Sandy Awarded $14.7 million for Wastewater Project
During its recently concluded session, the Oregon Legislature awarded the City of Sandy a $14.7 million grant for wastewater system improvements. The funding is part of the $2.6 billion awarded to the State of Oregon as part of the American Rescue Plan bill passed by Congress earlier this year. "I’d like to thank our state legislative delegation of State Representative Anna Williams and State Senator Chuck Thomsen for their leadership in making this happen. Thanks to the collective efforts, this has been the most successful stretch of legislative advocacy in memory for our community. Their bipartisan and cooperative efforts on our behalf are greatly appreciated" says Sandy City Mayor Stan Pulliam.
This grant will help pay for the wastewater system improvements that Sandy currently has underway. The $85 million project includes updating the existing wastewater treatment plan on SE Jarl Road, reducing “infiltration and inflow” throughout the Sandy collection system, and building a new treatment plant with state-of-the-art membrane technology.
The $14.7 million grant is the latest good news story for Sandy’s wastewater project. The City has also received $16.5 million in low-interest loans from Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and $63.8 million in low-interest federal WIFIA loans to cover up to 80% of total project costs. The state and federal funding assistance will help keep rates affordable for customers as the City makes much needed improvements to the sewer system.
In May, construction began on the first step of the City of Sandy’s plan to improve the wastewater system – reducing the amount of “infiltration and inflow” – the rainwater and groundwater that gets into the sewers in wet weather. Once this water enters the sewers it is routed to the City’s wastewater treatment plant, where it strains the plant’s limited capacity. The work in 2021 focuses on two of Sandy’s eight sewer basins that cause 40% of the infiltration and inflow.
Upgrades on the existing wastewater treatment plant start the year. Construction of the new membrane bioreactor (MBR) treatment plant is expected to begin in 2024.
