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Aumsville council hears state sanitary survey, plans sewer relocation and fast-tracks reservoir work
Summary
City staff told the Aumsville City Council that a recent Oregon Health Authority sanitary survey found a sewer line within roughly 70 feet of a Boon Park well (state rule: 100 feet); councilors were briefed on options, funding uncertainty and a parallel capacity shortfall that makes a new reservoir urgent.
The Aumsville City Council on Tuesday was told a recent Oregon Health Authority sanitary survey identified a sewer line within about 70 feet of a Boon Park well — closer than the 100-foot separation the state expects — and that the city will need to relocate the line while it also works to address a broader water-capacity shortfall.
"The rule say 100 feet so ... we need to move that sewer line away from that well," said Steve Oley, Public Works director, describing the survey finding and staff’s proposed approach to run the sewer on the south side of Mill Creek Road or tie it into a manhole farther from the well. Oley said staff has already notified the state of the plan and that compliance steps are ongoing.
City administration said the relocation will require design work and funding decisions. The council was told staff is researching cost estimates and expects roughly a two-year window before the state returns to re-inspect, provided the city’s response is on file.
Separately, the city administrator told the council the system is operating near capacity: "our maximum demand was over, 1300 gallons per minute and we can only pump about 700," a gap that staff said underlines the need for more reliable supply and storage. A recently drilled well was unsuccessful, the administrator said, and staff are evaluating alternative well sites and additional storage options.
To address storage, the city is building a new million-gallon reservoir; the administrator said contractors will need to perform large concrete pours early in the morning and that the city will notify nearby residents and request a short-term noise-ordinance permit so work can proceed on an accelerated schedule.
Councilors and staff framed the sewer-relocation requirement and the capacity shortfall as separate but related infrastructure priorities: the sanitary-survey deficiency concerns immediate regulatory compliance around the Boon Park well, while the pumping and storage constraints drive longer-term investments. No formal motion was required on the sanitary survey item; staff presented the information and the council received it as informational.
The council asked staff to continue cost estimates and funding research; the administrator said the city will return with detailed options and timelines once designs and cost projections are available.
