Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Questions & Answers
By what authority does the city of Portland have dictating what happens in Washington County? Isn't their authority limited to Multnomah county?
Response: The City of Portland was issued a permit from Washington County to construct and operate the existing Fanno pump station. I do understand that historically the City of Portland has owned and operated multiple pump stations that have served the basin. As we discussed at the public meeting last week, five older pump stations (roughly 1950's era) were replaced by the Fanno Pump Station (Fanno PS) when it came online in late 1999. I don't have the specific details of the agreement between Portland and Washington County regarding the 'authority' referred to in this question. I do know that the flows that the Fanno system manages have not and are not predicted to be sent to any other agency anytime in the future. This seems relevant if the questioner is interested in understanding why the facility is located where it is, i.e. outside of Multnomah County, (historically, this area has been treated by the City of Portland). Service districts and county lines rarely meet up as 'black and white' distinctions at their borders.
As an aside, some have asked if the five older stations could be rehabilitated to replace the Fanno pump station. It is relevant to note that most (if not all) of these five stations have been removed or deconstructed. One was formerly sited at the SE corner of SW 45th Ave and SW Vermont. This location is currently occupied by the front steps and door of the SW Community Center.
Why don't they build this facility in Multnomah County?
Response: Some, but not all, of the five older pump stations that Fanno PS replaced were in Multnomah County. However, when the Fanno PS was designed it needed to be at (or near) the lowest point, (in terms of elevation), in the Fanno basin in order to collect all of the flows. The Fanno PS receives the wastewater that comes to it by gravity. This spot that I am referring to, (the lowest elevation in the Fanno basin) is not located in Multnomah County, it is located, more or less, where the existing Fanno PS is located, which is clearly in Washington County.
So, from the perspective of both of the above questions, it seems most appropriate to restate that historically the City of Portland has been, and will continue to be, responsible for treating the wastewater from the Fanno basin. In order to collect these flows of wastewater the pump station needed to be located where it is currently located near the Portland Golf Club. Moving the existing pump station, for example, east into Multnomah County would not allow the pump station to collect wastewater from the Fanno basin by gravity since this supposed location would be at a higher elevation than the existing site.
Who is the FINAL deciding authority on this project? What involvement does (sic) Washington County authorities have in this?
Response: It is difficult to identify a 'final' authority because of the complexity of permitting a project such as this one. If the questioner could provide a more detailed question I may be able to share more relevant information. That being said, BES will apply to Washington County for a land use review and eventually building permits for this facility. Washington County will also facilitate some of the other permits needed for this project, (i.e. needed permits issued by other agencies such as Clean Water Services for example).
I am sharing these responses with the group of residents that has emailed me since 9.18.09. The majority of these residents seem to be in, or near, the Vista Brook neighborhood and could therefore benefit from these responses. Thank you for taking the time to send me these questions.
Stephen
Response: The City of Portland was issued a permit from Washington County to construct and operate the existing Fanno pump station. I do understand that historically the City of Portland has owned and operated multiple pump stations that have served the basin. As we discussed at the public meeting last week, five older pump stations (roughly 1950's era) were replaced by the Fanno Pump Station (Fanno PS) when it came online in late 1999. I don't have the specific details of the agreement between Portland and Washington County regarding the 'authority' referred to in this question. I do know that the flows that the Fanno system manages have not and are not predicted to be sent to any other agency anytime in the future. This seems relevant if the questioner is interested in understanding why the facility is located where it is, i.e. outside of Multnomah County, (historically, this area has been treated by the City of Portland). Service districts and county lines rarely meet up as 'black and white' distinctions at their borders.
As an aside, some have asked if the five older stations could be rehabilitated to replace the Fanno pump station. It is relevant to note that most (if not all) of these five stations have been removed or deconstructed. One was formerly sited at the SE corner of SW 45th Ave and SW Vermont. This location is currently occupied by the front steps and door of the SW Community Center.
Why don't they build this facility in Multnomah County?
Response: Some, but not all, of the five older pump stations that Fanno PS replaced were in Multnomah County. However, when the Fanno PS was designed it needed to be at (or near) the lowest point, (in terms of elevation), in the Fanno basin in order to collect all of the flows. The Fanno PS receives the wastewater that comes to it by gravity. This spot that I am referring to, (the lowest elevation in the Fanno basin) is not located in Multnomah County, it is located, more or less, where the existing Fanno PS is located, which is clearly in Washington County.
So, from the perspective of both of the above questions, it seems most appropriate to restate that historically the City of Portland has been, and will continue to be, responsible for treating the wastewater from the Fanno basin. In order to collect these flows of wastewater the pump station needed to be located where it is currently located near the Portland Golf Club. Moving the existing pump station, for example, east into Multnomah County would not allow the pump station to collect wastewater from the Fanno basin by gravity since this supposed location would be at a higher elevation than the existing site.
Who is the FINAL deciding authority on this project? What involvement does (sic) Washington County authorities have in this?
Response: It is difficult to identify a 'final' authority because of the complexity of permitting a project such as this one. If the questioner could provide a more detailed question I may be able to share more relevant information. That being said, BES will apply to Washington County for a land use review and eventually building permits for this facility. Washington County will also facilitate some of the other permits needed for this project, (i.e. needed permits issued by other agencies such as Clean Water Services for example).
I am sharing these responses with the group of residents that has emailed me since 9.18.09. The majority of these residents seem to be in, or near, the Vista Brook neighborhood and could therefore benefit from these responses. Thank you for taking the time to send me these questions.
Stephen
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Other input
Good Morning Jen,
In receiving responses from circulars delivered regarding the historical time line, I have gathered that I need to get in touch with two neighbors who can give an historical perspective. Mike Dennis, who with his wife Mary, live on the creek at the bridge across from us. He is an engineer that can help. He has been so busy this past week, but his wife Mary said he plans to attend this meeting. I have not met him as yet.
Another gentleman named Paul, was the secretary for the Fanno Creek Pond Association. He is also difficult to get in touch with, but I hope his input will help.
If you wish, please call Marie. She has been in phone contact with neighbors have given us information. We both will be attending other prior events, but plan on leaving them so we can arrive at 8 tonight.
A number of emails and calls have all been very supportive of being kept informed.
Here is one more key performer that may provide energy…but at what cost we shall see.
Thanks, John
*****************************************************************************
John-
Thanks for keeping us informed about the plans for doubling the size of the Fanno Creek Sewage Pump Station. I am mad as hell about this situation and will do whatever I can to stop it. I was opposed to the pump station 5-6 years (?) ago when it was originally proposed to us by BES. I was and continue to be amazed and aghast that the City of Portland chose to pump sewage uphill to North Portland when it could have used gravity to send it downhill to Washington County. I asked why couldnt Portland simply invest in increasing the capacity of Washington Co's (Clean Water Services' sewage treatment plant and send the sewage downhill to them, thereby saving tremendous quantities of energy over the year of operation. I never received a direct and clear answer to my question. Although folks at Clean Water Services told me that it was Portland's decision not to follow this path.
It appear to me that the sewage is currently going to Washington County as an interim measure. Why not just keep on doing it that way? Why throw good money after bad? Why invest in a system that will only get more costly in the future as fuel prices rise? Why create a larger carbon footprint for Portland? Please ask these questions of Commissioner Saltzman.
Once construction started on the sewer line, workmen laid out and installed large sections of pipe. I walked by many times and watched the work in progress. Apparently BES inspectors did not inspect the work since just a few years later, I discovered a leak in the pipe which leaked into Fanno Creek for approximately 48 hours. The official word from BES was that the pipe had failed due to the fact that the contractor had used the wrong type of pipe. Was this just ex-post-facto reasoning? Were they saying that any pipe that would fail this soon was the wrong pipe or did the pipe not meet some objective standard? If I could watch the pipe being installed, so could BES supervisors and inspectors. Why didnt they identify the shortcomings of the pipe and immediately stop the project so that the correct pipe could be installed? How did this situation occur and who was responsible for inspection and oversight of the project?
The Garden Home/Vista Brook neighborhood, which is not serviced by this plant, has already been inconvenienced by construction, maintenance and repairs to the existing system. Neighbors (the Kostiners) have moved from a home that they otherwise loved due to the threat of construction of the new larger facility in their backyard. I wonder how many other have also moved for this reason and how many more will in the future? What will happen to the noise levels, vibrations and property values in our neighborhood? What will be the downstream flooding effects from the new pump station? Where will sewage go if there is a power outage?......
These are my concerns about the proposed larger sewage pump station on Fanno Creek. Thanks for asking and thanks for organizing the neighborhood. Please let me know if I can be of assistance in any way. I was the cofounder of Fans of Fanno Creek and a biologist by training. We've lived at 7040 SW 84th for 21 years.
Jeffry Gottfried, Ph.D.
Executive Director/Lead Educator
In receiving responses from circulars delivered regarding the historical time line, I have gathered that I need to get in touch with two neighbors who can give an historical perspective. Mike Dennis, who with his wife Mary, live on the creek at the bridge across from us. He is an engineer that can help. He has been so busy this past week, but his wife Mary said he plans to attend this meeting. I have not met him as yet.
Another gentleman named Paul, was the secretary for the Fanno Creek Pond Association. He is also difficult to get in touch with, but I hope his input will help.
If you wish, please call Marie. She has been in phone contact with neighbors have given us information. We both will be attending other prior events, but plan on leaving them so we can arrive at 8 tonight.
A number of emails and calls have all been very supportive of being kept informed.
Here is one more key performer that may provide energy…but at what cost we shall see.
Thanks, John
*****************************************************************************
John-
Thanks for keeping us informed about the plans for doubling the size of the Fanno Creek Sewage Pump Station. I am mad as hell about this situation and will do whatever I can to stop it. I was opposed to the pump station 5-6 years (?) ago when it was originally proposed to us by BES. I was and continue to be amazed and aghast that the City of Portland chose to pump sewage uphill to North Portland when it could have used gravity to send it downhill to Washington County. I asked why couldnt Portland simply invest in increasing the capacity of Washington Co's (Clean Water Services' sewage treatment plant and send the sewage downhill to them, thereby saving tremendous quantities of energy over the year of operation. I never received a direct and clear answer to my question. Although folks at Clean Water Services told me that it was Portland's decision not to follow this path.
It appear to me that the sewage is currently going to Washington County as an interim measure. Why not just keep on doing it that way? Why throw good money after bad? Why invest in a system that will only get more costly in the future as fuel prices rise? Why create a larger carbon footprint for Portland? Please ask these questions of Commissioner Saltzman.
Once construction started on the sewer line, workmen laid out and installed large sections of pipe. I walked by many times and watched the work in progress. Apparently BES inspectors did not inspect the work since just a few years later, I discovered a leak in the pipe which leaked into Fanno Creek for approximately 48 hours. The official word from BES was that the pipe had failed due to the fact that the contractor had used the wrong type of pipe. Was this just ex-post-facto reasoning? Were they saying that any pipe that would fail this soon was the wrong pipe or did the pipe not meet some objective standard? If I could watch the pipe being installed, so could BES supervisors and inspectors. Why didnt they identify the shortcomings of the pipe and immediately stop the project so that the correct pipe could be installed? How did this situation occur and who was responsible for inspection and oversight of the project?
The Garden Home/Vista Brook neighborhood, which is not serviced by this plant, has already been inconvenienced by construction, maintenance and repairs to the existing system. Neighbors (the Kostiners) have moved from a home that they otherwise loved due to the threat of construction of the new larger facility in their backyard. I wonder how many other have also moved for this reason and how many more will in the future? What will happen to the noise levels, vibrations and property values in our neighborhood? What will be the downstream flooding effects from the new pump station? Where will sewage go if there is a power outage?......
These are my concerns about the proposed larger sewage pump station on Fanno Creek. Thanks for asking and thanks for organizing the neighborhood. Please let me know if I can be of assistance in any way. I was the cofounder of Fans of Fanno Creek and a biologist by training. We've lived at 7040 SW 84th for 21 years.
Jeffry Gottfried, Ph.D.
Executive Director/Lead Educator
Media Coverage
Hi Jennifer,
The media has been contacted: KATU-TV, KGW-TV, KOIN-TV, KPTV, KEX-AM News, KKCW-FM heavy news in AM and KXL News Radio.
You are doing a great job.
Thank you!
Carole Berke
Media Director
Carole Berke Media Services, LLC
The media has been contacted: KATU-TV, KGW-TV, KOIN-TV, KPTV, KEX-AM News, KKCW-FM heavy news in AM and KXL News Radio.
You are doing a great job.
Thank you!
Carole Berke
Media Director
Carole Berke Media Services, LLC
Plan for Tonight
Hi, Gang!
I'm sending this to a smaller group of us - just wanted to run some stuff by you for tomorrow night. I talked to Patt from the CP03 today and she gave us some suggestions:
-Make it clear to Stephen Sykes (and whomever he brings with him) that this is our meeting. Introduce him, and let him know that he has 20-25 minutes max to present, followed by 30 minutes of Q & A.
-Make it clear (I can do this) that when his portion is done, we will close his involvement in the meeting and continue on to our own business. We can do our own business from 8 - 9.
-Before he speaks, set up some ground rules (I can do this) such as: we will let him finish before we ask questions, people wanting to ask questions should raise their hands, introduce ourselves and wait to be acknowledged before speaking, etc.
-We have asked Stephen to bring hard or electronic copies of information for people that cannot stay the whole time. We've also asked him only to talk about the Pump Station - not other aspects of the pipeline project.
Here are a few things we need to do (if you agree!) - and I was wondering if each of us could volunteer to do one:
-Patt suggested recording the meeting. Does someone (Angie?) have a tape recorder or video recorder they can bring and operate during the meeting?
-Can someone bring a "sign in sheet" for attendees and extra pens and paper. We might also want a section that says "special expertise" if it is a lawyer signing in, or an environmental specialist, etc.
-We need to collect $$ and pay $18 an hour BEFORE we arrive at the room at 7 PM on Thursday evening. If we are there 2 - 1/2 hours that would be $45.
-We are using an overhead projector (old school) that Garden Home is loaning us. Does anyone have access to plastic sheets (one or two) and some sharpies?
-Would anyone volunteer to copy the site plan onto velum (plastic) at Kinkos so we can put it on the overhead projector and show people? I have it here at my house...
-Would a tech-savy person be willing to visit: www.blogspot.com and set up a name (it's free! and easy I've heard) so we can direct our group to one site in the future. Even if we don't have the blog ready, we can tell everyone at the meeting where to go for information and to be part of our group.
Anyone have other thoughts/agenda ideas for the meeting?
Thanks for reading again!!!!!
Jen : )
I'm sending this to a smaller group of us - just wanted to run some stuff by you for tomorrow night. I talked to Patt from the CP03 today and she gave us some suggestions:
-Make it clear to Stephen Sykes (and whomever he brings with him) that this is our meeting. Introduce him, and let him know that he has 20-25 minutes max to present, followed by 30 minutes of Q & A.
-Make it clear (I can do this) that when his portion is done, we will close his involvement in the meeting and continue on to our own business. We can do our own business from 8 - 9.
-Before he speaks, set up some ground rules (I can do this) such as: we will let him finish before we ask questions, people wanting to ask questions should raise their hands, introduce ourselves and wait to be acknowledged before speaking, etc.
-We have asked Stephen to bring hard or electronic copies of information for people that cannot stay the whole time. We've also asked him only to talk about the Pump Station - not other aspects of the pipeline project.
Here are a few things we need to do (if you agree!) - and I was wondering if each of us could volunteer to do one:
-Patt suggested recording the meeting. Does someone (Angie?) have a tape recorder or video recorder they can bring and operate during the meeting?
-Can someone bring a "sign in sheet" for attendees and extra pens and paper. We might also want a section that says "special expertise" if it is a lawyer signing in, or an environmental specialist, etc.
-We need to collect $$ and pay $18 an hour BEFORE we arrive at the room at 7 PM on Thursday evening. If we are there 2 - 1/2 hours that would be $45.
-We are using an overhead projector (old school) that Garden Home is loaning us. Does anyone have access to plastic sheets (one or two) and some sharpies?
-Would anyone volunteer to copy the site plan onto velum (plastic) at Kinkos so we can put it on the overhead projector and show people? I have it here at my house...
-Would a tech-savy person be willing to visit: www.blogspot.com and set up a name (it's free! and easy I've heard) so we can direct our group to one site in the future. Even if we don't have the blog ready, we can tell everyone at the meeting where to go for information and to be part of our group.
Anyone have other thoughts/agenda ideas for the meeting?
Thanks for reading again!!!!!
Jen : )
Did you know a 2nd, larger sewage pump station is planned to be built?
Did you know a 2nd, larger sewage pump station is planned to be built in the Vista Brook neighborhood?
Dear Community Resident:
We live in the Garden Home neighborhood in an unincorporated part of Washington County along the Fanno Creek Trail. In 2000, the City of Portland built a sewage pipeline in the neighborhood and a Sewage Treatment Pump Station directly adjacent to the Fanno Creek Trail at approximately 84th and Bohmann Parkway. The pump station is intended to process City of Portland sewage—it does not serve our neighborhood in which it is located.
Below is a link to an article that appeared in the Portland Tribune (April 8, 2008) about the development of the pipeline and pump station. It details the problems that have occurred as a result of the poor planning, faulty development/construction, and location of this pump station. Some of these problems resulted in damage to nearby homes and legal settlements.
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/print_story.php?story_id=120759941409519300
The City has recently decided to attempt to solve these problems by creating a second larger facility on the same site. It's being labeled an "expansion" by the City of Portland but the actual plans show that it is a separate facility nearly three times the size of the existing facility. The new plans propose easements of private property and a re-routing of an overflow channel of Fanno Creek into a federally designated flood zone.
Issues of great importance to this community in regard to the new facility are:
http://www.portlandonline.com/BES/index.cfm?c=49285
A large group of concerned residents met with the Citizen Participation Organization #3 (CPO3) on September 17th. CPO3 reported that they were approached six months ago by the City of Portland to report on repairs to sewage pipeline serving the existing pump station, but there was no mention of a new facility being developed at that time.
THIS IS A VIBRANT RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD with 300+ active and engaged residents who are eager to participate in a planning dialogue but thus far only a few neighbors bordering the pump station property were contacted by the Department of Environmental Services.
Neighbors who have reached out to Department of Environmental Services been told that answers are forthcoming and that the project is still taking shape, but we want to be part of the process--before decisions are made that will significantly and permanently affect the neighborhood are made. Is it not possible to fix the existing facility? Have other locations or options been explored?
We have a meeting for concerned residents scheduled for Thursday, September 24th at 7p.m. at the Garden Home Recreation Center – Room 12.
Please attend this meeting to learn more about this critical neighborhood issue.
PLEASE BRING YOUR QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS. Please contact Jennifer Segerholt at jsegerholt@msn.com
or 503-841-6038 with any questions you may have.
Dear Community Resident:
We live in the Garden Home neighborhood in an unincorporated part of Washington County along the Fanno Creek Trail. In 2000, the City of Portland built a sewage pipeline in the neighborhood and a Sewage Treatment Pump Station directly adjacent to the Fanno Creek Trail at approximately 84th and Bohmann Parkway. The pump station is intended to process City of Portland sewage—it does not serve our neighborhood in which it is located.
Below is a link to an article that appeared in the Portland Tribune (April 8, 2008) about the development of the pipeline and pump station. It details the problems that have occurred as a result of the poor planning, faulty development/construction, and location of this pump station. Some of these problems resulted in damage to nearby homes and legal settlements.
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/print_story.php?story_id=120759941409519300
The City has recently decided to attempt to solve these problems by creating a second larger facility on the same site. It's being labeled an "expansion" by the City of Portland but the actual plans show that it is a separate facility nearly three times the size of the existing facility. The new plans propose easements of private property and a re-routing of an overflow channel of Fanno Creek into a federally designated flood zone.
Issues of great importance to this community in regard to the new facility are:
- DAMAGE TO THE PHYSICAL INTEGRITY OF OUR HOMES. Nearby homes were seriously damaged during the construction of the first facility and the same is expected as the result of the construction of the second, much larger facility. Construction is expected to take two years, with the resultant noise and disruption.
- ENVIRONMENTAL & FLOOD CONCERNS. Plans call for the extensive removal of trees, altering our ecosystem and landscape. The site is on a flood plane with nearby wetlands. There are plans for re-routing a natural overflow channel of the creek. There is a possibility that filtered sewage will go into the creek itself. The appearance of this section of the Fanno Creek Trail will be permanently altered as trees are removed to accommodate the facility and a parking lot.
- LACK OF CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT. Residents were not given the opportunity to become involved in the planning of this facility. With plans 30% complete, the large majority of the immediate neighborhood was completely unaware of the plans for this new facility. The Outreach Coordinator assigned to the project has not engaged the community in a way that is meaningful, fully disclosing or forthright.
http://www.portlandonline.com/BES/index.cfm?c=49285
A large group of concerned residents met with the Citizen Participation Organization #3 (CPO3) on September 17th. CPO3 reported that they were approached six months ago by the City of Portland to report on repairs to sewage pipeline serving the existing pump station, but there was no mention of a new facility being developed at that time.
THIS IS A VIBRANT RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD with 300+ active and engaged residents who are eager to participate in a planning dialogue but thus far only a few neighbors bordering the pump station property were contacted by the Department of Environmental Services.
Neighbors who have reached out to Department of Environmental Services been told that answers are forthcoming and that the project is still taking shape, but we want to be part of the process--before decisions are made that will significantly and permanently affect the neighborhood are made. Is it not possible to fix the existing facility? Have other locations or options been explored?
We have a meeting for concerned residents scheduled for Thursday, September 24th at 7p.m. at the Garden Home Recreation Center – Room 12.
Please attend this meeting to learn more about this critical neighborhood issue.
PLEASE BRING YOUR QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS. Please contact Jennifer Segerholt at jsegerholt@msn.com
or 503-841-6038 with any questions you may have.
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