DONT DO IT, KID!
DON'T DO IT, KID! alien185 / Getty Images

Governor Kate Brown has announced a state of emergency for three Oregon counties—Marion, Polk, and Lake—all for water-related issues.

Marion and Polk counties are dealing with an algae bloom in Detroit Lake—the primary water source for residents of Salem—which has made public water unsafe to drink for children under six and those who are immunocompromised. Governor Brown directed Oregon's Military Department to deploy 10 clean water stations in the area. "Conditions continue to be closely monitored to ensure the health and safety of Detroit Lake water users," she said in a press release.

Lake County (south of Bend) is also in a sort-of water crisis—Brown declared a drought emergency for this southern county, which could worsen the region's coming wildfire season.

"The conditions in Lake County are already concerning," Brown said in a press release. "I'm directing state agencies to prioritize assistance in the area to help minimize the impacts drought conditions could have on the local economy." The emergency allows the county more flexibility in water management (ie: allowing governments to limit water usage).

The city of Salem has drawn some criticism for the way it handled its water emergency. The city's emergency alert system put out two alerts on Tuesday evening that alerted residents as far away as Woodburn of an undefined "Civil Emergency," without mentioning water at all. The alerts—which covered some areas completely unaffected by the water problem—provided so little context, they incited a bit of panic.


Concerned Salem residents then flooded Salem's emergency website, causing it to crash.