Welcome to www.RiverHealth.org
Clackamas County Service District No. 1’s Official Web site
Dedicated to Protecting its Rivers and Watersheds
Welcome to the RiverHealth Web site. This resource was created by Water Environment Services (WES), a department of Clackamas County, to inform its citizens, ratepayers and stakeholders about efforts being done to protect Clackamas County watersheds, rivers, and public health. This site specifically addresses those efforts within one of the three utility districts managed by WES staff, Clackamas County Service District No. 1 (CCSD #1).
CCSD #1 provides wastewater collection and watershed protection activities to the unincorporated areas of north Clackamas County, the City of Happy Valley, and the western edges of the City of Damascus. In addition, the District provides wastewater treatment services to the City of Milwaukie, parts of Gladstone and Johnson City under wholesale contract agreements.
CCSD #1’s programs are governed by the Clackamas County Board of County Commissioners (BCC), who in their role as the governing Board of Directors for CCSD #1, set District policy that is then carried out by WES. In addition, the RiverHealth Advisory Board, an appointed advisory committee, provides input and recommendations to staff and the governing board on wastewater and watershed management issues.
The District is currently focusing its efforts in three major areas: near term investments in wastewater capital infrastructure, development of watershed priorities and the construction of sewers in the North Clackamas Revitalization Area (NCRA). Below are brief summaries of each effort:
Capacity Management Program: CCSD #1 is underway in its implementation of Phase 1 of the District’s Capacity Management Program (CMP), a $120 million investment to expand the District’s treatment infrastructure. This initiative is a direct response to the District’s shortage of treatment capacity. The investment will mitigate ongoing water quality permit violations and meet current and future mandates of the Clean Water Act.
Watershed Health: The purpose of the RiverHealth Watershed Action Plans (WAP) is to improve the environmental health of our watersheds. WAPs are basin specific strategies that prioritize District activities and investments in watershed management. While state mandates and regulations will remain a priority, the WAPs will ensure that WES utilizes its resources efficiently and effectively in protecting the watershed within the District.
North Clackamas Revitalization Area (NCRA) Sanitary Sewer Project- The Clackamas County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) established the NCRA urban renewal district in August 2006 for the purpose of implementing community and Comprehensive Plan goals by undertaking public improvement projects, such as sanitary sewers, in the North Clackamas area. A significant portion of the NCRA community does not have access to a public sanitary sewer system. Properties are served by on-site wastewater disposals systems such as cesspools, septic tanks with drain fields or sand filters. The NCRA is the last densely populated area in Oregon still to be served by these systems, which are much more suited to less populated, rural areas. As the current systems age or fail, property owners may be left with few options: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) regulations no longer allow cesspools, and other types of wastewater disposal systems requiring large lots or other expensive alternatives to a public sewer system.
CCSD #1 plans to construct a public sanitary sewer system to serve the approximately 1,000 properties in this project area, which is unincorporated. Final engineering design is scheduled to be completed by June 2009 and construction expected to begin in late summer 2009. Construction will be phased over three construction seasons. As sewers are completed throughout the project phases, property owners may connect to the public system as sewers are available to serve them. The estimated project cost is $12.8 million. The District will finance construction by using DEQ Clean Water State Revolving Loan funds and recover project costs through assessments on the benefited properties.
Public Participation: Learn more about these programs by visiting this site. For additional details about Water Environment Services, visit the department’s Web site (http://www.clackamas.us/wes/).
