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Committee hears groundwater recharge pitched as preferred wastewater alternative; permitting timeline uncertain
Summary
City staff told the committee that groundwater recharge (shallow infiltration or direct aquifer injection) has emerged as the preferred alternative in the draft wastewater facilities plan following state direction to explore reuse. Staff said plan adoption was scheduled for June 1 but warned that permitting for direct injection is untested in Oregon and could take 4–7 years.
Staff updated the committee on the wastewater facilities plan and said that groundwater recharge—either shallow infiltration or direct aquifer injection—has been identified as the new preferred alternative in the draft plan. The staff presentation tied that development to state-level direction: "House Bill 2169 directed DEQ and other agencies to further explore water reuse," staff said while summarizing the change in options.
Staff noted the city scheduled consideration of the plan amendment for June 1 and cautioned that while design and some near-term work (membrane treatment plant design) can proceed, the permitting path for aquifer recharge is untested in Oregon and timing is uncertain. "We don't know exactly what a permitting timeline would look like," staff said, offering a working estimate of four to seven years from plan adoption for groundwater-injection components. Committee members raised local concerns about groundwater, well impacts and community engagement; staff said additional technical work and public outreach would continue as part of the design and permitting process.
