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Clackamas Water Environment Services touts new $58 million outfall and steady rates at Oregon City presentation
Summary
Clackamas Water Environment Services told the Oregon City Commission it completed the Tri‑City outfall on time and on budget (a $58 million project), serves roughly 200,000 customers, and plans steady, modest rate adjustments including a 4.7% increase for Oregon City households this year.
Clackamas Water Environment Services (WES) presented its annual report to the Oregon City Commission on June 17, outlining regional services, recent awards, and major infrastructure work including the Tri‑City Resource Recovery Facility outfall project.
WES director Greg Geist said the agency serves about 200,000 customers across its urbanized Clackamas County service area and provides wastewater treatment, conveyance and stormwater management as appropriate to jurisdictions. Geist highlighted a $58 million outfall and tunnel project that moved the Tri‑City facility's primary discharge to a deeper part of the river to improve dilution and protect cold-water refuges; he said the multi-method construction (microtunneling plus open-cut work) required a specially designed microtunnel boring machine and extensive stakeholder coordination and that the project came in on time and on budget. "That was a $58 million project, which is a big one for West," Geist said.
Geist also described WES's financial position and award recognitions and noted the agency's focus on partnership and public engagement. For Oregon City ratepayers, Geist said the annual WES adjustment for 2026 is 4.7 percent, equal to about $1.45 per household per month.
Why it matters: The outfall project is intended to secure treatment and discharge capacity into 2080 and reduce environmental impacts from effluent discharge points; cost, permitting and construction methods described by WES will shape future capital planning and interagency coordination.
What's next: WES expects to complete diffuser installation activities and to continue collaborating with Oregon City and other local stakeholders on projects including inflow-and-infiltration efforts the city later presented during the same meeting.
