“The Portland Water Bureau was making the case [in favor of] a $700 million water filtration system for Bull Run water to protect against Cryptosporidium.
“Commissioner Saltzman and Fish supported my asking for a work session regarding the relative merits of filtration versus ultraviolet treatment. I requested a public hearing, to make a better-informed decision that included citizens’ input, in addition to the Bureau’s advice.
“After the hearing, we came to a consensus in favor of ultraviolet treatment – costing $180 million. That’s saving a half-billion dollars; or $342,000 per day, of the four years that I will be in office – done by my looking at details, discovering and laying out the facts, and asking my colleagues to have a discussion and public hearing.”
Her email address was at the bottom of the article. What has happened?
Great recap. I do wonder why they need the water facility to have all those "personal" amenities through? One thing I can say...Portland sure knows how to spend money...🤑💸
There is a series of water projects in Clackamas and Washington Co with total cost of around $2 B nearing completion that, among other goals, is to free some municipalities from the Portland system. Has the loss of those revenues been factored in to the costs to the Portland consumers
The PWB has secured loans from the federal government of 49% of the project cost at 2.13billion. As we all know, money isn’t free, and those loans will need to be repaid. Repayment does not start immediately, apparently will start after 2028, so the rates they show do not factor in when that additional 49% loan payment will need to hit your rates in order to start the repayment process. These rates are just the beginning 😳
The first two charts are especially damning. Who does this to one of the highest taxed jurisdictions on the planet, one which simultaneously shuns both businesses and homeowners. The forgotten woman would surely have picked UV filtration.
'The City of Jerks' screws everything it touches up. This is what happens when you give low IQ politicians power and low IQ government drones high salaries.
They claim it's not as effective. They claim having a nearby wildfire would cause more issues using a UV system. They also claim that since the pipe infrastructure is old, that this system will better take care of the water from the potential contaminants coming from the piping.
Thank you, Jeff. I’m an engineer, thus understanding trade-offs of different approaches is something I deal with frequently. Do you know if there are examples of UV deployment on a scale of a Portland-sized city? I know UV can be deployed on commercial scale but how widely is it accepted in the US or worldwide?
This from Amanda Fritz in 2009:
“The Portland Water Bureau was making the case [in favor of] a $700 million water filtration system for Bull Run water to protect against Cryptosporidium.
“Commissioner Saltzman and Fish supported my asking for a work session regarding the relative merits of filtration versus ultraviolet treatment. I requested a public hearing, to make a better-informed decision that included citizens’ input, in addition to the Bureau’s advice.
“After the hearing, we came to a consensus in favor of ultraviolet treatment – costing $180 million. That’s saving a half-billion dollars; or $342,000 per day, of the four years that I will be in office – done by my looking at details, discovering and laying out the facts, and asking my colleagues to have a discussion and public hearing.”
Her email address was at the bottom of the article. What has happened?
https://eastpdxnews.com/general-news-features/meet-your-portland-city-commissioner-amanda-fritz/
Great recap. I do wonder why they need the water facility to have all those "personal" amenities through? One thing I can say...Portland sure knows how to spend money...🤑💸
There is a series of water projects in Clackamas and Washington Co with total cost of around $2 B nearing completion that, among other goals, is to free some municipalities from the Portland system. Has the loss of those revenues been factored in to the costs to the Portland consumers
The short answer is No.
Gresham left the Portland water system due to high costs….which means even bigger cost increases for those of us in Portland.
https://katu.com/news/following-the-money/gresham-decides-tapping-own-water-supply-less-expensive-than-staying-with-portland
The PWB has secured loans from the federal government of 49% of the project cost at 2.13billion. As we all know, money isn’t free, and those loans will need to be repaid. Repayment does not start immediately, apparently will start after 2028, so the rates they show do not factor in when that additional 49% loan payment will need to hit your rates in order to start the repayment process. These rates are just the beginning 😳
Thanks Pat for the clarification. I updated the post and also the loan interest projection. - Angela
The first two charts are especially damning. Who does this to one of the highest taxed jurisdictions on the planet, one which simultaneously shuns both businesses and homeowners. The forgotten woman would surely have picked UV filtration.
'The City of Jerks' screws everything it touches up. This is what happens when you give low IQ politicians power and low IQ government drones high salaries.
What are the arguments against UV system? There is no perfect solution so there must be the reasons for not choosing UV - what are they?
They claim it's not as effective. They claim having a nearby wildfire would cause more issues using a UV system. They also claim that since the pipe infrastructure is old, that this system will better take care of the water from the potential contaminants coming from the piping.
Thank you, Jeff. I’m an engineer, thus understanding trade-offs of different approaches is something I deal with frequently. Do you know if there are examples of UV deployment on a scale of a Portland-sized city? I know UV can be deployed on commercial scale but how widely is it accepted in the US or worldwide?
Recent cities that went to a UV system recently that are larger than Portland: Seattle, NYC, San Francisco, and Boston.
So, I think it is safe to say that Portland could exist under the same system.