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07/14/1999 - Packet BOOK COPY 1` INTERGOVERNMENTAL WATER BOARD MEETING Serving Tigard, King City, Durham and Unincorporated Area AGENDA Wednesday, July 14, 1999 5:30 p.m. 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call and Introductions 3. Approval of Minutes June 9, 1999 June 15, 1999 (Special Meeting) 4. Rate Discussion Preliminary Report - Mike Miller 5. Director's Report - Ed Wegner a. Status of long term water source b. Menlor Reservoir and Clute Property 6. Public Comments 7. Non Agenda Items 7. Adjournment Executive Session: The Intergovernmental Water Board may go into Executive Session under the provisions of ORS 192.660 (1) (d), (e), & (h) to discuss labor relations, real property transactions, and current and pending litigation issues. All discussions within this session are confidential; therefore nothing from this meeting may be disclosed by those present. Representatives of the news media are allowed to attend this session, but must not disclose any information discussed during this session. katby\iwb7-14.agn Intergovernmental Water Board Meeting Minutes June 9, 1999 Members Present: Bill Scheiderich, Beverly Froude, Jan Dransholt, Paul Hunt and Patrick Carroll Staff Present: Mike Miller, Kathy Kaatz, Kim Swan, and Bill Monahan Visitors Present: Henrietta Cochrun and Martha Bishop 1. Call to Order The regular meeting of the Intergovernmental Water Board was called to order at 5:37 p.m. 2. Roll Call and Introductions Roll call was taken with all members present. 3. Approval of Minutes -April 28, 1999 A motion was made by Commissioner Drangsholt and seconded by Commissioner Hunt to approve the minutes of the April 28, 1999 meeting as presented. 4. Water Conservation Presentation - Kim Swan Mike Miller, Utility Manager introduced Kim Swan,Water Quality Conservation Coordinator who was hired in October of 1998. Mr. Miller stated that Kim would present an overview of what she has accomplished since joining the organization. Kim stated that she had been involved with conservation since 1992 and since her hire date with the City she has been working on the following: • Monthly Cityscape articles • Coordinating regionally with utility bill inserts • Involvement with the water audit program • Waterwise landscape workshop at Library • Compliment youth education • Participation in the Annual Clean Water Festival - March 1999 • Participation in summer multi-media campaign with radio, TV, billboard, website • Weekly articles in Oregonian regarding landscape workshops • Working with local nurseries with plant labeling • Participation in youth education - April "Project Wet" all aspects of water with focus on conservation - demonstrated the water providers perspective IWB Meeting Minutes June 9, 1999 Pa(-Ye i Commission Scheiderich commented that it would be good to include in newsletter local *400 nurseries that are participating with plant labeling and waterwise landscaping ideas. Commissioner Froude also stated that it would be beneficial to have some workshops at local nurseries. 5. Director's Report- Ed Wegner Since Mr. Wegner was not in attendance, Mike Miller provided the Director's report. • Reservoir cleaning was completed at Baylor and he has a video if anyone is interested in viewing. • Bid has been received by the County on the Beef Bend Rd/131" to King Arthur (24" line replacement) and project will begin in Winter of 2000. • Budget Committee has forwarded the proposed 1999/00 budget to the City Council for approval on June 22. • Bradley Corner (connection with Portland) working on modifying piping in the vault for additional capacity. • Paul Hunt and Mike attended dedication of the dam at Barney Reservoir today. • Wilsonville Council held public hearing this past week with overwhelming support of the Willamette. • At Balloon Festival the City will have a conservation and Willamette River booth and would like volunteers to answer questions on Willamette project. Bill Monahan was present at the meeting to discuss arranging a meeting with the various entities to discuss the charter amendment. Commissioner Hunt stated his concern with the Mayor attending one meeting and he attending another. He stated he would prefer to meet at one time to ensure all participants receive the same information. It was decided that all interested members of the Tigard Water District, King City,Durham and IWB attend a special meeting on Tuesday, June 15 at 5:30 p.m. prior to City Council meeting at Tigard City Hall. 6. Public Comments There were no public comments. 7. Non Agenda Items No non-agenda items 8. Adjournment Meeting was adjourned at 6:15 p.m. IWB Meeting Minutes June 9, 1999 Page 2 ..r Intergovernmental Water Board Minutes of Special Meeting - June 15, 1999 - 5:30 p.m. Tigard City Hall, 13125 SW Hall Blvd., Tigard, Oregon At 5:33 p.m., Mayor Jim Nicoli of Tigard opened the meeting. Attending from the Intergovernmental Water Board were Jan Drangsholt, TWO Commissioner Beverly -Froude,- Paul Hunt -(Tigard City ------ Council member) and alternate Dean Gibbs of the City of Durham. Mr. Gibbs attended on behalf of member Patrick Carroll who arrived at approximately 6:47 p.m. Attending from the Tigard Water District Board of Commissioners were Norm Penner, Beverly Froude, and George Rhine, elected Board member who takes office on July 1, 1999. David Strauss arrived at approximately 6:47 p.m. Others in attendance were: King City Council members Bud Wilkinson and AI Deschenes, King City City Manager Jane Turner, Durham City Manager Roel Lundquist, City of Tigard Mayor Jim Nicoli, Tigard Public Works Director Ed Wegner, and Bill Monahan, Tigard City Manager. Bill Monahan confirmed the roll call for the Tigard Water District and IWB to conform with the public meeting law. Mayor Nicoli gave an overview of the background of the City charter amendment issue which relates to the water system. Mayor Nicoli suggested that the meeting was an opportunity for participants to discuss options. He noted that legal options have been raised, including the ability of the Intergovernmental Water Board to challenge the proposed charter amendment. Mayor Nicoli outlined several options which have been discussed by the Tigard City Council. The meeting concluded at 6:30 p.m. I:VAD M\B I LL\061799-2.DOC "rwr• Ed Wegner-Water Demands over the Weekend Page 1 From: Mike Miller To: Wegner, Ed Date: Mon, Jul 12, 1999 3:08 PM Subject: Water Demands over the Weekend Ed: On Friday, July 9, our water demand was 10.85 mgd, on Saturday, July 10, it was 11.31 mgd, and on Sunday, July 11, it was 11.68 mgd. Everything looks good. Demand has been very high on Bull Mountain. On Sunday the pump from the 10 MG reservoir to High Tor ran 17 hours in one fill to fill the tanks (7:30AM to 12:45AM), we also had 132nd St. pump station running and I ran the pump from #2 for about 2 hours too. In addition, we had four of the pressure sustaining pumps run for 7.15 hours at High Tor. The additional pumps (2)come on as the pressure drops below 45 psi and remain on until the pressure reaches 50 psi. This morning the demand was slightly lower, the four pumps ran just over 5 hours. Mike TualatinValley Water District 1850 SW 170th Ave.•P.O.Box 745•Beaverton,Oregon 97075.503/642-1511 •FAX:503/649-2733 July 12, 1999 City Administrator City of Tigard 13125 S.W. Hall Blvd Tigard, Oregon 97223 This is to inform you of the intention of Tualatin Valley Water District to adjust the water rate charged to the City of Tigard under the contract between TVWD and the City dated July 1, 1995. Enclosed is the worksheet used to determine the rate utilizing the same methodology as in years past. The rate will be 85.6 cents per hundred cubic feet. The effective date of the new rate will be July 1, 1999. We apologize for the lateness of this notification and since it is a reduction in the rate from the past year we intend to use July 1 as the effective date. Respectfully, William A. Koerner Manager, Financial Services cc: Jesse Lowman, General Manager, TVWD Greg DiLoreto, General Manager, TVWD Ed Wegner, City of Tigard enc. WATER - not to ht- tnkPn fnr nrnntPri Tualatin Valley Water District City of Tigard projected rate for Fiscal year 1999-2000 Run date July 12, 1999 1 Avg Daily Water Volume of District through transmission pipelines was 20.33 MGD or 9,920,751 CCF 2 Water Charge from city of Portland (Area 5 rate) 0.518 per CCF 3 Gravity Line Debt Service Paid to Portland for Washington County Supply Line- $1,664,016.83 0.149 per CCF 4 Gravity Line Debt Service for Costs of Metzger Pipeline 1,321,130.58 0.118 per CCF 5 All Line Operation & Maintenance and City of Portland Allocation of Administration 6,000.00 0.001 per CCF 6 Cost of acquiring Alternate Supply from the Joint Water Commission 0.050 per CCF 7 Wheeling Administrative Charge 0.020 per CCF 0.856 per CCF 1998-99 0.894 PER CCF VvTRCST99.xls Page 8 of 13 Potential Superfund Site Listing kraE rpt w . oe 1a 1222° I fzaf}a OS ult many I Otest IIov rru,i n Ar _ �., rid.,4ve1 ' r ,.r —ti Cpr g r 1Jf •RXISSCIIVIIoP I Ou ellFells n tlll I MF,int ri'. 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' ry' March 1999 t CITY OF TIGARD CITY OF TIGARD OREGON PROPOSAL TO CONSTRUCT WILLAMETTERIVERWATER SUPPLY SYSTEM Delivered to WWSA and membership at meeting of June 1, 1999 WWSA membership response to WWSA due no later than August 30, 1999 The City of Tigard delivers this Proposal to Construct(Proposal) the Willamette River Water Supply System (Project) to the WWSA and its membership for their consideration pursuant to Section 5.1 of the 1997 WWSA intergovernmental agreement. The Proposal includes this transmittal document, the governance structure, Attachment 1 to this document, and the December 1998 Preliminary Engineers Report for the Project(PER), which the WWSA and members have previously received. This Proposal is the culmination of four(4) years of action by the City, in coordination with its WWSA partners and the City of Wilsonville, to evaluate the availability of the Willamette River as a long term source of high quality drinking water at a competitive cost. Implementation of the Proposal will assure Project participants an ownership interest in a water supply system that will provide high quality water in a manner that is consistent with the Regional Water Supply Plan at the most competitive cost available. The Proposal will carry out the goal of WWSA to make efficient use of the water rights.held by WWSA for the collective benefit of the participants in the Project. Tigard proposes to build the Project as described in the PER, with the governance structure outlined in Attachment 1. In summary the Proposal is to build: 1. A river intake and raw water pump station system, located approximately at river mile 39, sized to allow the intake for the ultimate system capacity requirement of 120 mgd; 2. A 3 stage water treatment facility with an initial system capacity of 35 mgd, with the ultimate system capacity requirement of 120 mgds, and purchase land for the facility; 3. A high service pump station; 4. System administrative facilities co-located with the treatment facility, 5. A transmission line from the treatment facility north to provide connection to the Tigard, Tualatin and Sherwood systems, sized to accommodate future needs of the TVWD. PROPOSAL TO CONSTRUCT - Page 1 i 13125 SW Hall Blvd., Tigard, OR 97223 (503)639-4171 TDD (503) 684-2772 ti. Cost estimates for the Project are contained in the PER. The governance structure for the Project will be consistent with the structure outlined in Attachment 1. The Project participants will own the Project, and management of the Project will be governed by a Project board. Non- participating WWSA members, and WWSA will retain the later buy in option provided by the WWSA agreement. WWSA will transfer/assign sufficient water rights to the Project to allow it to function at planned capacity. Tigard will be the lead agency, responsible for the permitting, design, construction, administrative management, operation and maintenance of the Project. In the Project agreement WWSA will transfer responsibility to the Project for the operational functions reserved to WWSA in the WWSA agreement. Section 5.1 requires WWSA members to notify WWSA of their acceptance or rejection of this Proposal to Construct no late than August 30, 1999. Acceptance of the Proposal will be acceptance of the Project and the governance structure. A failure of a member to respond by that date will constitute a rejection of the Proposal by that member. The City of Tigard has undertaken its leadership role in this process with enthusiasm, and the results being presented in this Proposal provide a sound foundation from which Project participants will meet the water supply needs of their constituents for the foreseeable future. The City is ready to assist any member with its evaluation of this Proposal, and to provide any additional information or clarification that it can. After receiving and evaluating responses to this Proposal to Construct the City looks forward to working with WWSA and its membership in meeting the water supply needs of the region. Jmc\acm\90024\waterconstruct.pr 1(5/27/99) PROPOSAL TO CONSTRUCT - Page 2 M CITY OF TIGARD PROPOSAL TO CONSTRUCT WILLAMETTE RIVER WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM ATTACHMENT 1 GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE A Project Agreement will be entered into by the original WWSA participants in the Project and WWSA. It is currently contemplated that once the WWSA and its members concur with the structure that Wilsonville will be invited to join as an original Project participant. WWSA and members initially rejecting the Project shall retain the option to acquire an interest described in Section 5.5 of the WWSA agreement. The Project will be owned by the participants, with the exact nature of that ownership interest to be fashioned in consultation with bond counsel. WWSA will transfer to the Project participants the WWSA interests in the Project contemplated by Sections 4.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3 and 6.4 of the WWSA agreement relating to ownership, sale of wholesale water and charges for use of transmission lines. WWSA will also transfer/assign to the Project sufficient water rights for the Project to function at its ultimate planned system capacity of 120 mgd. See PER Table 2-4. A Project Board will be created as a ORS 190.080 entity. The Board will consist of one representative of each participant (either an elected representative or employee of each participant). WWSA will not have an ownership interest in the Project so it will not have a member on the Board. Amendment to the Project Agreement must receive the approval of the governing body of each participant and WWSA. The Board will provide management oversight of the Project through administration of the terms of the Project Agreement. The Board will have the authority to approve additional Project participants, wholesale water sales, rates, wholesale SDC's, transmission line usage policy and fees, central financing decisions, enforcement of the terms of the Project Agreement, and the timing of expansion. Actions of the Board will be by dual majority vote based on the recommendation in Appendix H of the PER. The Project will be the Project described with cost allocations as defined, by the December, 1998 Preliminary Engineers Report for the Willamette River Water Supply System. Tigard will be designated the lead agency for the Project and Project manager. Tigard will be responsible for management, design, permitting, construction, operation and maintenance of the Project on behalf of the entity. Tigard will be given the authority to carry out these responsibilities in the manner it chooses, subject to the oversight of the Project Board. A technical committee will be formed to provide advice to the Project manager. Page 1 The local funding option will be the choice for initial construction. A mechanism will be included to minimize the risk to all parties to the extent possible from default by another party. The agreement will contain a central funding option, to not be exercised until initial Project construction debt is retired, or retirement is guaranteed through a refinancing mechanism. The proposals from Section 5 of the preliminary engineering report for capital cost allocation principles, O+M principles, capacity rights, rate authority, provision for latecomers, provisions for system expansion and "must lease", sale of wholesale water, wholesale SDC's, and depreciation/replacement funding will be included as proposed. The agreement will also include normal formality provisions, including dissolution, withdrawal and amendment provisions. jmc\acm\90024\waterconstruct.at 1(5/27/99) VAW Page 2 i rn�cw0 wi Isonvi I le z�Z W < trO Hw �. Q C9 m o d � r• Y � €oz (0 M o m O -IC C o M V �7 Your Community --- Your Newspaper un a cn VOL.14 NO.21 Wednesday,May 26, 1999 TWO SECTIONS-50 CENTS Water debate intensifies as citizens have their say Willamette foes aren't Willamette River water and Portland water. Force, the Safest Drinking Water Coalition The City Coun- ,�/ ,,/ It wasn't the last chance for citizen input. (H2OK) and the Willamette Water Supply cil is expected reassured by studies Individuals will have a chance to give their Agency. 0to decide views at a public hearing scheduled for Portland proponents included Wilsonville between the that support river use June 7. Citizens for Safe Water, Tigard Citizens for Willamette A council decision will be made either Safe Water and the Oregon Environmental River and By CURT KIPP that evening or June 21 — the latter if the Council. f'�I Portland water Of The Spokesman council decides more public input is neces- The Wilsonville Chamber of Commerce following a sary was neutral.Board member Vicki Yates said public hearing The scientists have had their say on the Group opinions were fairly evenly split the chamber has not picked an option to en- next month. water The river city's water dilemma. between the Willamette and Portland, dorse.A decision is expected after a private would er be Now the citizens are having theirs. owing to the balanced list of groups invited forum for chamber members is held May drawn from a Invited citizen groups testified before the to speak. 25. Point west of Wilsonville City Council on May 17 regard- Willamette backers included the city of the old Boones ing the upcoming choice between Tigard, the Tigard Water Advisory Task See DEBATE on Page 11 Ferry ramp. Photo by Tom Morten t Debate Continued from Page 1 Much of the information presented safe drinking water from sources Portland water as blended -water has been heard before at previous more polluted than the Willamette, (most from Buil Run, but some Portland absent council meetings. Manard noted. from city wells)is misleading. Notably, Portland Water Buread Stili, the hearing did provide an However, the fact that Portland's Portland has:.used its wells just 40 officials were not in attendance at opportunity for head-to-head clash- water comes from a protected wa- days in the past four years,she said. the meeting — even though their es on a number of important issues. tershed is unique and .has great Scott concluded that Wilsonville counterparts from the WWSA were: ❑ "Safest water in. region?" value,Manard added, will be getting Bull Run water most According to Wilsonville city Willamette supporters said the riv- River opponents said that raw of the time--not Columbia River spokesman Dave Kanner,bureau of- er's finished water would be safer water quality is important because well field water. ficials were asked to make a presen- than Portland's, but opponents treatment cannot possibly remove However, Safest Drinking Water tation at the hearing but declined strongly disagreed. every hazardous particle. Coalition member Kay Hill said the invitation.He said Portland offi- Tigard Mayor Jim Nicoli quoted Scott cited Dr. Ken Williamson, Wilsonville would get 26 percent cials took the position that the facts a Portland official as saying that an engineer at Oregon State Univer- well water, according to Portland's of their proposal are already on the Willamette water would be the sity, who told the council May 3 proposal.All of the water,including table. safest in the region under the pro- that raw water quality is important, the well water,would be unfiltered, Contacted by the Spokesman, posed treatment. (Williamson did conclude that treat' she said. Portland water commissioner Erik "Everyone has agreed, including ed Willamette water would be safe, Tigard's task force was very un- the city of Portland,that if we go to however.) comfortable with the Columbia well `The Willamette the Willamette River ... we will Bull Run is pristine, whereas the field water, according to member have the best water of any city in Willamette River*is highly polluted, Mark Mahon. (advocacygroup) the metro area;'Nicoli said. Scott-said. . Meanwhile, Council President But some river'opponents, in- "Some of those things in the raw John Helser raised questions of his is doing a whole eluding Dolores Scott, were skepti- water will get through the filtration own about Portland water. cal that a Portland official really system,"she added. Helser contended that Bull Run PR campaign. That said the Willamette was better. The filter system proposed for water,by Portland's own admission, "If that's the case, then Portland the Willamette would eliminate 100 has several contaminants.The water ought to make you should close up and use the Willa- percent of pollutants initially, Scott has giardia, trihalomethanes, heavy think. mette River," Scott said with dis- said,but its performance would de- metals, arsenic, and elevated lead belief. cline over time. and copper,he said. Erik Sten Both Councilor John Helser and River supporters said that while "I want that on the record," river supporter Jack Rayborn said Helser said. Portland water commissioner they remember the comment in Portland officials were not there question. `The citizens of to respond, so the Spokesman con- "I was at that meeting in Janu- tatted Manard to answer the ques- Sten said he did not know if an in- ary," Rayborn said. "The PortlandWZIsOnVllle must tions raised by Helser's statements. vitation was received. He said the people said the treated mater will be According to Manard, lead and water bureau is available to attend more pure than Portland's system." not allow them- copper are found in Portland tap any meetings if requested, but add- Gary Betts,a Wilsonville resident water, but they do not come from ed that the bureau is trying to avoid speaking on behalf.of Tigard Citi- selves to be led the water source or the city's trans- political discussions and debates. zens for Safe Water, then attacked pat ked down thh Of mission system. Rather, they leach "We have tried to sta out of the Portland statement b saying the into water from home plumbing— meetings where people are debating person who made it was not quali- deceit reached l7 usually from brass faucets. on what Tigard or Wilsonville, fied to make such a pronouncement, p y Brass is an alloy,and some brass should do,"Sten said."We're trying No one indicated which Portland opponents of(the contains higher proportions of lead. to just be factual. I'm not in the official made the statement they High dissolved oxygen can cause mode of trying to sell it— I'm in were all arguing over. However the river).' the metal to leach out. Portland the mode of saying it's an available official who made the comment in treats its water to reduce this leach- option to you. question is Rosemary Manard,Port- ing,she said. "The Willamette is doinga land's director of water quality en- Janet Olmsted 9 Y Portland treats its wateF with whole PR campaign. That ought to gine&ing. Safest Drinking Water Coalition chlorine to reduce giardia. Triha- make you think. I'm not saying the Given the apparent disagreement lomethanes are treatment byprod- information is inaccurate.But you'd or confusion over Manard's January ucts suspected to cause cancer.The never see us doing anything like statements, the Spokesman contact- treatment won't remove every con- chlorine treatment does result in tri- that." ed her Monday for clarification on taminant, it will remove enough of halomethanes as a byproduct, but Sten added that Wilsonville offi- the matter. them to be safe. the benefits of disinfecting the wa- cials have been very gracious and Manard said it was never her in- Safest Drinking Water Coalition ter outweigh the risks from treat- professional in keeping him up to tent to say that either source — (H2OK)member Janet Olmsted cit- ment byproducts,Manard said. date during every step of the water Portland or the Willamette — ed the panel of scientists who testi- The most dangerous trihalome- source selection process, would better, fled May 3 that treated WIllamette thanes would not be present in very At least one speaker at the May Rather,her intent was to commu- water would be safe. These were large amounts because Portland's 17 hearing noted that the Willa- nicate that both sources are safe well-qualified, well-trained experts, system is low in bromide,she said. mette option has an agency actively based on drinking water standards, she said. Portland may have trace,natural- pushing it, and the Portland option though neither is absolutely risk- Willamette River water quality ly occurring amounts of arsenic and does not. free. will improve if the river is selected heavy metals in its system, but not "We don't have an entity that's "The real message I tried to bring because of"increased stewardship:' at unsafe levels,Manard said. been hired to advocate for the Port- to that meeting is, there is no such Olmsted added. She had strong `:: ❑ Cost. Although most people land system;' Marshall,Gillmore, thing•as risk-free tap water," Man- words.ft,Willamette«opponents,,t believe;the issue of water quality is said. "That's much-lo the.detrltrienr-: and said;;"I tis;is an issue where it's QfYi g'tlie ave preyed on people's � paramount, both sides had argu- of making an informed decision" not apples and apples.This is not a fears. ,',meats to;make' about how water Gillmore is a member of the anti- matter of better and worse. I don't "The citizens of Wilsonville must` rates should impact the decision. river group Wilsonville Citizens for think anyone in the city (of Port- not allow themselves to be led down Wilsonville officials recently re- Safe Water. land)wants to say the Willamette is the path of deceit preached by op- leased rate estimates showing that Though Portland water officials better or the Bull Run is better." ponents of this issue,"she said. Portland water would be more ex- were absent, the groups that did Cities such as New Orleans and ❑ Portland water makeup. speak covered familiar ground. Cincinnati use treatment to produce Scott argued that referring to the See DEBATE on Page 14 Page 14—Wilsonville Spokesman,Wednesday, May 26, 1999 Debate Continued from Page 11 based on numbers that have not been According to Mahon, a provision he city can sell more than surplus "This seems to have more to do negotiated,"he said. in Portland's city charter states that water, he said. with the pensive than Willamette water, ex- In the Spokesman interview, Sten the city can sell only `"surplus Mahon's objections to Portland than with,-desire - build and control cept in a few select instances. The said Portland is willing to negotiate water," and Portland was not willing water didn't stopwith the cit char- good public policy,""ant rate estimates were generated b a with cities about water terms; if the to discuss charm it. ter. He also said Portland is not will- proposed said. The treatment plant g y changing paid consultant. cities are serious about wanting Port- proposed by Tigard is unnecessary Nicoli told Wilsonville councilors land water. ing to negotiate a water deal until the and a waste of money." that Tigard opted for Willamette However, Tigard officials made it r cities involved commit to iv Lewotsky said many cities spend water because recent experience has clear to him that they wanted to go With conservation, That situation would give Tigard more on water capital improvements shown that Portland water can be to the Willamette. and Wilsonville little choice but to than on conservation. Tigard has Sten noted that Portland already very expensive. we don 't need to accept Portland's terms, Mahon be- even spent more on public relations lieves. Tigard currently buys Portland spent a lot of time and money on its address raising the "Who's in the driver's seat? The promoting the Willamette plant than water as well as Lake Oswego water. initial report released in December. on conservation, she said. According to Nicoli, Tigard is pay- He said he didn't see the point in seller is,' he said. p two dams. We have The task force preferred the Wil- Lewotsky did praise he city of con- ing Portland $1.23 per 100 cubic spending more money to Wilsonville for its "intelligent" that P g y generate lamette because it would give Tigard feet for water wholesale this year— numbers or information that Tigard not adequately ad- more control of how, where and servation plan while still saying that almost double the old rate of 67 officials would use as ammunition more conservation is needed. cents per CCF. Tigard's customers, against the Portland option. when money is spent, Mahon said. dressed that in this River opponents did not dispute But Heiser said conservation isn't in turn,pay $1.32 per CCF on aver- ❑ Certainty of supply. Willa- , the answer in Wilsonville. mett age for that water. ion. that a Willamette plant would give e supporters said a treatment reg local governments more control. "We've done every bit of conser- The increase came because Port- plant on the river is the only sure vation we can do now,"he said. "It's land penalized Tigartoo d for using too way to guarantee water is available However, the OEC's Karen Lewot- much water, said ad Wegner, tfor local residents. Karen LeWotSky sky said the issues of control and not going to handle our water ard's public works director. The "It is the only way to have ab- Oregon Environmental Council ownership of the new water supply needs" penalty was part of Tigard's contract solute control over the quality and are trivial to local residents. What Lewotsky also believes Portland with Portland. they really care about is water quali- will not need to raise its two Bull quantity of our water,"Olmsted said. ty, she said. Run dams to mee( water demands, Portland proponents maintained Portland supporters countered that It's hard to say how "surplus Tigard's desire to build a water even though Portland anticipates that future contracts with Portland the city of Portland is more willing water" is defined, Mahon added. treatment plant on the Willamette doing just that at some point in the are negotiable and need not include to negotiate on price and certainty That made the Tigard task force ner- River was driven by politics, not future. such harsh penalties. than river supporters are willing to vous, he said. water shortages,Lewotsky said. "With conservation, we don't Meanwhile, Gillmore said Wil- admit. Jim Hansen, a member of Tigard In fact, Lewotsky asserted that need to address raising the two sonville's estimates of the cost of River proponents fired back that Citizens for Clean Water, disputed Tigard's water shortage can be dealt dams," she said. "We have not ade- going to Portland are too high. Portland's willingness to negotiate is Mahon's claims. A memo from the with through conservation rather quately addressed that in this re- "The data that is shown tonight is hampered by its own city charter. Portland city attorney maintains that than construction. gion°" Tap Willamette; allow the debate The Tigard City Council Tuesday night should approve a plan to util- ize treated Willamette River water as the city's primary source of drink- ing water. The decision will make many concerned citizens very unhappy.And it will set the stage for Citizens for Safe Water,who oppose the use of Willamette water,to require a vote next fall on the matter by Tigard rc2istcred voters. But the council's decision to proceed with treated Willamette water is the right one.A full public discussion,an educational campaign covering all viewpoints and scientific information,and an eventual citizen vote should not be feared.Let's have a full, fair debate by Willamette sup- porters and opponents. That's the way it should be. The debate's outcome not only will help decide Tigard's water supply for the future,but also could determine water supply for Durham, Kine City,unincorporated Tigard,Tualatin,Wilsonville,Sherwood and pos- sibly areas of Beaverton served by the Tualatin Valley Water District. That is.if citizens' votes are motivated by fact,need and cost. But along the way,personal conviction,emotion and perception might complicate a public review of the issue.This was evidenced by tes- timony that a citizen offered last week before the Tigard City Council. At least one person said,"The thought of drinking that is dreadful." We can sympathize.For years we have been told that the Willamette is a dreary,dirty waterway and the alternative, Bull Run water,is among, the nation's purest water sources. In both,there is some truth.And some fiction. The city of Tigard has done a good job in spearheading the controver- sial review of where to get water for this region's future. But even then,some folks are miles apart on the issue.And we admit that even after significant future debate and public education by both sides,some people will determine their vote on their perception of drink- ing water taken from a river that some consider polluted. To date.the city of Tigard wisely has sought to base its decision on key issues—not perception,or misperception. Water quality is the key issue.City officials say their studies indicate that treated Willamette River water will be of the highest quality and safe for human consumption.Opponents dispute the studies. Tigard also has addressed the need for a reliable water system for the region.As the Portland area grows in the next 20 years by more than 500,000 people and our economy expands,a balanced water supply is critical.That supply needs to diversify beyond the region's recent system that heavily relies on Portland's Bull Run system. Bull Run is,and will remain,a high-quality,reliable water source.But expansion of Bull Run to meet future growth will be subject to environ- mental limitations,and its operation could be imperiled by natural dis- asters,including flooding, landslides or seismic disturbances around Mount Hood.Adding other sources of water means we have a backup supply. The water debate also should focus on cost.Which systems are the most cost-effective and provide taxpayers a predictable expense and return? We have been impressed by Tigard's tenacity on this.Councilors and staff have led the way and taken the heat for jurisdictions throughout eastern Washington-County. And this from a city that typically neither takes risks nor leads public policy debate. But of late—as longi-term water relations have broken off with Lake Oswcgo—this is a city that feels it has no assurance of where it will get water and how much that water will cost. As a result,quiet"Tigard has been the leader in helping shape a public decision on future water sources for the region. That decision should be advanced Tuesday night by a council decision to affirm use of treated Willamette River water.And it's a decision that ,Jiould not he endangered il'citizens say they want a right to vote on the m;utrr. q/,4/19 r Ai_t1 A.S1' 9.,�Rutilf�her _. ` Q PATRN�(P, 'gam ` AN 0 A M Pi riga drt0 � roil . Drinking the Willamette . Tigard officials are leading the suburbs to the river to drink, while customers are balking—and both have good reasons rinking from the Willamette would impound enough water to serve River isn't our first choice, the area for 200 years. but if Tigard's residents From the suburbs' standpoint, tak- want to take a sip, that ing water from the Willamette would ought to be just fine with Portlanders. mean they would control their own But the idea is unsettling enough source and not be dependent on rate, that city leaders had better make sure conservation and other demands that Tigard residents do want to take made by Portland. that sip, and give them the chance to Most of the concerns have been vote on their water source. about cost and the quality of water Tuesday evening, the Tigard City they'llbe drinking. Staying with Bull Council is scheduled to choose be- Run would be a bit cheaper in the tween drinking-water sources, after short run, but more expensive later, months of study and controversy.Offi- as Portland adds to its system. cials looking to the river say it will After weeks of questioning and por- meet federal drinking-water standards ing over reports, a citizens task force after treatment. Opponents argue voted 22-3 for the Willamette. . otherwise, challenging both the analy- One of the most difficult concerns to ses and federal standards for address was raised by a six-year study drinking-water safety. by the state Department of Environ- It's much more than a local deci- mental Quality. It found deforitned sion.-If Tigard chooses to tap the Wil- squawfish in the Newberg pool, a 35- lamette, Sherwood, Tualatin, King mile stretch of the river from New- City, Durham and Wilsonville are se- berg to Oregon City.The study did not riously considering joining in. Port- conclude what caused the deformities, land also has a stake in the decision, and the discovery is a rallying point because the broader the Bull Run sys-, for those opposed to the river.. tem's user base, the more ratepayers. Corvallis and Adair Village tap the who help cover its costs. Willamette, for their drinking water We're inclined to go along with Ti- without documented health.problems. gard officials in this case. Kevin Hanway; executive: director of For one thing,both the 1992 drought the Willamette Water Supply.Agency, and the slides of 1995 and 1997 that comprising seven-water suppliers in plugged the flow of some water from the area, avowed, "We haven't Tound Bull Run for a time are strong argu- anything in the river that we cannot-: ments for providing another major 'get out of the water. We have done source of water for the region. more testing than anyone else has From Portland's particular perspec done.We feel confident it is safe." tive, not providing water to the.grow- Tigard officials have given citizens ing southwest suburbs would.extend plenty of information and opportunity the calendar for raising the two exist- to express their views. Many remain ing dams or building a third one at skeptical, however, and are asking to Bull Run. Raising the dams would vote—and they should. meet all regional water needs for the As planners may discover, you can next 50 years,says Portland City Com- lead Tigard to water, but you can't missioner Erik Sten. A third dam make it drink. Thursday, April 29, 1999 Y vVi i -- .o. qrjo op 3 4L ra ��/,/i'%%/rte . ,�•aw �''•�i i���d���� ��► --iii. -' � Newgroup . s a-� supports ?��g use of the Willamette River opponents could start gathering petition signatures this week By CURT KIPP cant for people to know that accept- Of The Spokesman ing the `us versus them' image por- trayed by others is really seeing only Just as one citizen group is gearing up half of the picture." Rayborn said the group will try to for a petition drive to require a vote on debunk some of the objections raised any use of the Willamette River for city b WCSW and a similar water, another group has formed — this Y group in one in support of tapping the river. Tigard. "Inflammatory comments The Safest Drinking Water Coalition and scare tactics may get attention, -has members in Tigard and Wilsonville, but they don't give you any real in- both of which are cities that may decide formation,"he said. to use the river. Co-chair Jack Raybom Like the petition backers,Rayborn represents Wilsonville, while co-chair views the petition as a public refer- Bob Rohlf,a former Tigard city councilor, endum on the Willamette River. He represents Tigard. urged voters to examine all the evi- + "The primary goal is to secure the dence before signing the petition. safest, most practical, most economical "I'm recommending tliey do not drinking water,"spokeswoman Trish Con- sign the petition until they read the rad said. "We think the evidence shows published data,"Raybom said. "I be- that the water plant on the Willamette is lieve that people who have had the the way to do that. "Most people want the same things we opportunity to review the informa- want, and I think WCSW (Wilsonville tion will realize that a state-of-the-art Citizens for Safe Water)would want the treatment plant will produce the best same thing. We just disagree on what the water." safest source is." SDWC organizers say they represent a silent majority that favors the Willamette River. "There is more than one side to this issue," Rohlf said. "We think it is impor- ` I Paid Adx TIGARD ' ITS RIjSE= O DR AN OPEN LETTER TO THE TIGARE OREGON CONSTITUTION. ARTICLE 1-BILL OF RIGHTS. Section L Natural rights inherent in people. ''�orrrw' and all free governments are founded on their authority,and instituted for their peace,safety,and happiness;and Mr.Mayor and Councilors: Governing bodies are elected to carry out the will of the people. History shows that on occasion when governing bodies attempt to do something that is against the will of the vast majority of the people,things such as Boston Tea Parties, and revolutions occur. On April 27,you will be making a decision on our future water source which may affect over 100,000 people. You will be voting on whether to continue using primarily Bull Run water,or changing to Willamette River water as the Tigard Water District's water source for the next 50 years. This decision will affect not only those in Tigard,but also residents in King City,Durham,Wilsonville, Sherwood, and ultimately those in Tualatin and the Tualatin Valley Water District.This is a momentous decision to be made by you five individuals. The Citizens for Safe Water members have been gathering petition signatures and talking to residents in the Tigard Water District for almost a year,and over 90%of them do not want to drink Willamette river water.When we are out gathering signatures the one question we get asked the most is "What is driving this city toward the Willamette, when the Bull Run(one of the six purest water sources in the country)is available?"There is only a small minority group of individuals which is pursuing the filter plant. What gives you the right to force the citizens to use the Willamette river when over 90%of them are against it?You as Council members are supposed to represent the will of the people. But instead,you have allowed the City to promote theWillamette River option, and negate the Bull Run option. Some of you have actively campaigned for the Willamette. Over a year ago the city pledged$162,000 of taxpay- er dollars and hired a public relations firm to promote the river.The city then employed a bla- tant strategy of promotion,deception, lies,a rush to accomplish their mission, an aggressive spending of taxpayer dollars to fight the citizens who are opposed to their plan, and they have conducted an"end run"strategy to make it look like they had citizen input,without actually getting it. Some of these tactics are 1.The Nov. `97 focus group study of 12 Tigard residents wio were put into a room for 2 hours, lectured on the merits of the filter plant,and paid$50 each. This is the only survey done before you,mayor Nicoli, announced in Jan. `98 that the City was building the filter plant.2.The CTT meetings last year which were used to"sell"the 1 Willamette,but the citizens were not allowed to express an opinion. 3.The Sept. "98 tele- phone survey where residents were asked to weight the importance of 8"criteria"of a water source, and later at the Oct.20 council meeting,you completely changed the order of the cri- teria,moving ownership from last to the number 4 position,deleted some criteria and added others, to make it more favor the Willamette. The city even put out a false press release to the media, saying that as a result of this survey the citizens were"equally divided"on their prefer- ence of Bull Run or Willamette river water,even though there was no question in the survey that asked for a preference,and the Willamette and Bull Run options were not even mentioned. 4.The"Citizen Task Force"in which 30"independent unbiased residents" were selected by you and a few members of city staff to"study"the water issue for 6 weeks and then give a rec- ommendation to the council. Over half those selected were present or former councilors, may- ors, and members of the Tigard Water Board or Intergovernmental Water Board-hardly an independent selection. At the Feb. 9 council meeting you, mayor Nicoli, admitted that you personally knew half of the members. If there are citizens who are not affiliated with a City or a water district who are in favor of the Willamette, we have not found them. To this day you refuse to poll the people as to their preference,because you know the citizens would over- whelmingly prefer Bull Run. A recent survey of Wilsonville residents showed that 78%pre- ferred Bull Run. If the filter plant is built, the city of Portland will not accept Willamette water even as an emergency drinking water source. Some of you have said that there is only a "small minority"of citizens who are opposed to the Willamette. rtisement kINK-WILLA ME' ' `L. R'IVERA"JWAT ER D CITY COUNCIL from THE PEOPLE {rle. We declare that all men;when they form a social compact are equal in right:that all power is inherent in the people, znd they have at all times a right to alter,reform,or abolish the government in such nmiuter as they may think proper. If you truly believe this, why are you afraid of allowing a vote of the people? As you know, the group formed to build the filter plant is called the Willamette Water Supply Agency(WWSA). Councilor Hunt,you are the chairman of this agency. During the last year, you have been campaigning for and selling the Willaette River option. Mr. Hunt,you have an EXTREME conflict of interest in this issue. You must certainly abstain from voting on Apr. 27. If you do not, there will certainly be ethical issues in your actions, and perhaps legal ramifications. Mr.Hunt,you and the City have been stressing the importance of"ownership" of a water source. A few months ago, some members of the Canby Utility Board spoke for an hour at the WWSA meeting,relating the bad experiences the City of Canby had after the acquisition of PGE by Enron. After the takeover, Enron would not honor the existing contracts the city had with PGE. They expressed their concerns that if the filter plant is built, that Enron could end up owning it. And yet,beginning next month, after the Apr. 27 vote of this council, the WWSA is going to begin coordinating and funding a workshop on"privatization of public water utilities". The workshop will be conducted by consultants, and will discuss how private companies(such as PGE or Enron)might approach public water utilities to discuss privatiza- tion and partnership possibilities. Does this mean that the cities will approve and build the filter plant, and then sell part or all of it to a company such as Enron? Municipalities only go to polluted sources such as theWillamette when there is no other source available. And a filter plant is a BLACK HOLE for expense. The operating cost is six times that of gravity fed Bull Run water.Every time the EPA changes the water standards, the plant must be modified.The proposed lowering of the Arsenic limits alone could double the cost of the filter plant, which would invalidate all current cost projections. If this plant is built,property values will undoubtedly decrease. There is no rush to make a decision. There is plenty of water for another 15 years. '%awl Wilsonville could solve their immediate shortage by doing what Sherwood just did and build a line(estimated at$3 million)from Tualatin to supply Bull Run Water. The City of Portland Water Bureau planning staff has been working on a plan to bring Bull Run water from the Powell Butte reservoir to the SW cities of Wilsonville,Tualatin, Sherwood and Tigard by way of a Southwest route commonly known as the"Clackamas Intertie."From h Powell Butte the Intertie generally follows the I-205 corridor ending at I-5. The Intertie could connect with the Clackamas water facility which has the capability for an additional 60 million gallon per day production expansion.The significance of the Intertie is the construction of a critical supply line that will complete a supply loop for the Bull Run system. The supply loop greatly enhances the reliability and security of the entire region's water supply. This Intertle would be less expensive for both Tigard and Wilsonville,than expanding the Washington County Supply Line. We request you to stop, take a serious look at the Clackamas Intertie option, and look at a realistic independently produced cost comparison of the Willamette and Portland options. The residents of Tigard will be paying for this water and forced to bath in it and drink it. They should certainly have a say in whether they continue to drink Bull Run water,or are required to change to the Willamette River. This Council has been elected to carry out the will of the citizens of Tigard. You should certainly allow the citizens a vote on this extremely important issue. Citizens for Safe Water has already collected enough signatures to place the measure on the ballot in September to require a vote of the people before the Willamette can be used as a drinking water source. We strongly request you to hold off on your further expenditure of taxpayer dollars for the construction of the filter plant until after this election. To do otherwise would certainly be ethically (and pos- sibly legally) irresponsible. Citizens for Safe Water 590-2818 Email drj@hevanet.com ;ould appear on Sept. 21 ballo-ipp i,v� ' I SUSAN DOHER DON LEWIS COLLEEN TATOM DARCY FRISBY BONFY7 Where should Tigard get its drinking water — from the Willamette River, or Portland's Bull Run reservoir? SUSAN DOHERTY(45,Tigard):"I'm not really wild COLLEEN TATOM (18,Tigard):"I think they should about drinking Willamette River water.I'd like to see go with the Bull Run.Why?All I know is that the more evidence that it's safe to drink.I haven't gone Willamette is disgusting. I'll boat in it, but I won't to any public forums because I have a really busy swim in it,and they want us to drink it?It's full of life. I'd be worried to have my kids drink it.I know garbage.The water we drink now is fine,and what the city wants—to go to the Willamette.I everybody knows the Willamette is one of the most think that citizens need to have more input in this polluted sources in the country." decision. I signed the Citizens for Safe Water petition because I want the right to vote about this.I don't DARCY FRISBY(27,Tigard):"Obviously, I wouldn't t know what I'd vote yet. I need to do more research." want to drink Willamette River water.I stopped water skiing in it in 1993.It just smells disgusting." DON LEWIS(75,Tigard): "This has really been quite DONNA BONFOEY(30,Tigard):"I'd rather not drink an issue lately.I feel like the city has already decided Willamette River water when the fish in it are found what they want to do—and that's to go the Wil- with deformed scales. If they go with the Willamette, lamette.Maybe it would be a good source,if they I'll be buying bottled water from now on. I don't can clean it up,but the indications now are that it is want my kids drinking that water,and I don't want to not safe." drink it either—maybe I'd develop scales." Willamette River can be made safe to drink, expert says Engineer cites studies According to Obermeyer,the current tests were missed or had to be thrown out. something Bull Run does not:organic conte- r, y support the same conclusion as previous tests Obermeyer acknowledged the disqualified minants. ae/ ISSUe dating back to 1991 on the river— namely, that the water has samples, but said that some — not all — "These are not present in Bull Run, and trace contaminants but meets safe drinking were retaken. you would not expect them to be,"he said. water standards even without treatment.tmt. Some chemicals have been tested for on a panel apeake 8y CURT KIPP Council,Community The prior tests she cited included a water weekly basis, some on a monthly basis and Dredging and dioxin. r Of The Spokesman treatment pilot study commissioned by the some on a quarterly basis. However, Obermeyer pointed out, both �will give Tualatin Valley Water District in 1994, a Obenneyer listed the problems encoun- Bull Run and the Willamette River havea'IesNng.used to eval- Water quality studies conducted since TVWD water monitoring program from tered so far: equivalent amounts of dioxin, an extremely et{ ;River`as a water 1991 prove the Willamette River would be a 1994 to 1996,and sampling by the U.S.Ge- ❑ An Aug. 21, 1998, test for pesticides toxic chemical produced by paper bleaching its are scheduled to good municipal water source, according to ographical Survey from 1991 to 1995. was disqualified because the sample was held processes. nfal ne Foster Department Lisa Obermeyer. Both current and previous tests occasional- too long for the test to be valid.The sample Although the Bull Run Watershed is a pro- If Qu&lily Dc James Obermeyer, a supervising engineer with ly found trace amounts of hazardous chemi- was retaken Sept.23 tected one, dioxin enters the system via at- Statd University; Dr. the environmental firm Montgomery Watson, cals in the main stem of the river. ❑ A Nov.2 test for pesticides was held mospheric deposition,Obermeyer said. t Oregon'State Univer- presented an overview of recent river testing A test conducted in August 1998 detected too long.An attempt to resample failed due Scott expressed concern about dredging fCen Williamson, Oregon to Wilsonville councilors April 19.It was the an herbicide,simazine,by one water testing to pump flooding. on the Willamette, which he said could stir Qtiestions will be same presentation Tigard's Water Advisory method. However, two other test- up dioxin in the sediments at the botincil and the public. Task Force heard before recommending the ing methods did not detect the her- bottom of the river. He asserted _ Willamette River over city of Portland water. bicide. that some traces of dioxin in the The Tigard Ci Council was scheduled to We tried to focus on (any chemicals) processes proposed for the plant would re- pick rY Dichloromethane was detected Willamette will pass through treat- ick a water source April 27, after press move 25 to 30 percent of the TOC,Glicker P P P during November's testing. It had that could possibly be in the river. ment and wind up in the finished time.) not been previously detected. water.He did not say whether this said. Armed with an overhead projector and mi- Simazine had not been detected would also happen with Bull Run In addition, the ozonation process alters cro hone, Obermeyer explained the testing P Lisa Oberme er Ppe 3r organic matter in the water so that it cannot P Y P e in the est,but a similar herbicide, water,which initially would be un- techniques and protocols used to monitor the atrazine,was found in 1994. Montgomery Watson engineer filtered. bond with chlorine in the transmission sys- Willamette River's water quality for the city Dichloromethane is an industrial Heiser also asked whether tem to form disinfectant by-products,Glicker of Tigard since July 1998. contaminant. Simazine and dredging of the river would ever be said. Montgomery Watson has looked for 250 atrazine are suspected endocrine disrupters used to lower water temperatures for the sake Testing process rigorous" t Ober- chemicals in the current testing.The compa- — chemicals that interfere with human ❑ Four out of 35 weekly samples sched- of endangered fish. In addition to discussing test results,Ober- ny arrived at the list of 250 chemicals bygrowth and development. uled so far were missed due to pump failure, Glicker replied that riparian im- meyer talked about the process used for gath- "combining as many lists of concern as we However, contaminant amounts were in largely as a result of flooding problems. provements, such as the planting of shade Bring samples and testing them. could think of;"Obermeyer said. the parts per billion range, well below the Obermeyer took questions from the coon- Each sample i packed on ice and sent to "We tried to think of everything we could maximums allowed under treated water stan- cil and audience after her presentation. Joe trees tributaries,are much more likely to an independent laboratory Federal Ex- "We usedd to improve fish habitat, press,she said.The independent re t lab is not re- possibly think of,"Obermeyer said."We tried dards, Obermeyer said. Treatment will fur- Glicker,vice president of Montgomery Wat- "I don't think dredging would do much for pared to focus on anything that could possibly be in cher remove the chemicals,she added. son,assisted her. Montgomery Watson.Once the sam- the river." Whether the existing standards are enough In response to a question from Councilor temperature,"he said. Ales arrive,each is assigned an identification Chemicals tested included all of those reg- to ensure the safety of finished water is, of John Heiser,Glicker said the Willamette has Willamette opponent Gary Betts asked number, rather than being identified on the ulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act,all course,contested by opponents of the Willa- produced results similar to other water several questions about the removal of total basis of where it came from.The laboratory of those on the Environmental Protection mette. sources his company has tested in the North- organic carbon. uses EPA-approved testing methods and un- Agency's candidate contaminant list, all of Obermeyer's presentation came one week west. According to Glicker, 99 percent of the dergoes blind performance evaluations.Qual- the chemicals ever detected by the USGS after Dr. Charles Scott, a Wilsonville resi- "In many ways, the Willamette River is TOC in the river is simply decayed organic ity control is"rigorous;'Obermayer said. anywhere in the Willamette River basin,and dent, criticized gaps in Montgomery War- typical of water supplies in the Northwest;' matter that occurs naturally, with the rest Montgomery Watson's testing will contin- chemicals from a list of endocrine-disrupting son's current sampling of the river. Glicker said. consisting of synthetic organics.The ozona- ue through July, when a final report will be chemicals. Scott was critical of several samplings that He added that the Willamette basin has tion and granular-activated carbon treatment presented. Page 2 -Wilsonville Spokesman.Wednesday,May 19, 1999 nts faceWiIsonvii'� Iie reside expensive water options Budget panel The estimates do give Portland The rate increase will take effect proponents a gliarimer of hope. July 1 if approved by the City Court- OKs 22 percent water rates using the Willamette. cil. No council men beis have ob- River would be slightly rnoic ex- jected to it so far- water rate hike pensive than Portland for two to An earlier set of rate estimates, three fiscal years under ce;taie ace- presented May 11 to th( Budget By CURT_KIPP narios. Committee, showed an even greater — - Rates with Portland would be difference between the two water Of The Spokesman more expensive thereafter.however. choices. Although the figures are just esti- That estimate shows thai the aver- Wilsonville officials presented mates,city officials said the numbers age customer will save$527 per year their latest estimates of future water in 2005 if Wilsonville goes to the rates to the City Council on May 17, Willamette River for its water The making two things perfectly clear, difference would increase to $569 Water customers are sure to be `I f this community per year in 2010, but then decline to soaked, whether the city chooses $484 in 2020 and$196 in 2025 Willamette water or blended Port- . land water. And it will happen wants to go to "These are for comparative put-- Wilsonville i;.oves forward Portland It will Poses only," city Finance Director alone or with other cities as partners. ' Gary Wallis said. "There still needs r to be further study." Right now, the average water cos- have to go it alone. The rate gap between the Portland tomer is paying $30.29 bimonthly for 18 cubic feet of water. In five and Willamette options has widened �""` since previous estimates because of years, that will probably double -- Jeff Bauman or more. one change: Tigard has cho§en the According to current estimates, Plublic Works Director Willamette River. the average bimonthly bill for 18 "The numbers we gave you before units r water will range from were going to Portland with pan- units$59. f water in ill ran005. ners," Public Works Direct4 Jeff demonstrate the price difference be- Bauman told the committee. "If this The lower figure is for a Wilson- tween the two water options being community wants to go to Portland, ville treatment plant built with part- considered. ners. The latter is for a Wilsonville it will have to go it alone:' Whether Portland or the Willa- However, Lee questioned that as- connection to the Portland water sys` inctte is chosen,city officials want to sumption. A citizen vote could still tem without any partners. ted Other permutations — such as ease customers into the expected overturn Tigard's decision, he noted. Portland with partners or the Willa- water rate increases—starting now. "They haven't gone that way,"Lee mette without partners -- would lie A 22 percent increase was in- said. "It's not absolute yet." somewhere in the middle, rate-wise. cluded in the 1999-2000 city budget, Still, the river will be less expen- The same trends wouid continue which was approved by the Budget sive no matter what;, according to through the final year of this latest Committee on May 11 City Manager Arlene Loble. batch of estimates. Committee member John Lee Jr. "If we went to the Willamette In 2008-2009. the average water objected to raising rates now to pay River all by ourselves, it would be bill is expected to range from$63.86 for improvements that wili come substantially cheaper than if we went (if Wilsonville goes to the later. He moved to eliminate the 22 to Portland with partners," Loble Willamette with partners)to$165.69 percent increase for this year. said. "Under any scenario. the of Wilsonville gets its water from Howc•.ci, Lee's motion died with- Willamette River will be less expeu Portland without any partners). out a second. sive:' "`ter ' E4&y ` The Boones Messenger A !message from The Most Polluted River in the U.S.? the lV�a�►or St's Just one of the claims we've heard throe rout the Wlpamettc basin have at& i about the Willaunctte Rlvcr during the cantly altered dish habitait(e.g..stream As the City Council has grappled with the course of public debate over whether eharmelizatfon:tililrtg of wetiandS:damag extremely weighty issue of long-tam water it's appropriate to even consider the river as a epowning habitat,etc.). So it's fair to say supply.we have waded through an Incredibic drinking water source. if you're a fish,the Willamette may be am amount of information;some of it supplied by Wewe also heard some very scary rhetoric the most Impacted watersheds in the pati the city staff.some by outnidc consultants, thrown around regarding cancer.endocrine But in terms of water quality,aceordt some by the City of Portland and some by disruptors.dioxin and agricultural pesticides. the Environmental Protection Agency,the Wilsonville citizens Wore been busting our buns researching Middle Willamette(the stretch from Salen As we absorb all of thin input,we must these issuca trying to find out what'a fact and Oregon City)is in relattmly good shape. ' decide not only what is relevant.we must what's Hction. So let's take a good hard look EPA gave the middle Willamette a score o separate fact from belief or opinion. at what we`ve heard and what we've found out. on its index of watershed indicators,whit one of the two water supply options Still lest.it's t to understand what rota e"cry health on .1-hvd s the U.B.for its undo consideration Is a treatment plant on �p°� overall health on a 1.6 scale,with 1 beim kind of testing has actually been done *better water quality'and 6 being'more the Willamette River(the other is a connectionFen the Willamette River and how the I to the City of Portland for a blend of Bull Run treatment process works. serious water quality problems." The Cls and Columbia River well f cid watcr)and over p roar River(which serves Oswego.in tests dating back to 1894,the engineer- Linn n and nd many with the course of more than a year of public debate on that option.many things have been cryIng WatsonMtested for 7 you're a h, the Willamette cities y)was alClackaoa( said that we have come to learn are simply cry f y '� �� County)was also s` any chemical that had be among the xrwst inWacied water- at 3 and the Tuslat not true. ever been detected at We have wnaistently reframed from an level an here in sheds the TlattprL But to terms o f drinl,which suport publicly correcting those misstatements for the Willamette River water quality, according to.the Env& drinking water pore fear that we would be accused of having a basin by the U.S. ronmentat Protection Agency. the ° Washington 4Cou bias for the Willamette River option. However. Geological Survey.as M(ddle Willamette (the stretch from In addition.the to this issue of the Boone*FcrYy Mcoacnger, w0l as any chemical Salem to Oregon C(ty) is in relatImly report of the Gover: In the rather lengthy article at right,we will there was reason to address some of the myths and misstatc�uents believe might be there. good Shape'" Task Fore River Bt ,ad-op_ This Jo riot to suggest that we on the Task Force states t uncal have made u our minds-we �'�'if it hadn't been -Most exports agree that the Willamette F p detected by USOS.as well as.of course,all is probably in better health today than it haven't. But when the time comes for us to EPA regulated contaminants and all EPA been for a century." The r port then goer make a deeiston.we intend to make that candidate contaminants. This to by far the decision on the basis of facts. most thorough testing of any water source �klesdress the problems t salt need tc I hope you will,too. anywhere 1n the U.S. Finally went come across a list of'11 * a a Almost all of these aontaminanta are not On the prison front,orae local citizen roost polluted rivers or watcrbadies in th present at ddecoabie levels in the WW vette U.S.;published by the Environmental R described the current state of affairs as'the end e"in the light to revert a prison°n River near urdw dte_ Those that are detected Ing Group,a Washington.DC,lobbying, ! p p are prescat at levels that arc below safe research and public tnformatiorr organiz the Dammasch State Houpital. drinking water maximums and all can be The Willamette appears on that list at ft Unfortunately.both the House and Senate removed by the proposed treatment process. dead last fTlnts list measures only tote! stem to be hell-bent on a bill(Senate Bill 3) The U-catment process to what's called a that would unite Dammasch and matte the multi-barrier oaone/GAC system- Sediments conrirzwd on ne women a prison and Intake center in Umatilla. arc removed from the raw water,ozone gas Tide is despite the Governoes promise of a kills bacteria and microbial pathogois.and a v 04 vtbD and the fact that the votes are not theregranular activated carbon Qltcr removes H O to override a veto in either chamber of the remaining contaminants. The system is � �0 � Lcglslature. designed to mat or exceed all existing and The reault of a veto and the failure to anticipated EPA safe drinking water stan- en evcrride would be that Dammaech would ds. It will arcs the safest,highest remain legally sited and funded. None of our dor quality drinking water in We region,a fact Senators or representatives appears to have a that water quslity experts with the City of plan for what happens next when things play Portland do not dispute. A more detailed out this way. My very legitimate fear is that description of the system is contained erelse- 0 when the veto ovrlde vote fails.the Governor where to this issue of the Messenger. rJ- wtU simply cut his looscu and order construct Okay,now lets take a look at some of eta (n tion toat Damasch. The Legislature, W V) meanwhile, me,will be unabic or unwilling to claims we keep hearing. w c� muster the political will to engage In further 1. 'H£ MOST POLLUTED wnuagltng on this issue and will simply let the C� orison go to Damnaseh. Remember: This isRIVEIN THE U..�. R. W not that big an issue onto you get outside the 491, Or the fourth most polluted or the Rfth c azaz WilaorrvWe area. The vast majority of Orege- most polluted or the tenth most polluted. O niarm don't much care whether the prison is Whatever. We have been unable to find any built at Dammasch or not and it's not likely documentation to substantiate these claims. that the Legislature will want to vcpend much it is ccrtalnty true that physical changes y.� ,!2 Continued on hack pope concluded that there are no endocrine magnitude above background is not well Water - dteruptors present in the Willamette• supported by the existing human epidemio- continatd from front They reached this conclusion by exposing logic database-' (EPA Science Advisory Boar toalc discharges into the water,but not other human endocrine receptor*to Willamette Q0xil3 Aesessmcnt Ek-LAM,May 15-15. 199: factors that contribute to water quality prob- River Water taken from the point where the Finally we came RCr03*this tidbit: In ]ems. It also doesn't account for dilution that intake for a treatment plant would be located 1892-95,the U.S.Geological Survey con- occurs in rivers with larger volumes of water.] and then looking for evidence of endocrine ducted a comprehensive study of dioxin leve Of course.them are more than 50 rivers in disruptors binding to the receptors.In other in Northwestern Oregon. This report looked he U.S.and were not trying to suggest that words•rather than looking for specific*hemi- for 27 varieties of dioxins and furans. One< othe Willamette is free of pollution. But if cal*.Drs.Byrd atrxd Zacharewskf looked for the test Sites was in the Willamette River-nese anyone reeding this knows of a way to sub- evidence that anything might be present that Newberg.and another test site was Fir Creel atantiate the claims that the Willamette is the Would act as an endocrine dieruptor. Nothing in the Bull Run watershed. The tests shown was found. And this is an extremely sensitive the total dioxin levels at both site*are below most polluted raver In America we d like to hear from you. Please call Dave Kanner. test,capable of detecting reactions at concen- background levels and the most toxic dioxin public affaha director,at$70-1605. trations of Ices than 20 parts per Wilton- (2.3.7.8 TCDD)was below the USCS detect)- Drs,Byrd and Zacharewsld thus con- limit. But the level of total dioxins was ri h Z. CANCER eluded that-disruption of estrogenic systema in Fir Creek in the Bull Run watershed Char. Is not of concern for humans consuming was in the Willamette River, (USGS,Dioxin* It has been said or inferred that drinking waw from the Willamette River." and Furans In Bed Sediment and Fish Ttssi treated Willamette Raver water will inereaec of a Willam tte mein. 1998.) your cancer risk. Not so.say the health 4. DIOXIN expert:3' Dioxin is scary stuff. Or at least the word S• DETECTION LIMITS According to Michael Humann,deputy epidemiologist,Oregon Health Division.there generates a lot of tear. Dioxin to the name We keep hearing that Montgomery Wats( are no given to a family of chemicale whose basic used testa that weren't sensitive enough or "Benton County (where studies that structure consists of two molecular rings of that the U.S.0cologlcal Survey consistently people drink Willamette have shown Carbon atoms connected by two oxygen atoms. found contaminants that Montgomery Wats any link Some dioxin*are created when chlorine mixes didn't because the USGS used more sensitii River water) has one of between with organic substances,as In the bleaching tests. the very lowest cancer municipal process formerly used by pulp and paper Montgomery Watson labs did in fact use mates in Oregon.whereas drinking mills- One of the scariest chlorinated dioxins different testing method with higher deteeui Multnomah County water and is called 2.3.7,8 tctraehlorodibenzo-p-dioxin limits than - (where a maforUy of rest- cancer (or TCDD)which is a waste product of matcrt- the USGS lab "There were 36 chem incidence. ale used in production of two pesticides and methods_ call detected at lea, dents drtnlc Bull Run wa- what's in the production of hexaehlorophcne,an That explains once. None of the 3 ter) has one of the very more,ea s antibacterial agent- TCDD is also Produced in why on highest cancer rates in Humane, the incomplete combustion of numerous occasion in th chemicals were detect* the state the cancer materials. It decomposes rapidly in sunlight USGS de- in � etre River"e r of risk pre- but tends to be persistent for up to ten years tected chemi- Wiltarrtette River" sented by water that meets EPA safe drinking in soil layers not cats at trace water standards is"Immeasurably small JAccording to USG+S1 exposed to levels that were below the Montgomery If there is In fact a causal relationship the level of total di- sunlight. Watson lab's detection limit. Like the Oregc between water supply and cancer,and If the oxirts was hfgj r in the to licalth Division.the City of Portland, and consumption of Willamette River water is FYr Creek in the Bull the Oregon Watson used E commercial lain.Montgoer presumed to increase cancer risks, then one Health Division. Watson used EPA-approved drinking water Runwatershed than all of us are monitoring methods. These iso designed t( would expect cancer ratea to be higher in Batton County(where people drink Wil- it was in the Wit- exposed to dioxin test for compliance with EPA drinking orate lamettc Raver water)than in Multnomah lamette River." at very low levels standards. The monitoring done by U5GS County(whcrc the majority of the population ("background involved academic research methodologies drinke Bull Run water). In fact the opposite is Ievels7 every day- But 95%of that exposure which are not approved by EPA for drinldni the case, Benton County has one of the very is from food.2%is from air and less than one- water monitoring standards. lowest cancer rates in Orrgon.while tenth of 1%la from water. But what dad the USGS actually find? Multnomah County bas one of the very high- Staff has been unable to substantiate the The USGS looked for 86 chemicals in e est cancer rates in the state- (Oregon Health claire that there is no threshold for any of 95 separate tests of the Willamette Mvcr Division,Canccy in Oregon. 1996.) The amount of dloxdn. Here is what the EPA and its tributaries. There were 36 chcmiea greatest risk tactors for cancer are tobacco actually has to say about dioxin:"while dioxin detected at least once. None of the 36 cher use,alcohol use,genetics and workplace has bshown to be toxic to certain lab cels were detected>n the mainstem of the ar exposure to carcinogens--not tap water. animals,evidence to lacking that it has sera- Willamette Raver. (U.S.Geological Survey, ous long-term effcets on humans.The public'a 121etrib+tlon of Dissolved Pesticides and Ot 3. IENDOCRIN£ DISRUP'il s perception has been largely based upon water gUatity Constituezitg in Small Street information reported on toxic effects found in and their RclaMon to land U&e to the)ML- Endocrine disruptor+are a faintly of )ab animals.People tend to relate these effects lamette River Basle. 1997.) chemicals that either alone or in combination to humans and begln to fear them.Once fear In at separate study,the USGS tested tl mimic bunion estrogen:end are suspected of has been created,it is hard to dispel:(EPA, mainstem of the Willamette River near having negative — n..•,r,,nm tat ucatlon Series-yol_ c Newberg for 224 chemcialts in the river oat health and Bevel- "fhett3 are n0 endo' HaTardou Waste. 1992) and bed sediments. Only 17 chemicals we opmental effects. trine disruptors In 1994,the EPA appointed a Scientific detected,all of them at levele below safe This has been a present in the Wit- Advisory Board composed of 42 scientists, drinking water standards.The ozone/GAC major source of lctmette land ttJ is academies,government researchers and process at the proposed Willamette water concern for water representatives.to review the EPA's treatment plant would remove all 17 of the su rt.vt of concern for industry suppliers. Dioxin Exposure and Health Effects Docu- chemicals—plus all of the other chemical However.a humans cvnsum- mere This Board found that whale human that werr not even detected- new study con- Gig uxater from the effects from dioxin(and like compound) ducted by Dr. Willamette River." exposure occur at levels closer to background The diagram on the next Daniel Byrd of than previously estimated,-khe conclusion page(courtesy of the Consultants in Toxicology.Risk Assessment that dioxin and related cornpounde are likely No and Product Safety,and Dr.Tim Zacharcwskl to present a cancer hazard to humans at Willamette water supPir of the National Food Safety and Toxicology exposure levels within one or two orders of Agency)shows'the steps in Center at Michigan State University.has treating river water.