City Recorder outlines wastewater planning, WMCP comments and FEMA floodplain options

City Recorder Nicole Tritten told the Westfir City Council on Nov. 4 that the city received the first grant disbursement from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for the Wastewater Facilities Plan (WWFP). She said she signed an amended engineering Scope of Services that removed an Inflow & Infiltration study, added Collection System Mapping, and kept CCTV inspection of pipe condition—so the overall WWFP cost did not decline.

Tritten also said the City and consultant GSI Water Solutions received comments on the draft Water Management and Conservation Plan (WMCP) from the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) and that she forwarded the cover letter to councilors. She reported pursuing technical-assistance funding for planning for a future city hall and fire station and said it was impractical to apply for federal Community Facilities and CDBG grants without a site plan.

On event planning, Tritten said the Council should avoid a vendor-run bounce house at the Bridge Lighting Festival because the City's insurer flags bounce houses as high risk unless the vendor manages the attraction and indemnifies the City; the vendor could not provide that management. She also summarized FEMA’s Pre-Implementation Compliance Measure (PICM) options for integrating the Endangered Species Act into floodplain development and said the City must notify FEMA of its chosen PICM pathway by Dec. 1, 2024 to avoid jeopardizing future FEMA grants and National Flood Insurance Program participation.