A break in a main water line at the north end of Cannon Beach on Tuesday, March 26th, along with the resulting two-day “Boil Water Advisory” during Spring Break, highlighted the need for the ongoing City Water Resiliency Project. Meanwhile, negotiations between the City of Cannon Beach and the Cannon Beach Conference Center for an easement to construct a new city water reservoir remain at an impasse.
During the late morning of Tuesday, March 26th, a failure was detected in the city water system resulting from a break in one of the main water lines. The break was located in 50 year-old PVC plastic pipe at the north end of town near Les Shirley Park, and repaired within a few hours by the Public Works Department. Hundreds of residents and businesses throughout Cannon Beach experienced several hours of no water or very low water pressure. The Oregon Health Authority requires a “Boil Water Advisory” notice after a significant loss of pressure in a water system; with the advisory lifted mid-day Thursday, March 28th when test results from water samples showed no bacterial contamination. Cannon Beach residents and businesses were notified via “Clatsop Alerts” and “NIXLE Alerts”, by email and by updates on official websites and Facebook pages (see the accompanying sidebar for information on how to sign up for future alerts)
In terms of the volume of water lost, this was the largest water line break ever experienced in Cannon Beach, and it occurred during the initial phase of a multi-year, three-phase City Water Resiliency Project. (ongoing work on the project was not the cause of the water line break) The first phase includes the installation of “Seismic Isolation Valves” at two of the three city water reservoirs; the 30,000 gallon metal reservoir located at the north end, and the 1.6-million gallon metal reservoir above Tolovana. Without these “Seismic Isolation Valves”, even a moderate earthquake would likely rupture the existing PVC and concrete water lines; draining the reservoirs that supply water to the city.
The second phase of this project involves replacing the old PVC and concrete water pipes, running from the springs in the Ecola Creek watershed to the water treatment plant, with “high-density polyethylene” (HDPE) pipe. This relatively flexible HDPE pipe is much better able to withstand the ground movement experienced during a seismic event, and is considered the gold standard with modern water infrastructure projects. The old PVC and concrete pipes running between the water treatment plant and the three city water reservoirs will also be replaced with HDPE pipe. The second phase includes attempts to mitigate any flood impacts resulting from a rupture of the 50 year-old 1-million gallon concrete water reservoir located above mid-town Cannon Beach. While a rupture of this large concrete water reservoir constructed in 1974 (more than a decade before any awareness of the extreme seismic vulnerability on the Oregon coast) would likely not be the equivalent of flushing a million-gallon toilet, the walls would crack and the cover would collapse, effectively destroying the reservoir. Phase 3 involves building a new 1-million gallon metal water reservoir before demolishing this old concrete reservoir. According to the Cannon Beach City Attorney, attempts to obtain an easement for this new water reservoir has resulted in prolonged negotiations between the City of Cannon Beach and the Cannon Beach Conference Center, who owns the property where the new reservoir will be constructed.
Installation of HDPE pipe along Highway 101 will be accomplished in Phase 3a. This “water infrastructure backbone” will provide a seismically resilient pathway for moving water from the north end of town to the south end of town in the aftermath of a major earthquake. According to the City of Cannon Beach “this step will eliminate the disruption to the community and businesses in trying to replace all of the existing aging infrastructure that runs throughout downtown and the residential communities.”
The main goals of the Water Resiliency Project are to harden the city’s water infrastructure while enabling the city to distribute water to the public within three days of a large earthquake, sustain that water distribution for thirty days without significant outside help, and to maintain the ability to fight fires despite widespread damage to the water distribution system. Phase One of this large multi-year, phased project officially started on March 11, 2024, and according to the city “Phase Two is currently on hold pending an easement agreement with the Cannon Beach Conference Center.”
According to City Emergency Manager Rick Hudson, the current city water infrastructure “is extremely vulnerable to a major seismic event” and “retrofitting this entire system to survive a serious seismic event is a top priority.” Hudson added that the water stored in all three reservoirs “is for all uses and we have a huge demand for water not only from residents, but from the restaurants and hotels who pull a large amount of water from this system daily.” Hudson advises residents to have approximately two weeks of food, water and supplies on hand, while planning on a minimum of one gallon of water a day per person.
Resting on an elevated piece of land above mid-town Cannon Beach and sitting directly beneath a PacifiCorp transmission line, the 50 year-old concrete water reservoir sits at the same elevation as the other two metal reservoirs, as the gravity-fed city water distribution system requires all three reservoirs to be at the same level. In July 2022, the City of Cannon Beach entered into negotiations with the Cannon Beach Conference Center for an easement to construct a new water reservoir next to the existing water reservoir. The City has pursued funding for the Water Resiliency Project through “Business Oregon and the Safe Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund” along with a “FEMA” grant to fully fund the project, with 1% 30-year loans and up to 50% loan forgiveness.
According to the Cannon Beach City Attorney, “the Conference Center’s delay in negotiating a revised easement has jeopardized this funding because the Federal timelines required for this funding cannot be met, thereby jeopardizing the loan requirements while adding significant legal fees to the cost of the project. The Conference Center has been slow to respond throughout the entire negotiation process. The City has been very responsive throughout the negotiation process - staking out the new easement area at the Conference Center’s request at least 2 times and has attempted to respond to their questions and concerns in an expedient manner. As a result of the Conference Center’s delay, the City was forced to start the condemnation process by passing a resolution of necessity at the end of 2023 and is moving forward with that process. This has been a disappointing and frustrating process for the City. If the Conference Center was going to refuse to negotiate a revised easement with the City, that should have been communicated at the outset, but instead it has resulted in additional delays and project costs.” According to the City, the Conference Center is the largest water user in Cannon Beach and will be the largest beneficiary of the ongoing Water Resiliency Project.
(See the accompanying question-and-answer interview with the Cannon Beach Conference Center, page A1)
At the top of Sunset Boulevard, resting on the side of a hill above mid-town, sits a small building that once served as the main water reservoir for the City of Cannon Beach. With the scent of creosote still wafting through the air; this old, round, wooden structure sits as a lonely sentinel and a stark reminder of a simpler, easier and less crowded time in the life of our small town by the edge of the sea.
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