Portland water bureau going stingy on the mothballs
Opponents of disconnecting Portland's in-town open reservoirs -- and substituting budget-busting underground tanks -- are far from satisfied with the city's efforts to put the disconnect effort on hold. The city's asking the state for a "variance" of current federal regulations that require burial of the reservoirs, but as the activists note, this week the City Council will vote on a mere five-year delay of these projects, rather than an indefinite suspension.
A group led by Floy "Fly in the Ointment" Jones is asking these questions about this week's action by the council:
What about all of the consultant contracts associated with the Kelly Butte tank project, the Mt. Tabor disconnect and Bull Run UV radiation treatment plant design? When will they be terminated? Why continue to waste money designing projects that will provide no measurable public health benefit and while the LT2 rule is under revision, a process EPA says will take until 2016 (and could last longer)? There is no disease in the community related to Bull Run drinking water.Why is the Water Bureau's scientific-data document (reservoir) not available for public review and revision right now? A public records request has been made but no Bureau response. This document would need to accompany a City's request for a revised reservoir compliance timeline? NYC prepared its data document in 2008 with additional substantive, detailed information submitted to EPA in 2011. PWB awarded cozy-consultant design contracts while NYC took advantage of every opportunity and made its case for a rule revision and permanent protection for its open reservoir, opening the door for all communities.
The trust is just not there, people. Nor should it be.
| Posted at 12:44 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (3)
The variance process has been a failed strategy from the beginning. The idea that it will "buy us time" or "half a loaf is better than none" is unfounded. These are the rationale for the pathway taken by those who believe we would have been treated honestly.
The failed variance process did buy time for the unscrupulous persons making money as time has dragged on with no outcome except continued uncertainty and weak Resolutions. Enough is enough.
Warnings for years that the variance is would turn out to be a fiasco continue to prove correct. It remains; expensive, wasteful, unreliable, arbitrary, subject to many levels of government agencies where any of them can intervene in the process and thwart the public will of no treatment and keeping open reservoir.
As EPA Administrator Jackson said, "rely on the science". It has been shown the EPA LT2 flawed science deserves at least a Waiver, but more importantly, it should be repealed.
Posted by Scott Fernandez M.Sc. biology/ microbiology | January 30, 2012 2:52 PM
"the variance is would turn out to be a fiasco continue"
I agree, but what are you going to do when EPA gets a 35% budget increase in 2 years and no one says no to them.
Plus Randy can just raise rates 50% because he feels like it without any justification and no one says no to him.
Posted by Steve | January 30, 2012 5:40 PM
The trust is just not there, people. Nor should it be.
It hasn't been there for a long time.
Goes way back to when it was our own PWB apparently who played a huge role
in bringing about this very LT2 rule.
It has become quite obvious when one can see the difference in how much NY has done for their community versus how our little our PWB and council have done for us.
PWB knew that this rule would be reviewed.
It looks like they have been on a race to put the nail in the coffin before then,
spending as much as they could and creating more debt.
Posted by clinamen | January 30, 2012 10:45 PM