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Planning commission recommends approval of Bend’s 2025 Stormwater Public Facility Plan
Summary
Bend staff presented a 2025 Stormwater Public Facility Plan that prioritizes outfalls and projects to protect water quality; the commission voted to recommend adoption and conforming Chapter 8 amendments for city council review on Dec. 17 (first reading) and Jan. 7 (second reading).
The Bend Planning Commission voted on Dec. 8 to recommend approval of PLTEC 2025-0591, a package that would adopt a 2025 Stormwater Public Facility Plan (PFP) and conforming amendments to Chapter 8 of the city’s comprehensive plan. Damian Srinick, senior planner, opened the legislative public hearing and said the PFP replaces the 2014 stormwater PFP and provides a 20-year project list plus a five-year capital improvement program.
Austin Somhagee, senior project engineer, described Bend’s dispersed stormwater approach that relies largely on dry wells and infiltration and said staff identified 36 outfalls that discharge to the river. Staff told the commission the master plan prioritized “pipes of significance” (those leading to the river) because resource limits prevented TVing every segment; staff said they had TV-inspected the outfalls and recommend additional CCTV inspections and a drill-hole retrofit program to address legacy underground injection controls (UICs) near drinking wells.
Commissioners pressed staff on missing pipe metadata in large tables (unknown pipe shape/size/material/condition). Staff said the master plan documents the city’s inventory and prioritized assets for compliance with statewide planning Goal 11 and Oregon Administrative Rules; it also recommends a program of inspections, maintenance, and targeted TVing. Staff noted two permits drive requirements: the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) and the WPCF permit, both administered by Oregon DEQ under federal NPDES frameworks.
Before deliberation, staff said a recommendation would move to city council for first reading on Dec. 17 and a second reading and adoption scheduled for Jan. 7. Commissioner S12 moved to recommend approval using the motion on the screen; S11 seconded. The chair called the question and stated the motion carried (“vote moved”). The transcript does not record a roll-call tally or individual yes/no votes.
Staff and commissioners discussed next steps for private UICs, right-of-way use, subdivision-level drainage solutions and maintenance agreements. The commission also reviewed scheduling: the Dec. 22 meeting was canceled for the holidays, and staff noted multiple upcoming code work sessions in early 2026, including wildfire discussions and tree-code amendments.
