What other options did the City consider before making this decision?

Options considered including doing nothing, upgrading the existing wastewater treatment plant, increasing irrigation of local nurseries, letting treated wastewater soak into the ground, temporarily storing untreated or treated wastewater, relocating discharge to Deep Creek, sending wastewater for treatment to another Clackamas County treatment plant, relocating discharge to the Sandy River, and sending wastewater for treatment to Gresham. The two strongest options were relocating to the Sandy River or sending wastewater to Gresham, and ultimately sending it to Gresham was the best option. See a breakdown of the options considered here.

The remaining steps are: City Council adopting the Facilities Plan Amendment, a final engineering evaluation, and completing an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Gresham to formalize our partnership. These steps are on target to be completed by the end of 2025.