By Jayson Jacoby

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Russ Nantz was feeling a lot better this morning about the fire that threatened his Baker County home as well as valuable grazing land and herds of cattle.

Nantz, foreman for the Three Valleys Ranch, one of the county’s biggest cattle outfits, said at 7:30 a.m. that crews fighting the Rye Valley fire near Huntington “had pretty well got it knocked down last night.”

The blaze, sparked by lightning Tuesday night, burned almost 1,400 acres, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry, which took over management of the fire from the BLM on Thursday.

“It’s looking a lot better this morning,” Nantz said.

Although he said he hasn’t inspected the entire section of ranch he oversees — about 30,000 acres, including BLM grazing allotments — Nantz said the fire didn’t burn any buildings or kill any cattle.

See more in Friday's issue of the Baker City Herald. 

Building Baker City’s Permanent UV Light Water Treatment Plant

S. John Collins / Baker City Herald Construction continues for the structure that will house the permanent ultraviolet light water treatment system at the Baker City reservoirs.

By Coby Hutzler

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

On track and under budget.

That’s how Baker City’s public works director, Michelle Owen, described the state of the new UV light water treatment plant being built next to the city’s reservoirs at the southwest corner of town.

“Everybody’s really worked to get this project going, so that’s a good thing,” Owen said. 

Not much of the progress has been visible so far, though. Much of the work that’s been done, including installing pipes and wiring, has gone underground.

Now, however, the building that will house the UV reactors has started to take shape. The walls are up, and trusses and roofing are the next components to be installed. A control room for all of the facilities on site is also in the works.

The plant can’t stop running if the power goes out, and Owen said that a new backup generator with higher output is also slated to be installed.

See more in Friday's issue of the Baker City Herald.