DEQ Loans to Newport to Help Curb Beach Postings, Limit Flooding
Newport, OR – Loans from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality totaling more than $5 million will help Newport reduce public health notifications resulting from sewage overflows, limit flooding in parks and along trails and restore a portion of a marina that's now unusable.
The two loans from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which has funded similar projects around the state over the last 26 years, will pay for a number of water-quality improvements in the coastal city.
A $1.15 million loan will pay for improvements at the Nye Beach Pump Station, which regularly clogs. The clogs often result in sewage spills prompting public health notifications. A new grinder station will be able to grind larger material, avoiding clogs and resulting overflows.
The loan will also pay for new sanitary sewer pipes at two separate locations – NE 7th and Douglas and NW Hurbert between 3rd and 6th streets. The pipes date to the early to mid-20th century and the city suspects there may be pipe failures and cross connections allowing sewage to enter stormwater pipes.
A loan totaling $4,128,454 will be used to make upgrades to the storm sewer system in the Bay-Moore Basin, install a bioretention facility at Sam Moore Creek and design a fish passage mitigation project at Big Creek Reservoirs No. 1 and No. 2.
The basin covers about 319 acres in central and eastern Newport– all of which drain into Yaquina Bay, home to one of the state's largest commercial fishing fleets. There are a number of issues with the area's drainage system. Recent problems include sinkholes, flooding and overflowing manholes. A portion of the marina has so much silt from the storm outfalls that it's currently unusable. The storm sewer system upgrades, which will include parts of SE 4th Street, SE Fogarty, Bay Road and SE John Moore Drive, as well as the outfall to Yaquina Bay, should address those problems.
A bioretention facility at Sam Moore Creek will use a pond, native soils and foliage to create a natural buffer and filter for runoff water. The creek drains into the Pacific Ocean via the Nye Beach outfall and spikes in fecal bacteria levels often result in public health notifications due to public safety concerns. The project will require a redesign of the creek area and should substantially reduce flooding of the adjacent Sam Moore Park.
DEQ's Clean Water State Revolving Fund program loans money to public entities across Oregon to help communities complete a variety of water quality improvement projects. Loans have ranged from $7,000 to $69 million, and DEQ has made over $1 billion in loan agreements since the program was established in 1990. The program is supported by annual grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, loan repayment and state-issued bonds.
For more information on the program visit: http://www.deq.state.or.us/wq/loans/loans.htm
Contact:
Jaime Isaza, Clean Water State Revolving Fund Project Officer, Eugene, 541- 687-7341, isaza.jaime@deq.state.or.us
Kathy Estes, Clean Water State Revolving Fund Loan Specialist, Portland, 503-229-6814, estes.kathy@deq.state.or.us
