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Council hears costly long-term alternatives — Rocky Creek, reclamation, desalination
Summary
Jacobs presented higher-cost regional and technical alternatives — a Rocky Creek dam (~$400M), reclaimed-water systems (~$280M), and desalination (permits and brine disposal unresolved) — noting these could meet future demand but do not remove the immediate need to address Big Creek dam safety.
Alongside near-term remediation or removal concepts, Jacobs reviewed longer-term and regional alternatives that would change Newport’s long-term water supply profile but come with larger price tags and permitting complexity. The Rocky Creek new-supply option carries a rough-order estimate of more than $400 million and would require long pipeline and pump infrastructure; Jacobs noted steep terrain and pipeline costs as significant drivers.
Jacobs also sketched a reclaimed-water option (rough estimate cited ~ $280 million) and desalination (no Oregon precedent for this scale, with unresolved brine-disposal and permit questions). McCullough emphasized these options do not obviate the immediate seismic safety issue at Big Creek: "You have a right now issue and a now issue," Brad Phelps told council, meaning immediate life-safety remediation must be addressed even while planning for future supply.
