PORTLAND, OREGON — Don Myron is probably best known as the guy who survived one of the deadliest fires in Oregon’s history by sheltering overnight in a river with a patio chair. So there was never any question that Myron would rebuild his home in Oregon’s Santiam Canyon after the house was destroyed in the Labor Day wildfires of 2020.
The well Myron shared with nearby homeowners was no longer available, which meant one of his first tasks was to drill his own new source for drinking water.
“It’s hard to rebuild without water,” Myron said. “It’s hard to do anything without water. It was a priority.”
But with climate change confronting communities across the West, people who rely on wells are at particular risk as wildfires grow […]
I remember my grandfather having a well which was outside the house and it was difficult to get it going especially in the winter. You had to have water to “prime” it in order to bring up any water. So everyone always had to remember not to use up all the water in the house before trying to get the pump going.