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Lane County outlines Goshen–Creswell wastewater plan; MWMC capacity looks promising, but pipeline financing remains a hurdle
Summary
County staff presented steps to pursue a Metro Plan amendment and connection to the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC) system for Goshen and Creswell; consultants found favorable capacity and staff proposed an SDC buy‑in model and a 5% out‑of‑network surcharge, while commissioners flagged an estimated $70 million pipeline cost as the chief funding challenge.
Lane County public‑works staff briefed the board on the Goshen–Creswell wastewater initiative, which would extend sewer service to Goshen, address Creswell’s DEQ‑ordered capacity problems and eliminate long‑distance landfill leachate trucking from Short Mountain Landfill.
Public Works Director Dan Hurley said staff and consultants (Ken Kennedy Jenks; later Jacobs for capacity analysis) evaluated alternatives and identified tying into the MWMC system as the most cost‑effective and operationally prudent approach. Hurley said the MWMC provided supportive feedback and will issue a letter to facilitate the land‑use steps required for a Metro Plan amendment.
Hurley described a multi‑step process: work sessions with Springfield (Jan.5) and Eugene (tentatively Jan.28), joint planning commission deliberations in April and a joint elected‑officials hearing followed by May deliberations and potential decisions. He said MWMC’s consultant found the system largely has adequate capacity but that additional technical analysis is pending.
Staff proposed using MWMC’s SDC (system development charge) buy‑in model to estimate connection costs and suggested a 5% out‑of‑network surcharge for the new flows. Hurley noted that published cost estimates in the packet were in 2023 dollars and that MWMC will update its model over the coming months.
Jason Harris, the county’s community economic development director, emphasized the project’s economic-development benefits and said it could unlock housing for Creswell and industrial readiness in Goshen. Harris said the county will work with the University of Oregon policy lab to document methods and formulas as a potential model for other jurisdictions.
Commissioner Buck praised the initiative but highlighted financing as the primary obstacle. He said construction of the full pipeline has been discussed at a scale of about $70,000,000 in the transcript and urged aggressive federal and state advocacy to obtain the large capital sums required.
Hurley clarified that some connection charges (for example Springfield’s estimated $3.1 million connection to the McVay Highway trunk line) would be paid by the adding users and could be phased as flows come online. Staff said the Goshen buildout would occur over decades; immediate beneficiaries would include the landfill leachate line and Creswell’s urgent capacity needs.
Board members expressed support and committed to continued coordination with MWMC, Springfield and Eugene as technical and financing details are refined. Staff reiterated there are many follow‑on tasks — engineering reports, updates to intergovernmental agreements, and regulation of cross‑connections — before any final commitments.
