Residents say Portland water-treatment hauling is damaging East County roads; they ask county to engage

Residents and local agency leaders told the board on Jan. 16 that heavy hauling connected to a Portland water-treatment project is damaging roads in eastern Clackamas County and urged county engagement with permitting jurisdictions.

"They're hauling hundreds of thousands of cubic yards... once they're about a half a mile south of the site they're on Clackamas County roads," said Chris Hawes, who identified himself as a longtime resident and noted roles as board president for Clackamas Fire District 1 and board chair for Sunrise Water Authority but said he was speaking as a resident. Hawes said the Portland Water Bureau or Multnomah County has permitted a disposal or storage site and that haul routes are using county roads not built for heavy industrial traffic, creating new potholes and safety hazards for residents.

Hawes and other commenters said permit conditions are not being monitored and cited a lack of timely enforcement. "They've got conditions all over this permit and nobody's monitoring the conditions," he said. Les Poole, speaking later, echoed concern about the project's permitting and an active LUBA appeal that he said makes the project's ongoing investment troubling while appeals continue.

Commissioners did not take formal action during the meeting but the comments requested county engagement with Portland and Multnomah County to address road damage, monitoring and potential mitigation. The transcript does not record a specific county staff directive or intergovernmental request formalized during the meeting.