On May 30, 2018, the Oregon Health Authority issued an advisory for children and vulnerable populations to not drink tap water.  Earlier that day low levels of toxic blue-green algae in Detroit Lake had been detected.  Detroit Lake flows into the North Santiam River. Salem has long used water from the North Santiam River for its drinking water. It draws its water for filtration at Geren Island east of Stayton and pipes it 15 miles to Salem, passing through Turner along the way. It was the first-time toxins in Detroit Lake reached levels high enough to cause a public health emergency (5).  Water Association Authorities said that boiling the water would not remove the toxins and could increase the toxin levels, most filters also do not remove the toxins. People were advised to use bottled water for drinking, making infant formula, ice, or food preparation until the advisory is lifted (1). By June 22, toxins spiked above safe levels (2) so an official alert was sent to Salem residents. Stores quickly sold out of bottled water, and the Oregon National Guard set up free water stations throughout the city. Restaurants switched to bottled water, and some coffee shops temporarily shuttered. City officials temporarily added powdered activated carbon to the drinking water treatment process to remove cyanotoxins (5). The City of Salem continues to monitor water quality conditions in the Detroit Reservoir and the North Santiam Watershed by collecting water quality test data five days a week from North Santiam River water as it enters the intake at the Geren Island Treatment Facility near Stayton. Water quality testing at Aldersgate after treatment continues once a week.  (4)After the water crisis, Salem outlined plans for a 75 million ozone treatment center which was planned tbe be fully operational by Spring 2021 (6).Ozone is one of the strongest disinfectants used to treat drinking water. Ozone treatment will be the city's \"robust, long-term insurance policy against cyanotoxins.  Plans for a $22-million project for new groundwater wells and an $11.5-million project for aquifer storage and recovery improvements at Woodmansee Park.(4) By the end of September 2018, the Oregon Legislature considered allocating more than $1.2 million to equip state agencies in responding to algal toxin contaminations.  State lawmakers have recommended $160,000 for the Oregon Health Authority to fund a permanent and a temporary position in the state’s drinking water program. The state is also recommended $750,000 for the state Department of Agriculture for laboratory equipment, and $380,000 for the state Department of Environmental Quality for four positions to continue cyanotoxin testing at 94 facilities(3). The Oregon legislature authorized $27 million in lottery bonds for Salem to be issued in 2021 (4).  The funds would pay for water system improvements at Geren Island, where the city takes water from the North Santiam River to filter for its drinking water supply. Turner would receive 3 million of the 27 million package. The funds would go to the construction of a permanent pump station at Franzen Reservoir, and the construction of 4,500 feet of waterline to replace a smaller and aging water line in the city. (6) The City of Turner purchases its water from Salem. The small city ties its water system into Salem's water transmission lines at four places. Salem officials wanted to change the system so toxins can be filtered out downstream of Turner's Franzen Reservoir, before distribution to Turner's residents. This would require the consolidation of the four connection points to be one with Franzen Reservoir acting as a buffer for Salem's water system. The change would create problems for Turner. Moving the inlet for Turner's water would reduce the pressure in the ground zone by 40 percent. This would cause areas in the city to not have enough pressure for firefighting. A three-story apartment complex being built on Turner Lake, wouldn't have enough pressure on the upper floors (7). To make up for lost funding, Turner refinanced its water bond debt, saving the city around $120,000, and the city council approved a water and sewer rate exchange saving the city about $40,000 per year but cost neutral to residents. The money was enough to start engineering projects but does not cover everything needed.  With funding from the legislature unlikely, Turner prepared to ask a variety of entities including the state's federal delegation, Business Oregon, the Governor's Regional Solutions team, Oregon Emergency Management and other sources for grants or low-interest loans. Any rate increases for residents to cover improvements would be high, which is something the city is trying to avoid. The city has about three years to complete the improvements. The design is likely to take a year and construction could take another year. That leaves the city a year to find the money (7). The Covid-19 crisis halted the funds in September 2020, with Salem Officials deciding to move forward with the $46-million ozone treatment system at Geren Island to effectively remove cyanotoxins from water.  The decision for safe water meant potential funding cuts for other public works projects (4). To make up for lost funding, Turner refinanced its water bond debt, saving the city around $120,000, and the city council approved a water and sewer rate exchange saving the city about $40,000 per year but cost neutral to residents. The money was enough to start engineering projects but does not cover everything needed.  With funding from the legislature unlikely, Turner prepared to ask a variety of entities including the state's federal delegation, Business Oregon, the Governor's Regional Solutions team, Oregon Emergency Management and other sources for grants or low-interest loans. Any rate increases for residents to cover improvements would be high, which is something the city is trying to avoid. The city has about three years to complete the improvements. The design is likely to take a year and construction could take another year. That leaves the city a year to find the money (6). Similar events around the country are becoming more frequent, researchers say this trend represents another impact of global warming.  “It’s absolutely certain in my mind that warming temperatures are going to end up causing more of these algal blooms,” said Steven Chapra, an environmental engineering professor at Tufts University.  Chapra led a team including scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in one of the most comprehensive studies to date of the interplay between global warming and the blooms, published in 2017. Because they prefer warm water, higher summer temperatures and more frequent heat waves help the organisms.  More frequent droughts also cause reservoirs to be shallower in summer, causing them to warm faster. More intense rainstorms, also conclusively linked to climate change, can wash more nutrients into lakes and reservoirs, especially from farms where nitrogen and phosphorous-rich fertilizers are used. According to a report by Oregon Public Broadcasting, testing for the blooms isn’t required by either federal or state law. Researchers say that needs to change because blooms are likely to become more common, including in states where low temperatures had previously provided protection from algal blooms. These things like you’re seeing in Lake Erie and in Oregon are kind of like the canary in the coal mine,” said Chapra, the Tufts researcher. “It’s going to get worse, and it’s going to get worse in a big way.” This raises questions about the effects on human health as the impact of cyanotoxins is only partly understood. It is known that high doses of the toxins in humans can cause liver damage and attack the nervous system. But less is known about exposure at lower doses, especially over the long term. Small studies have linked exposure to liver cancer One toxin is classified as a carcinogen, and others have pointed to potential links to neurodegenerative disease. (2)