Study being reviewed by state, county, and Blue River community stakeholders
In mid-December of 2023, the draft version of the Blue River Wastewater Feasibility Study was issued by HDR Engineering.
Following the analysis, it has been determined that the construction cost for two wastewater systems, each with a capacity of 2500 gallons per day (gpd) – one situated at Blue River Park and the other at the Three Sisters Meadows property – will fall within the range of $3.5 million to $4.3 million.
The projected monthly consumer bill is estimated at $105, encompassing all anticipated operation and maintenance expenses. This projection assumes a maximum of 8 residential connections at each site, as per the current capacity. Additionally, the system can accommodate a mix of commercial and residential connections based on the planned commercial development.
Once comments and feedback are gathered, and the Blue River Wastewater Feasibility Study is finalized, the contracting process for engineering and construction services will begin in late January.
Project History
The McKenzie River is the primary source of drinking water for more than 100,000 people and its pristine waters support important riparian habitat, create jobs and drive tourism.
The Blue River community is one of the most densely populated and developed areas in the McKenzie River Valley and within the Holiday Farm Fire burn area, but its status as a rural unincorporated community means that developing a sewer system is not automatically allowable under state land use law.
As far back as 2015, Lane County was working with the Blue River community to develop a roadmap for a community wastewater system, but state law and a lack of funding kept the project from moving forward.
After the Holiday Farm Fire, Lane County was able to secure changes to state law that will allow the formation of a wastewater district in Blue River to be governed by the existing Blue River Water District.
What’s Next?
Lane County will continue to coordinate with HDR Engineering and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to determine if larger wastewater systems can also be permitted. Groundwater monitoring stations were installed in September 2023 in existing wells in the Blue River Park and on the Three Sisters Meadows property to record the aquifer levels. This additional information, along with additional hydrogeological modeling by HDR Engineering, will help determine if the community wastewater system can be expanded without impacting the surrounding rivers. It is anticipated this additional analysis will be completed by Summer 2024.
Source: McKenzieRebuilds.org