the beads along with the organizers.
“I’m glad to see the kids having so much fun, and we’re actually helping people, so it’s really cool.” Lynch said she is happy that the club was able to take on a global-level project and that the students’ effort will have an impact on African people getting drinking water.
“We’re helping impoverished people in Africa get clean water they don’t have access to.” Fourth-grader Trent Hobin, 10, said doing the project is stopping people in Africa from having to drink dirty water with diseases in it.
“It seems pretty fun, and I’m helping the African people,” she said.
It feels pretty good on the inside because knowing I can help others is honestly pretty cool.”

Now that the Columnist has resumed we want to remind the readership that the column is meant to monitor and report on issues that concerns the people of the rural communities in terms of how their development is hindered or facilitated, and that rural development is a process that aims to improve the standard of living of people living in those communities.
According to Robert chambers, rural development is a strategy that enables a specific group of people, poor rural women and men, gain for themselves and their children, more of what they want and need.
The group includes small scale farmers, tenants and the landless.
Thus, the term rural development may be used to imply any one of the above-mentioned connotations.
Increasing the population’s access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation, dramatically reduces their susceptibility to water-borne diseases and increases their likelihood, especially for women and children, from incurring additional expenses related to treatment.
However, there are villages in the Gambia that are finding it difficult to get clean drinking water.
In the last edition, we highlighted the views of the residents of Sinchu Pallen village in Sabach Sanjal District of the North Bank Region of the Gambia.
The villagers who spoke to the columnist on a recent visit to the area, said they travel to neighboring villages to get water, because there is not fit for drinking; that they travel to Yalaba to get safe drinking water every day.
Fatou Joof asserted that they travel daily to get portable water compounding their drudgery; that their major problem in the village is water even though the neighboring village which is less than one kilometer away, has a bore-hole.
Fatou called on both the Central and Local Government Authorities to help them minimize their drudgery, by addressing the water crisis.