County to vote on lifting burn ban
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, October 5th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
UMATILLA COUNTY – The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners holds a meeting this morning at 9 and putting an end to the temporary burn ban is on the agenda. The non-agricultural burn ban is historically enacted at the start of wildfire season and is lifted in the fall. This year the burn was put into effect on July 14.
Ending the ban doesn’t mean that people can just start burning whenever they want. Smoke management and burn permit holders are required to check for status by calling 541-278-6397 or on the county website. According to the county, burn bans in neighboring jurisdictions including Pendleton and Milton-Freewater will be lifting their bans in the next five to 10 days.
The commissioners will also consider granting American Rescue Plan Act funds to area communities. Those include $400,000 to Athena for housing development, $100,000 to Pilot Rock for Birch Creek flooding mitigation and another $100,000 for upgrades at the senior center, and $35,000 to Helix for community center renovations.
The meeting is being held in Room 130 of the Umatilla County Courthouse in Pendleton. It can also be joined at Google Meets at https://meet.google.com/wkm-ytyp-uhr?authuser=0&hs=122
