Portland sewer seeping at Tryon Creek
Down by where Tryon Creek crosses under Highway 43 in Lake Oswego, the City of Portland has a sewage treatment plant, to which it runs a couple of major sewer lines. One of the lines, which runs right along the creek itself, is 50 years old and showing signs of age, and now the city's starting a replacement project. The initial contract, just to plan the thing, is expected to run about $375,000; the bid solicitation document is here. It describes the problem as follows:
The project area is defined by a 2,500 feet long segment of 30-inch diameter steel-reinforced concrete sewer pipe located predominately along the lower segment of the Tryon Creek State Park Natural Area in southwest, Portland. Portions of the sewer pipeline are elevated above grade between the Tryon Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant and Highway 43 -- where it then lies underground under State Highway 43 -- then is elevated above grade again from Highway 43 along a riparian corridor parallel to the fall-line of the Tryon Creek stream channel. The elevated pipeline segments are supported by steel-reinforced concrete piers. Several piers are embedded into the hillside and upon the floor of the Tryon Creek stream channel.The downstream end of Tryon Creek lies under a heavily forested canopy, while the upper reach is developed with residential housing. Low and peak stream flows are estimated to range from between 1-30 cfs (summer) to 30-100 cfs (winter). The sewer pipeline and piers are approximately 50 years old.
Recent field inspections of the sewer and stream channel identified sewer infrastructure issues along several pipeline segments. These issues included seeping sewer pipe joints and manholes, and channel scour near pier footings -- those located within the stream channel.
We watch this area with particular suspicion these days, because the sewage treatment plant is uncomfortably close to the site of the proposed Homer Williams condo village. We would not be surprised if Portland sewer ratepayers got saddled with all sorts of costs to make Williams's latest misguided development dream "pencil out." And so caution should be the watchword.
| Posted at 12:47 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (14)
Gee, turns out the whole thing needs to be moved and redone anyways. How covenient to have this crop up now, as residents are trying to stop the closely tied-in tax giveaway for more private development projects.
Isn't this from to the same folks who gave us "gee, it turns out there really is crypto in that dangerous Bull Run water"?
Posted by Mr. Grumpy | April 26, 2012 3:00 PM
I really gotta get my eyes checked; I'd have sworn the headline here involved sewer peeping. Thought Sam was conducting inspections personally, there, for a bit....
Posted by Max | April 26, 2012 6:43 PM
Well sure the wastewater treatment plant has to be moved! Homer and Dyke said so over a year ago. For a moment there I actually dared to hope that these weasels would get their hooks out of LO when the PDX to LO streetcar was "not approved at this time". No streetcar, no condos. No condos, no need to move the sewer plant.
At Tuesday's LO city council meeting, WDW's hired guns, Matt Williams and the good folks from EcoNorthwest gave the council the one-two punch on the new and improved development plans for the district. One councilor wanted to know that if and when, sometime in the future, the citizens decided they wanted a streetcar, would the new plan accommodate one. The whiz kids said it may have to come into the city down Hwy. 43, but there would be a way. But then, if we don't like that plan, we can always vote for the same old crowd in Nov. and the streetcar plan can be reconstituted and it can be run into the Foothills district instead.
At the council meeting,WDW presented several options for their no-streetcar plans that would pencil out. I am sure that heavy city-built infrastructure would be needed (but it would pay for itself with TIF funds so no worries). At the city budget committee hearing tonight, it was pointed out that general fund income is expected to be flat with no increase in property tax so city services and salaries would be hurt - no help from any new construction since the city is gobbling up all new development in downtown and Lake Grove for URDs. Services down, development up, and WDW goes home rich.
Mayor Hoffman had the gall to suggest ways other cities are dealing with the flat income thing .... Up-zoning. Shake that money tree! Get rid of measly SF homes, get rid of housing altogether! What is the man thinking? I'm sure he's not alone, but what is the legacy of these scoundrels, and where are they going to call home? We won't be paying more in property taxes - just degraded quality of life and higher water & sewer fees. Ready for Plan C.
Posted by Nolo | April 26, 2012 10:00 PM
....just degraded quality of life and higher water & sewer fees...
I have been writing for some time about the loss of quality of life in our city. I don't know, maybe some of us are more sensitive to our surroundings, it seems to me that many people are not involved or aware at all. They do know the fees are increasing, but not informed as to how much more they will be increasing.
Portland ratepayers - I wonder how much we have been saddled with costs for private development?
Must be a myriad of ways this has been done.
Do those who are supposed to represent the people have no shame?
Posted by clinamen | April 27, 2012 12:00 AM
No.
Posted by Nolo | April 27, 2012 1:05 AM
From a LO Foothills Development consultant re: Tryon Creek WTP
http://www.ci.oswego.or.us/plan/Foothills/Foothills-DD-Project-Summary/4-transit%20land%20use%209-12.pdf
Wastewater Treatment Plant/ Mixed Use
The Bureau of Environmental Services will continue to operate its existing Tryon Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. This area:
• Accommodates projected 15-year plant expansion identified by BES Public Facilities plan.
• Provides visual buffers between plant activities and adjacent uses, as well as possible odor mitigation.
• Would be desirable as a future redevelopment site.
• Provides public trail access along Tryon Creek.
• Includes possible study of flood protection measures such as gates along Tryon Creek.
Posted by Nolo | April 27, 2012 1:22 AM
You just know everything is alive and well with the Foothills Redevelopment Plan when the crook and his three fools vote on anything regarding Foothills. With W.D.&W. still involved even with "no Streetcar" it's all just marking time until November when Judy hope things go her way electionwise. No matter what they say ain't nuthin' changed.
Posted by Anti-Luke | April 27, 2012 7:26 AM
I smell a rat-and it ain't your rat- it;s LO's rat....or is it a jackal?
Posted by K.W. | April 27, 2012 7:41 AM
The Fleecing of Portland...
The Fleecing of Lake Oswego?
The Fleecing of.....
Posted by clinamen | April 27, 2012 9:14 AM
Nolo, as I've posted before, the Portland/LO Streetcar isn't really dead. Even after the No vote by LO Council, CH2MHill and Leland Consulting Group presented the "Lake Oswego to Portland Transit Project-Johns Landing Development Assessment" dated Jan 2012. It stated:
"The streetcar was seen by virtually all parties interviewed as a strong positive asset..."
When this document was presented to the SoWhat URAC, they called the Streetcar as "on hold". That is why both Portland and LO city races need to ask their candidates their positions on this, then vote accordingly.
Posted by Lee | April 27, 2012 2:53 PM
Has anyone else noticed that people seem so busy, too busy to be engaged or too involved to have their eyes on the importance of this election?
I recently talked to someone who said they had no idea what the election was about,
he works two jobs and his mother is ill.
I have noticed that others who have children are kept very busy with many activities.
Posted by clinamen | April 27, 2012 6:18 PM
Lee, unfortunately, I don't doubt you a bit. I re-watched the Tue. LO City Council mtg. on TV again tonight and listened to stuff I missed on Tue. But both viewings shocked me in the level of advice-giving and pressure being applied by the consultants - the same ones who work on every one of these urban renewal debacles, the same ones who have been the foot soldiers for Homer and Dyke and their ilk for so many of these projects. They must have their own club house by now. This time it happened to be EcoNW. I thought their level of involvement in the discussions, interjections, arguments with councilors, and one-sided biases were highly inappropriate and they should have been called on it. But since they were doing the mayor's bidding too, who would stop them? When I see Lorelei at city meetings now, I know she's there to preach, brought out to give her pitch and, when pushed, deride the use of GO Bonds and citizen votes.
Even "our" own economic development director, Brant Williams, became numb and weak with fear when a councilor suggested that the city could reject the new proposal and the partnership agreement would be void. Wasn't he hired to bring this baby to fruition after all?
As I watched, it became clear how much each of these people had invested in seeing this project through. Of course it was for the money, but by now, each had ownership in the development and it was THEIRS and they were not going to be thwarted by 3 Impudent councilors who thought the citizens would not want or benefit from it. It was visceral.
Mayor Hoffman kept talking about wanting to keep "moving down the path" just to see where it would go and if it would pencil out, but the further they go, the more they feel bonded to the thing. It was grotesque. Unless Lake Oswegans get this vote right in Nov., we will have the "Next Great Neighborhood" on our hands and the debt and risk and congestion to go with it. Yes, Clineman, this vote is crucial.
Posted by Nolo | April 27, 2012 10:13 PM
Nolo,
I am sympathetic with any citizen who is a witness to these meetings. I have been there at these kind of meetings and the treatment towards the people is hard to take.
To all those good citizens who go to the meetings anyway, take care.
Portland needs to get the vote right in a few weeks. We are at crossroads and as you may have read on the blog, the game is to have three "selected" ones for Mayor for us to find out about to vote for, the rest are marginalized and not included in important debates.
My hope is that the people are wise to this pattern and will vote for the citizens not backed by the insiders.
Posted by clinamen | April 27, 2012 11:52 PM
For information about the pipe infrastructure, fish habitat, water quality, and land use issues: please see www.TryonCreekReport.com, the published document of the 2001 Tryon Creek Assessment Project. The assessment was an independent project paid for by state funds, and not tied to the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services. The assessment is the only full watershed assessment that has been done for Tryon Creek to date.
And, by the way in reference to the "50 year old pipes," all pipes leak, including not-so-old pipes.
There is a long history of leaking sewage into local creek systems due to pipe-surcharging, blockages, and similar overflows during heavy rain events.
It is a tragedy that that local sewer bureaus have been allowed to excavate within the riparian zones of our local streams to construct their pipe systems; while at the same time siting storm water outfalls in the creeks as well. These inappropriately placed storm drains result in massive erosion of the creek banks, badly degrading riparian habitat for fish and wildlife. Tryon Creek is the last remaining salmonid habitat on the west side of Portland. The northside of the creek, just across from the BES sewage treatment plant, is a recently acquired Metro greenspace, not that Metro has been particularly vigilant in actually protecting stream habitat in areas outside its own parks.
Posted by Liz Callison | May 7, 2012 8:42 AM