The City of Clatskanie is halfway to its funding goal for a new sewer plant after receiving $3 million in federal funding through the Congressional Directed Funding program.
Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden recently secured funding for 139 Oregon community-initiated projects in fiscal year 2024, including $3 million in funding for the Clatskanie Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The funding request for the city started about a year ago when the federal government was seeking projects for possible funding under the Congressional Directed Funding program, according to Clatskanie City Manager Greg Hinkelman.
“The city worked with Senator Wyden’s office to fill out the necessary paperwork, which then was vetted through various committees. I was informed a few weeks ago by the Senator’s office that our project made the “final mark-up” of the Federal Budget bill,” Hinkelman said.
Once President Biden signed the bill, its provisions became law, and Clatskanie received the much-needed $3 million toward its project. This follows Hinkelman’s successful work in gaining $10 million from the Oregon Legislature to build the wastewater treatment facility and a $720,000 community development block grant for the engineering and design of the new plant that will be built at the same location of the current facility at 100 NW 4th Street in Clatskanie.
This project includes substantial site preparation at Clatskanie’s designated site for their new wastewater treatment plant. This is a critical step in building the city’s new plant and transitioning away from the current plant, which is over fifty years old and experiencing structural and mechanical failures, according to Senator Merkley’s website.
“We now have $13 million in the coffers , and in order to do phase one (of two), we need an additional $13 million. So we are about halfway there,” Hinkelman said.
The need for the new sewer plant is a result of the current plant coming to the end of its effective life span.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued a $2,800 fine to the City of Clatskanie in December of 2022, following repeated sewer plant failures. The violations are of the DEQ’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NEPDES) permit that regulates the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The fines were a result of two incidents that happened within weeks of each other earlier in 2022.
In a published interview with The Chief in December 2022, Hinkelman said the required geo-tec assessment needed for the plant construction revealed that the soils at the site are liquifiable.
“If we build on the existing ground, the plant would likely not survive an earthquake, so we have to shore up the ground so that the new plant can meet seismic requirements,” Hinkelman said in 2022.
Going forward, Hinkelman will continue to seek the remaining $13 million through grants so as not to incur debt to the city.
“I will continue to seek grant funding. I have been in touch with Congresswoman Bonamici’s office to get our project into a house bill once they get going on their side.” Hinkelman said. “If all fails, we will fund the project through the State Revolving Fund and get a loan. My hope as I continue to seek money is to not have to finance any of the plant construction using loans. We need to have this funded through grants.”
Follow this developing story at thechiefnews.com, thechronicleonline.com, and in the Wednesday print editions of the Columbia County Chronicle & Chief.
Most Popular
Comments / 0