Milwaukie engineering staff report pond near completion, multiple street projects and yearlong water treatment study

Milwaukie engineering staff updated the City Council on May 20 on a cluster of capital improvement projects and on water system planning tied to PFAS testing and EPA timelines.

The briefing matters because the projects affect street access, stormwater management, sewer and water reliability, and multi-year budgets and bids the city must schedule and fund.

Jennifer Gardley, city engineer, told the council the large stormwater pond project is nearly complete and that the only remaining major items are planting the pond banks and installing temporary irrigation and fencing. "We are super close — right now, only thing we gotta finish up is the pond," Gardley said. She said crews will install two years of temporary irrigation to establish plants and that a final walk-through is expected in June.

Engineering described several street projects with near-term schedules. Washington Street paving and associated concrete work are expected to be largely completed by fall 2025, with most plantings postponed until September. A street-maintenance package that would cover…