Construction Updates
Key pieces of system upgrade out to bid
May 28, 2008 – The first pieces of an estimated $120 million sewage treatment system upgrade in Clackamas County are out to bid, with construction on early segments of the work set to start this summer.
Known as Phase 1 of the Capacity Management Program, the work focuses almost exclusively on solving the near-term needs of Clackamas County Service District No. 1 (CCSD #1), which serves the cities and unincorporated areas of the north portion of the County. The District sends about fifteen percent of its flow to the Tri-City Wastewater Treatment Plant, because its own Kellogg Creek Plant can’t keep up with demand.
The Phase 1 improvements include those major capital replacement projects needed to keep Kellogg Creek running for the next 8 to 10 years. The Board of County Commissioners is expected to authorize approximately $110 to $120 million in bonds this year to finance improvements such as:
- Tri-City Plant: Planned is an estimated $70 million expansion at the plant in Oregon City to handle overflow from CCSD #1 as well as growth in the Tri-City Service District. Selection of a Construction Management/General Contractor firm will be made by end of July 2008. The expansion project allows the plant to handle an additional 20,000 EDUs (equivalent dwelling units) per day. An EDU is the amount of waste an average household produces each day.
- Pipelines: Bids have been received and are under review for the repair and reopening of the 82nd Drive Bridge (High Rocks) across the Clackamas River. The popular pedestrian span, which carries a wastewater pipeline to the Tri-City plant, was closed following a fire two years ago. Also, a bid is expected to be awarded in June for the first segment of a major new pipeline, known as the Clackamas Interceptor Connection. The line carries untreated waste from the north part of the county to the Tri-City Plant. The bridge will be completed this fall and the pipelines by 2010.
- Kellogg Plant: Call for bids will be advertised on the Kellogg Creek upgrades on October 31, 2008. The estimated $7 million in upgrades will improve plant reliability and hydraulic capacity so treatment can be provided during severe storm events. The plant passed raw sewage to the Willamette River in December 2007 because it didn’t have the capacity to carry high flow rates caused by rainstorms. The improvements will help avoid the problem of raw sewage flowing into the river.
All these elements are vital parts of a plan to comply by 2010 with a State Department of Environmental Quality order designed to expand sewage treatment capacity for North Clackamas County.
