Clean air and water in Oregon (Eugene, Salem: house, to buy, public schools)

[darjeeling]

Was checking out Sperlings Best Places and almost all of Oregon rates low on air and water quality.I know Weyerhauser is a major polluter and getting away from Weyerhauser in Oregon would be almost impossible.Does anyone have an thoughts or comments or feel that some areas are cleaner than others.Found a neat place in Alsea but is was surrounded on 2 sides by Weyerhauser and when I called them to ask about spraying their spraying schedule was hard for me to deal with so I didn't pursue that property. .Being chemically sensitive makes it hard but on the other hand us folks get a heads up before we get the major problems associated with chemicals.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks
Darjeeling

[Reader123]

I don't know but when you figure it out, let me know. My older son has asthma, so air quality is a major issue for us. Have you looked at scorecard.org? You can put in the zip code for the area you're interested in and make comparisons.

[Leisesturm]

Its all very, very relative! Coming from NYC any other area of the country (except maybe downtown L.A.) is going to look good. My GF and I rave daily about how great the air is here (PDX). To us it feels as if the air is falling into your body. It is the first thing you notice when you leave NYC. Although we are doing it at present, drinking straight tap water isn't something one should do anywhere in the world. A good water filter should let you remove that parameter from the equation and you might find that Alsea's air quality isn't all that bad but if it is there are tons of area's where it is much better. You are never going to find totally unspoiled air and water and civilization. Unfortunately.

H

[Krystle]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

Its all very, very relative! Coming from NYC any other area of the country (except maybe downtown L.A.) is going to look good.

I agree. I spent most of my life just north of NYC and out here it feels clean, clean, clean. I keep running into issues of comparison and I'm realizing that most of the bones people pick out here are only splinters when compared to the issues facing big cities. That's not to minimize people's concerns or anything, but a reminder that Oregonians have it amazingly good out here, so enjoy it and don't take it for granted!

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by darjeeling

Was checking out Sperlings Best Places and almost all of Oregon rates low on air and water quality.I know Weyerhauser is a major polluter and getting away from Weyerhauser in Oregon would be almost impossible.Does anyone have an thoughts or comments or feel that some areas are cleaner than others.Found a neat place in Alsea but is was surrounded on 2 sides by Weyerhauser and when I called them to ask about spraying their spraying schedule was hard for me to deal with so I didn't pursue that property. .Being chemically sensitive makes it hard but on the other hand us folks get a heads up before we get the major problems associated with chemicals.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks
Darjeeling

If you are looking at smaller more rural towns, I think you might have a hard time since in Oregon unless you head to eastern Oregon past Bend. The valley is agricultural so you do see the crop dusters out and of course the trees are crops for the logging companies.

I don't know how sensitive you are, but would dealing with the crop dusters be easier than the loggers? I know some people spray for bugs by their house and have reactions. Not sure how severe you are.

I guess I'm thinking to avoid the pesticides and insecticides associated with agriculture, would it be easier to be in a larger town?

[NightBazaar]

To the OP: Although it may not be 100%, any pollution caused by Weyerhauser is much less than it ever was in the past thanks to improved filtration systems.

In the summer, usually starting around mid-July and ending around the end of August, much of the pollution in the Mid to South-Willamette Valley comes from field burning. The Eugene-Springfield area, which is at the bottom of the valley, gets the brunt of pollution that's swept down the valley from the north. But that too has been substantially reduced from its levels in the past.

Perhaps the greatest air quality problem in the valley is in the Spring and is more related to high pollen count caused by ryegrass and other types of grass fields grown for seed harvest. Pollen causes a lot of the allergy problems around here. However, some people suffer from allergies and some don't.

I guess it all depends on whether you want to live in a larger city, or something much smaller and more rural. I would certainly have to guess that Alsea, as other coastal cities, don't experience too much problem from any spraying because of the winds generally coming in from the west would tend to blow eastward toward the coastal mountain range. The exception would be if you live virtually next to a tree farm. Then, yes, that could be a problem for people who are sensitive to chemical spraying.

East of the Cascades although much more pollution free, you'll still find farms with grasses and trees. The tradeoff is climate, which tends to get pretty hot in the Summer and very cold in the Winter.

Climate in the Willamette Valley tends to be very mild in comparison, although there can be a lot of rain from Autumn to Spring. However, that rain also helps reduce pollutants.

Personally, the valley offers more variety for a number of activities, and is centrally located to both the Oregon Coast and the Cascade Mountains. I would think after weighing out various factors, you might find it pretty good in the Eugene-Springfield area, the Albany-Corvallis area, or Salem and its surrounding communities.

I've lived in the Willamette Valley for probably close to 50 years, and although I have a few allergic problems, they can be managed. Of all the areas in Oregon, I prefer it here, although that's not to say other areas aren't good. The climate is milder. If allergies are a problem, then I'd suggest seeing an physician that specializes in treating allergies. Once its determined what you are allergic to, then treatments can be administered to either reduce the problem, or hopefully eliminate it altogether by helping your system develop greater immunity to the allergens.

As for avoiding areas known to have more chemical spraying programs, if you feel concerned about it, then perhaps such areas should be scratched off your list of places to move to. I doubt it would be a major problem, but for your own peace of mind, a different location might be a better choice.

Just keep in mind that whatever problems you come across, there's always a solution to resolve them, one way or another.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

[haggardhouseelf]

I imagine you are having a very hard time trying to find "clean" places... they even spray on highways and along city streets... it's almost impossible to know where pesticides and other chemicals have been sprayed. They even spray public schools and downtown areas... it seems like it would be impossible to avoid it altogether. Even our foods have pesticides and chemicals in them unless you're able to buy 100% organic or grow your own.

Have you thought about Australia? I know it might sound crazy, but their standards for these sorts of things seem more stringent and much higher standard than ours.

I used to work at Whole Foods market and we had several people come in who had chemical sensitivities... a few wrapped their bodies completely in plastic so that chemicals wouldn't get on their skin, and they all wore face masks. They would always come through my line because I didn't wear makeup or perfume and I didn't have any tattoos. Even so they still always asked me to put plastic bags over my hands before I bagged their groceries. I always felt bad for them. Other people laughed at them or talked about them like they were crazy, but really... until you are in a situation you really have no earthly idea what's going on or what they are going through.

[haggardhouseelf]

Oh and also I meant to say - my oldest son suffered from severe asthma in California, Texas, and was beginning to suffer again this past year in Washington state - but he has never had any problems - and requires n medication - as long as we stay in the Eugene area. He's never had any problems in Oregon at all. There's less people here, perhaps less people to stink the place up, and the people who are here seem to have it together as far as trying to reduce their impact... many do, anyway... so I agree with NightBazaar... the only thing bothering us right now is the cottonwood! I just vacuum that stuff up... it is pretty, but it is annoying my husband - he's allergic to it.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by haggardhouseelf

I imagine you are having a very hard time trying to find "clean" places... they even spray on highways and along city streets... it's almost impossible to know where pesticides and other chemicals have been sprayed. They even spray public schools and downtown areas... it seems like it would be impossible to avoid it altogether. Even our foods have pesticides and chemicals in them unless you're able to buy 100% organic or grow your own.

Have you thought about Australia? I know it might sound crazy, but their standards for these sorts of things seem more stringent and much higher standard than ours.

I used to work at Whole Foods market and we had several people come in who had chemical sensitivities... a few wrapped their bodies completely in plastic so that chemicals wouldn't get on their skin, and they all wore face masks. They would always come through my line because I didn't wear makeup or perfume and I didn't have any tattoos. Even so they still always asked me to put plastic bags over my hands before I bagged their groceries. I always felt bad for them. Other people laughed at them or talked about them like they were crazy, but really... until you are in a situation you really have no earthly idea what's going on or what they are going through.

I always feel bad for people that are that sensitive. I think because of Howard Hughes paranoia over germs people tend to think it's a phobia rather than a real legitimate medical issue.

[NightBazaar]

Originally Posted by haggardhouseelf

the only thing bothering us right now is the cottonwood! I just vacuum that stuff up... it is pretty, but it is annoying my husband - he's allergic to it.

LOL! Cottonwood. Yeah, you're right. Right now, where we are, it's as thick as snow along the curbs, etc. They don't bother me, except for the mess, but my wife seems to be allergic to them as well. I think probably because of the fine almost invisible 'hairs' that separate and drift around. That could cause irritation. Interestingly, cottonwoods aren't native to Oregon. Neither are blackberries or nutria.