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City staff reports sewer upgrades on track to free 190 ERUs; facility plan amendment must be adopted this year
Summary
City staff said work on the equalization basin is complete and remaining projects are on track for September 2026, which would unlock 190 equivalent residential units (ERUs). Staff warned the wastewater facility plan amendment and a preferred alternative must be adopted by the end of the year as part of the consent-decree timeline.
City staff provided a technical update on sewer capacity and the wastewater facility plan, describing recent construction milestones, schedule expectations and regulatory deadlines.
A staff member said the city recently finished the largest component of the scope—expanding the equalization basin at the treatment plant—and that the remaining projects should be complete by September 2026 to allow the city to request the next 190 equivalent residential units (ERUs). "We're on track to complete all of these projects by September 2026 that will unlock that next 190 equivalent residential units," the staff member said.
Staff emphasized that adopting a wastewater master-plan amendment by the end of the calendar year is required to identify a preferred alternative (options under active consideration include a pipeline to a neighboring community such as Gresham or discharge to the Sandy River). The city is operating under a consent decree that gives it 15 years from 09/11/2023 to implement a permanent solution; staff noted that timeline provides a long-term guardrail but that shorter, practical schedules (five to seven years) are more likely depending on the option selected.
Council members asked about the tradeoffs of retaining local control versus joining a larger regional system. Staff noted that partnering with Gresham or a regional provider could lower per-household rates by spreading costs across many more customers, but it would also change the city’s level of direct control over rates and operations. Technical issues such as PFAS handling and disposal were raised as factors that could materially affect cost and implementation.
What’s next: staff said they will prepare a public outreach plan (town hall or work session) ahead of the facility-plan amendment coming to council later this year, then proceed with detailed engineering and construction scheduling once the preferred alternative is adopted.
