Last March, the Port approved $1 million in studies including $240, 600 for a feasibility study to build a wastewater treatment facility on the North Spit. The North Spit is located along a subduction zone and in a tsunami hazard zone. Jody McCaffree questioned whether siting a raw sewage treatment in the path of a tsunami and along a seismically active subduction zone was practical, particularly in the vicinity of healthy oyster beds. As usual her concerns were met with derision from Port CEO Jeff Bishop saying they don’t make plans based upon “geological time” and the usual silence from the port commissioners. A few hours later Japan was struck by a 9.0 subduction zone earthquake and we have all seen the results.
DEQ announced it is providing the Port of Coos Bay $150,000 to help fund this study for solid waste treatment on the North Spit.
DEQ, Port of Coos Bay sign $150,000 planning loan agreement
Port will prepare plan for new wastewater treatment plant
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has agreed to provide a $150,000 loan to the Port of Coos Bay to complete a feasibility study and initial planning for a proposed new wastewater treatment facility. The new facility would help reduce the amount of wastewater sent to the City of Coos Bay’s existing wastewater treatment plants which are already at or near capacity. The plant will also help reduce treated discharge to the Coos estuary.
The port has retained HDR Engineering of Portland to prepare the plan, which will evaluate wastewater treatment and disposal options and provide a feasibility study. Ultimately, the plan will develop documents for the final design, construction and potentially, the operation of the new facility.
The City of Coos Bay currently owns two wastewater treatment plants on the upper and lower portions of Coos Bay. Because of population growth in the region and the age of the plant, the plant located just off Cape Arago Highway on the lower bay is currently operating out of compliance with state and federal standards. The city needs more capacity to handle wastewater loads.
But options are limited to upgrade the existing facilities so officials from the city approached the port about constructing a new facility near a former lagoon operated by Weyerhauser at the old paper mill site. Port officials reviewed the proposal and offered to pursue the idea of building a plant on their property that could handle both municipal and industrial wastewater.
DEQ’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund program loans money to public entities across Oregon, helping communities complete a variety of water quality improvement projects. Loans have ranged from $7,000 to $35 million, and DEQ has made loan agreements totaling more than $600 million to borrowers since the program was established in 1990. The program is supported financially from annual grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), loan repayment and state-issued bonds.
What is wrong with them? What part of SUBDUCTION ZONE don’t they understand. Hey Commissioners, any John Doe, Jane Citizen knows better than to spend this incredible amount of funds on a treatment plant in a subduction zone. This is definitely a DUH factor toe the 20th degree. Use your brains people. Find another location that would be safer for the Oyster Beds and all God’s children. You people just want to spend $ for the sake of it or are your kids or the kids of some of your “in crowd” needing the revenue? Just try to relate to normal mortals and quit your porking of the public dollar!
This one gives new meaning to the old saying when confronting a bullshitter – The wind blew and the shit flew! How appropriate – up pops good old Bishop – again! Another eye sore and threat to the county airport. Arriving visitors to the area using the airport already get to see one treatment plant at runway end, why not two – one across the bay? Hopefully the earthquake and tsunami will happen at the beginning of ebb tide and the crap will eventually flow out of the bay or pool around the 400 North Spit acres owned by Port Commissioner McKeown. If high tide, shit will be flying in all dierections. Assuming the facts are accurate and the two Coos Bay drinking water manufacturing facilities are at peak performance; and population growth causes a need for a thrid facility; and the city needs more caopacity to handle wastewater loads; how will a third – “new” – facility “reduce treated dischare to the Coos estuary”? Don’t we need new sewer lines under the bay to and clear lines from the proposed new drinking water faclity?