After I joined the Council, I discovered how precarious the operations of our wastewater treatment system were. For years the city's treatment plant had repeatedly violated the conditions of its permit. Prior to my election the Council was operating under the illusion that it could continue to operate as it had in the past, essentially patching new holes as they were discovered without stopping to look at the overall collapse of the plant. Design work on a new treatment plant was just getting started. Fed up with the city's lack of response, DEQ referred the city to the EPA, a largely unprecedented action that has resulted in tremendous cost to the city. The city was facing unresolved violations with possible penalties of over $100 million. Trust between all parties was broken.

So what was your role on Council?

With professional experience establishing standards-based asset management in utilities, the Mayor assigned me to a newly formed oversight committee for the Wastewater Projects, later called "Sandy Clean Waters." 

Fellow Counselor Carl Exner was also appointed to the oversight committee. Carl had strong connections with one key stakeholder group, Clackamas River Basin Council. The watershed council, responsible for improving fish and wildlife habitat throughout the Clackamas watershed, was intimately aware of the city's violations. During the winter months of the year, the city's wastewater plant discharges to Tickle Creek which drains into the Clackamas River. A local nursery uses the discharged water the other six months of the year.

I quickly recognized that the problems were not limited to specific contractor or Public Works Department issues, but rather were systemic failures at all levels of the city beginning with City Council. The hiring of a new Public Works director and professional engineer, Jenny Coker, provided a fresh perspective to the wastewater problem. Jenny understands the principles of asset management. My role has been to support Jenny starting with gaining alignment and support from the full council to adopt sound asset management policies and practices.

In addition I get regular updates from the consultants and professionals managing the program. I review materials and ask questions. I push for transparency of information. I challenge them when violations occur. What happened? Why? What have we learned? What are we going to do so that it doesn't happen again? My motto is it is okay to make mistakes, but don't repeat them. Learn from them and share the learning so that the entire organization matures.

It may not seem like much, but if the City Council doesn't ask these questions, then in time no one will. As Council, we must expect full compliance with our permit, and we must enable them with the resources necessary to do so.

Why are my bills so high? Are they going to go up more?

Our bills for wastewater have gone up dramatically - and - they are likely to go up more. The problem is that the cost of compliance with the growth of the city has gone up exponentially. Development-friendly SDCs were kept artificially low shifting the future cost of system upgrades to us. (See Planning for Infrastructure for more on this.) When the initial estimates were completed for treatment plant and collection system upgrades, the cost required loans. And loans require proof of ability to repay the loans - which proof translates into higher rates. The reality is for years all of us, developers and homeowners, were underpaying for our wastewater. Now there isn't any more opportunity to kick the can further down the road.

Why should stakeholders trust the city now?

The quality and experience of the engineers working on the Sandy Clean Waters is some of the best in the country. The progress made in the last four years is impressive. The improvements made in the collection system have reduced peak flows into the treatment plant during storm events. The capacity of the plant has been increased and additional projects are in place to squeeze every last bit of capacity out of the existing plant. But there is still work to do. 

Some critics still are concerned about the lack of transparency. I have advocated for readily accessible transparency to treatment plant metrics similar to the what is produced by King County. I understand why this is not the top priority for the program, but I will continue to push for this level of transparency.

Do we know what the final solution and cost will be yet?

In spite of being years into the program, we don't know what the final estimated costs will be, or even what the final proposed solution will be. Details will be announced soon when the Wastewater System Facilities Plan amendment is adopted in the near future.

What makes the treatment plant improvements so expensive?

The Three Basin Rule protects the Clackamas River and prohibits changes to the current permit the city has to discharge to Tickle Creek. Regardless of how clean the treated water, the upper limit on what can be discharged, and when it can be discharged are set in stone. The only other river basins that could be used under this rule are the Sandy River and the Columbia River - and both are very expensive. The city has and will continue to push for changes to the Three Basin Rule, but it will likely be a very difficult rule to change. Given the expense of the remaining options, the city has and will continue to seek out and lobby for assistance from state and federal sources.

When will the moratorium on new developments be lifted?

The city continues under a moratorium and it is not clear when the final terms of the EPA's consent decree, a binding, court order, will be met. Limited developments already in the pipeline have been allowed to proceed in accordance with the terms of the consent decree. Until the city has the details of the facility plan amendment with solid estimates, and a way to pay for the new facilities, Sandy will likely be closed to new development.